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Transformers: The Game
Worst Element: Lazy developing means that several missions are identical beyond shipping different Transformers into the scene.
Lethal Weapon
The Movies: The defining mismatched-buddies franchise of the 1980s, as chalk/cheese combo Mel Gibson and Danny Glover do battle with each other as much as their foes.
The Game Version: Released in conjunction with Lethal Weapon 3 , these sees Riggs and Murtaugh tackle that film's bad guys. Supposedly, they have different fighting strengths, but mostly the only difference is skin colour.
Worst Element: In what fantasy land does a cop get better results by punching an opponent than shooting them?
The Karate Kid
The Movie: Childhood classic in which wimp Ralph Macchio is put through his paces by Pat Morita's Mr Miyagi in order to beat the bullies. All together now: "wax on! wax off!"
The Game Version: Four levels of combat based on the film and its first sequel, including a tournament set during a typhoon.
Worst Element: There's not a lot of technically accurate karate here; poorly conceived gameplay means you'll have to ignore a real-life sensei's advice.
Little Nicky
The Movie: Adam Sandler comedy in which the star plays the Devil's son. Pretty astute casting, really.
The Game Version: A standard Game Boy platformer is given a Sandler-esque make-up with crude gags about a decomposing Satan and a dartboard with a human eye for its bullseye.
Worst Element: While the game was obviously intended for adolescents, the simplicity of gameplay is more appropriate to younger gamers, who wouldn't be able to buy it.
Rocky Super Action Boxing
The Movie: Rocky III , aka the one with Mr T as Clubber Lang.
The Game Version: Inevitably, this cuts to the chase - no plot, just the chance to become a surprisingly realistic avatar of Sylvester Stallone and beat the crap out of T.
Worst Element: The consensus is great graphics, terrible gameplay. The Video Game Critic observed, "unresponsive control and slow movement rules out any strategy, and the game usually degrades into a button-mashing contest."
Wayne's World
The Movie: Schwing! Mike Myers achieves pop-culture immortality as the self-aware rock nerd who presents an unwatched cable show.
The Game Version: Admittedly, Wayne World's is the most obvious choice of a platform game - yet that hardly justifies a plot (Wayne must rescue Garth from a purple alien) that has nothing to do with the film.
Worst Element: The super NES version of the game has Wayne use a guitar as a weapon, which makes sense. In other versions, however, all he has is the ability to kick, like he's Jean-Claude Van Damme or something.
James Cameron's Avatar: The Game
The Movie: Pioneering blockbuster in which a decade of FX development paved the way for the future of 3D mo-cap blockbuster action.
The Game Version: Set before the events of the film, players choose from being a Soldier or an Avatar, but neither proves to be an especially gripping choice.
Worst Element: While criticisms of linear gameplay can be dismissed (have you seen the film?), the poor graphics were less forgivable as they barely reflected the visual splendour of the film itself.
Home Alone
The Movie: Yuletide classic, recently remade as Skyfall , in which Kevin McCallister (Macauley Culkin) must booby-trap his home to prevent an assault by the thieving Wet Bandits.
The Game Version: Playing as Kevin, you must safely lock up the house's valuables before the Wet Bandits get them. In the Game Boy version, each safe is protected by a new threat living inside the house, including a giant spider and (for no obvious reason) a ghost.
Worst Element: Speed - permanently terrified Kevin walks around on tip-toes, meaning he is easily caught by the fast-paced burglars.
Robocop
The Movie: Paul Verhoeven's Hollywood breakthrough, a still-bracing assault of ultra-violence, enviable tech and political satire. We'd buy that for a dollar.
The Game Version: The 2003 first-person reboot of the much-loved late '80s platform game, which lets the cyborg previously known as Murphy into an endless shoot-em-up blighted by buggy graphics and an overly vulnerable hero.
Worst Element: The save function only works at the end of a mission, requiring a commitment.
Top Gun
The Movie: The biggest hit of 1986, as Tom Cruise became a superstar and Tony Scott the master of high-concept nonsense via a shared need, a need for speed.
The Game Version: Multi-million unit shifter that allowed you the opportunity to test your piloting skills by taking out vaguely defined foreign enemies.
Worst Element: Progressing to the next level meant landing the plane, requiring the skills of an actual pilot to assess speed, distance, wind and the tiniest of landing strips on a pixelated aircraft carrier.
