| In March 1988 Crash, a Spectrum magazine, pitted its reviewer Ben Stone against a reader on Elite's Commando in its Challenge, and Stone lost; the magazine said the other reviewers "pretend the defeat is nothing to do with them". | p. 46, The Crash Challengep. 46, The Crash Challenge | Magazine |
| Commando was one of four games on the compilation Best of Elite Vol. 1, with Bombjack, Frank Bruno's Boxing and Airwolf, in an advertisement in Crash in March 1988; the advert's machines haven't been confirmed. | p. 28, advertisementp. 28, advertisementp. 28, advertisementp. 28, advertisement | Magazine |
| By March 1988 Elite had put the game in its compilation Best of Elite Vol. 2, with Paperboy, Battleships, and Bombjack II. An Elite advertisement in Crash in May 1988 packed it with Paperboy, Enduro Racer, The Living Daylights, Dragon's Lair, and Escape from Singe's Castle, quoting Zzap!64's and Crash's reviews. | p. 28, Elite advertisementp. 28, Elite advertisement | Magazine |
| Elite's conversion was late. Crash's October 1987 cover-tape demo announced the ZX Spectrum game for Christmas at £7.95. In March 1988 Your Sinclair still had no release date and reported that the Spectrum version had been ready for months while Elite waited to release it with the Commodore 64 version; Crash that month expected it within weeks. | p. 111, news | Magazine |
| In Britain Elite put Paperboy on compilations: its advert in Crash for March 1988 lists it first on Best of Elite Vol. 2, and an advert in Crash for May 1988 billed it as "Game of the Year 1987" with "more than a year in the U.K. Chart", citing Gallup. | p. 28, advert, Best of Elite Vol. 2 | Magazine |
| Crash credited the ZX Spectrum version to Ocean as producer at £9.95, with the original version by Zach Townsend and the Spectrum conversion by S. Pearce and D. Lyttle. | p. 90 (image 90), review creditsp. 90 (image 90), review creditsp. 90 (image 90), review credits | Magazine |
| Crash made the ZX Spectrum version a Crash Smash in March 1988 with 93% overall. | p. 91 (image 91), ratings boxp. 90 (image 90) | Magazine |
| Crash's reviewers called the ZX Spectrum game one of the greatest film tie-ins on any computer, almost faultless, and not to be missed, and warned that it is extremely difficult. | p. 91 (image 91), Paul's commentp. 91 (image 91), Nathan's commentp. 91 (image 91), Robin's commentp. 91 (image 91), Nathan's comment | Magazine |
| In Britain US Gold published the ZX Spectrum version, reviewed in February and March 1988 at £7.99 by Sinclair User's and Crash's listings and £8.99 by Your Sinclair's. Tiertex made the conversion: Sinclair User's facts box credits it as author, and ST Action's 1989 profile of the firm, formed by John Prince and Campbell, names Rolling Thunder among the coin-op conversions it was commissioned for in its first year. | p. 89, Rolling Thunder | Magazine |
| Crash gave the Spectrum version 47% overall in March 1988, with 63% for presentation, 57% for graphics, 45% for playability and 44% for addictive qualities. Its two reviewers' own ratings were 34% (Gordon) and 59% (Paul). | p. 89, Rolling Thunder, ratingsp. 89, Rolling Thunder, ratingsp. 89, Rolling Thunder, reviewers' ratingsp. 89, Rolling Thunder, reviewers' ratings | Magazine |
| Crash's reviewers of the Spectrum version split. Gordon asked why a death sends the player back to the start of a level, while Paul "didn't get even the slightest bit infuriated with this very enjoyable game". The general rating called it "a sound, traditional idea let down by gameplay problems". | p. 89, Rolling Thunder, Criticism boxp. 89, Rolling Thunderp. 89, Rolling Thunder, comments box | Magazine |