Polymega Collection Vol. 6 - Heavy Barrel features two Data East-made run-and-gun shooters, neither of which really achieved the same level of fame as the likes of Commando, Ikari Warriors and Mercs back in the day.

1987's Heavy Barrel was clearly an attempt by Data East to muscle in on the craze for horizontally-scrolling shooters, and for the most part, it's a successful clone of the more notable examples from Capcom and SNK.

Supporting two players at the same time, Heavy Barrel's levels scroll both horizontally and vertically, while keys you pick up during gameplay can be used to unlock chests and gain access to different weapons (a bit like Midnight Resistance, another Data East title). The most notable firearm is the titular 'Heavy Barrel', which cannot be acquired at once but has to be assembled from six different parts.

It's the most potent weapon in the game and cuts through enemies like a hot knife through butter – but with a catch. It lasts for half a minute before it vanishes, which avoids you being so overpowered that you can literally sleepwalk through the game.

Heavy Barrel got an NES port back in the day, but it can't really hold a candle to the arcade original – so it's great to see it get a new lease of life on Polymega. The aforementioned port is included, at least – so you can see just how weak it is when compared to the original. I would imagine there will be plenty of people out there who got their first taste of the game on Nintendo's console, so this could have some nostalgic appeal.

However, even more appealing is the second game on this collection, 1991's Desert Assault (also known as Thunder Zone). This title was never ported to any home system back in the '90s, which is a crying shame as it's one of Data East's most accomplished arcade games.

With its gorgeous visuals, insane set-pieces and support for up to four players, Desert Assault is simply brilliant – and, if you're interested in this kind of thing, there are a bunch of changes between the 'World' and Japanese versions of the game, which means it's worth experiencing both.

Given that we've seen a lot of previous Polymega Collection releases with multiple games included, it feels a bit cheap for Playmaji to only have included two on this release (well, three if you count the NES port as a stand-alone game). Where's 1988's Bloody Wolf, for example, which is often considered by fans to be part of the same loose series as Heavy Barrel and Desert Assault?

Still, while it's hard to argue that this sixth Polymega Collection is especially good value for money, at least the two games included are of a high standard.