Considering my very mixed opinions on Gradius and Life Force, I was a bit hesitant going into the next game present in the Arcade Classics Collection, Ajax (titled Typhoon elsewhere).

I'm happy to say that Ajax was a pretty fun ride! Just like Life Force, there is no upgrade bar on the bottom, and you get the other upgrades as you go along.

For most of its stages, it actually takes a page from TwinBee, as you play in a vertical perspective, having to be careful about the enemies below you.
But there are also some stages that are played in a 3D perspective! They were really fun, and got me pumped, even if they were short.

However, the biggest thing that made me enjoy this game way more than the previous two was the fact that the game did not bombard me with projectiles that are near impossible to dodge.
Even later in the game, Ajax also gives you a chance to avoid incoming bullets, and what also helps is that there are no upgrades to your speed. Your speed remains the same from start to finish, and the game controlled super well, so there were no issues in me potentially going too fast.

The overall presentation is really good in Ajax. The music is pretty well made, getting me excited for the action ahead, and the graphics are really solid for an 1987 arcade game!

The only big complaint I have with this one is that I feel some of the stages go on a bit too long. This was most notable in Stages 6 and 7, and then the final stage right afterwards was pretty short by comparision, making this pretty unbalanced.

Overall, in spite of some of its faults, I had a good time playing through Ajax, thanks to its tight gameplay and great presentation!