ACTION PACK 2
BULLSEYE
CASH CARE
COMMONWEALTH GAMES
CRACK IT! TOWERS
ENTHAR SEVEN
FRANKENSTEIN 2000
GEOFF CAPES - STRONGMAN
IAN BOTHAM'S TEST MATCH
JACK ATTAC
LOONY LOCO
MIKIE
MYOREM (RICK HANSON III)
PROJECT THESIUS
PSYCASTRIA
RICK HANSON
ROBOTO
SAVAGE POND
STAR FORCE SEVEN
TENNIS
THE QUILL
THRUST
TWIN KINGDOM VALLEY
U.S. DRAG RACING
VINDALOO
WHAT'S EEYORE'S

Product: ACTION PACK 2
Price: 4.99
Supplier: ALLIGATA, 1 Orange Street, Sheffield S1 4DW. Tel: 01742
739061

THIS collection of four games - some of them new - is only available from W.H.Smith.

The first game on the tape, VIDEOs REVENGE, is a shoot-them-down space game using good quality, smooth graphics and adequate sound.

You can move your craft left and right as well as forwards and back- wards, and the various nasties approach from above or below.

Like so many of these games, it's simple but addictive. I really like the title screen which has a message scrolling while the game loads.

Q-BIX is a version of the classic in which you steer a character around a set of cubes, changing the colours of the top surfaces.

Of course there are adversaries who try to bump in to you and cause you to lose one of your lives.

This game has poor graphics and is painfully slow. It will soon have you reaching for the Break key.

TARZAN BOY is an oldie and was reviewed as a single game in December 1985.

For those who missed that review TARZAN BOY is a four screen ladders and levels game, with an awful lot of problems to overcome.

Getting on to screen two is my limit in this attractive, smooth and flicker-free game. It is a little slow, but by hitting Break the game restarts with no sound and a lot more speed.

The final game is DIAMOND PETE and this obviously has its origins in REPTON. The aim is to collect sixteen diamonds from each of ten screens without letting any rocks fall on your head.

An added problem is the severe time limit. There are said to be ten levels as well as the ten screens, but I never got the chance to find out.

There is no way that this matches the outstanding quality of REPTON, but it is very good. It's smooth, fast and has good sound.

The problems are well thought out, and it provides a very good chal- lenge.

Overall I thoroughly recommend this package. Three of the games would make excellent singles, so it is a real bargain to get all of them at such a low price.

Sound ........................... 6
Graphics ........................ 8
Playability ..................... 9
Value for money ................ 10
Overall ......................... 9

Rog Frost
Electron User Vol. 3 No. 11

Product: BULLSEYE (Tape)
Price: 7.95
Supplier: MACSEN, 17 Nott Square, Carmarthen, Dyfed SA31 1PQ.

Tel: 0267 232508.

ELECTRON owners can now experience the tension of ITVs popular dart throwing quiz game called BULLSEYE. The game's format faithfully follows that of the TV program except that it involves just two players.

The first part involves throwing a single dart at a board divided into eight segments. If you hit the area you aimed for you win points and get a question.

A correct answer to the question earns you more points. A wrong an- swer means your opponent can try to answer it.

Each player has three turns at this and points can only be scored when the section is hit for the first time.

Round two uses a standard match play dartboard. Again the players take turns to throw darts and the person with the highest score earns a question. If this is answered correctly, the darts' score is added to that players total.

After three rounds the winner moves on to the prize board. Nine darts are thrown and if they land in the small red sections more points are won.

The fourth part of the game involves a gamble. If you can score 101 or more with four darts your score is doubled. If you fail your score is halved.

The graphics are good, with the dart board being drawn quickly and neatly. Bully is drawn even more quickly and he bears a good likeness to the TV version.

Even the text is well presented using an unusual but clear set of characters.

A couple of spelling bugs are an irritant. I'm not an expert at darts but I thought the line you stand at was called the oche. Macsen have their own version.

I'm also left wondering how they want me to spell the Greek philosop- her Plato. With several files of questions, I suppose a couple of mis- takes are inevitable. More annoying is the fact that the Plus 1 on the Electron has to be disabled before loading this game.

This game lacks a little something. The excitement of the TV program lies in the cash and prizes that competitors win. Mere points seem very dull by comparison.

The darts throwing is also rather predictable. I could consistently throw twenties by but the trebles were more elusive. Despite all this the game is quite fun to play if a little slow at times.

Sound ........................... 5
Graphics ........................ 7
Playability ..................... 6
Value for money ................. 5
Overall ......................... 6

Rog Frost
Electron User Vol. 3 No. 10

Programs: CASH CARE (11.95 cassette, 13.95 disc)
VAT CARE (14.95 cassette, 16.95 disc)
BUILDING SOCIETY CARE (9.95 cassette, 11.95 disc)
Supplier: SQUIRREL SOFTWARE, 4 Bindloss Avenue, Eccles, Manchester
M30 0DV. Tel: 061-789 4120.

PEOPLE who wish to do the simple tasks well need look no further than The Care Utility Series from Squirrel Software.

I have tested three of Squirrels programs: * CASH CARE copes with up to sixty categories of income/expenditure in either one or two accounts.

* VAT CARE produces the three-monthly VAT liability reports on up to 150 sales or purchase postings per month.

* BUILDING SOCIETY CARE handles a maximum of 208 deposits, with- drawals or rate changes in any year to a building society account thereby allowing one to know the interest earned at any given time.

It is a great compliment when I say that CASH CARE is the sort of program which you'd wish you could produce at home over a weekend.

At the cost of a take-away meal, Squirrel have taken all the chore out of getting a useful program.

VAT CARE adopts the same no frills approach. For the small tradesman who loathes keeping the books and is not interested in copious manage- ment information, this is the ideal system.

Whereas Bank and Vat Care work on the time honoured principle, BUILD- ING SOCIETY CARE is more like a spreadsheet. This is so that you may ex- periment in order to test the effect of money being moved around.

Each row represents a transaction, while each cell of the matrix re- presents the detailed effect the transaction has upon the account.

At a cost of ten to fifteen pounds each, they represent excellent value for money.

Sound ......................... N/A
Graphics ........................ 8
Playability ..................... 9
Value for money ................ 10
Overall ......................... 9

Jo Stork
Electron User Vol. 3 No. 10

Product: COMMONWEALTH GAMES
Price: 7.95 (tape) 9.95 (disk)
Supplier: Tynesoft, Unit 3 Addison Industrial Estate, Blaydon, Tyne
& Wear NE21 4TE. Tel: 091 414 4611

AS so many athletes boycotted this years COMMONWEALTH GAMES in Edin- burgh, you have been given the opportunity to enter eight of the events.

Have you got what it takes to compete with the worlds greatest ath- letes

The events are stored on one side of a cassette and must be loaded in strict sequence - there is no menu allowing you to load individual events. You compete in hammer throwing, swimming, cycling, 400 metres, long jump, steeplechase, rowing and weight lifting. Pressing the Z and X keys alternately determine power or speed, while the Spacebar initiates a throw.

The graphics are drawn on a grand scale - none of these weedy little stick men running around. In the hammer throwing you only see the top half of the athlete as he turns in the circle. After his third turn, a meter displaying an angle bursts into life. Hit the Spacebar when it reaches the angle you desire and away soars the hammer to an incredible distance - about five metres in my case.

The cycling is another graphically pleasing and original event. The action takes place in three separate screen windows, the top displaying a plan of the circuit and indicating your position. The next one pro- vides a sideways view of you on the bike, and the third a head-on view.

Great care must be taken not to enter the bends too quickly or you will find yourself rolling down the track ahead of the bike.

In the events which are completed quickly, such as the hammer, the ability to re-run would have been helpful. Likewise with the long boring events such as the 400 metres.

It would also have been nice to have had an abort key which allowed you to skip one or two of the heats if you so wished.

COMMONWEALTH GAMES is a fine example of an athletics program, but could have been even better with a little more forethought.

Sound ........................... 4
Graphics ........................ 9
Playability ..................... 7
Value for money ................. 8
Overall ......................... 8

Steve Brook
Electron User Vol. 4 No. 1

Product: CRACK IT! TOWERS
Price: 8.95
Supplier: Mirrorsoft, Maxwell House, 74 Worship Street, London
EC2A 2EN. Tel: 01-377 4600

CRACK IT! TOWERS describes itself as a puzzle game for all ages. Mirror- soft have done well to think of some kind of explanation because it's far easier to say what the program is not.

It certainly is not an arcade game or an adventure. It has education- al elements, but it isn't a learning program.

What is it then? It's a whole load of fun for Electron and BBC Micro owners.

The aim is simple to find the secret of Count Crack It! You must collect seven golden keys which you'll need to open the eighth room in his castle.

To gain the seven keys you must visit various rooms and solve a set of puzzles and problems in each.

In room 1 in the castle you try to discover what Oswald eats for lun- ch. This can best be described as a hangman type game.

Success will earn you a key while failure will pitch you into the moat. If you end up in the moat the piranha will start swimming towards you.

A question such as 184 divided by 4 will flash on the screen. A cor- rect answer will stop the fish and you will survive to visit more rooms.

Room 2 features a logic game in which you must shoot some beasties while trying to avoid shooting yourself. It's a version of the ancient game of Nim and it's easy to make mistakes.

Room 3 looks a bit like space invaders, but with bats bombing you.

Before you can fire back you need to match a subtraction sum with its correct answer.

This room is fiendish, requiring you to concentrate on three differ- ent areas of the screen, do a calculation and keep your base away from the bombs.

The castle swimming pool can be found in room 4. It will come as no surprise to learn that the Evil Count Crack It! keeps sharks in it.

To avoid them you will have to add a number to a sequence such as 5, 10, 15, 20 and so on.

Room 5 is the spiders' playroom. You have to move your stick of dy- namite around to make a spider fall on it, but before any spider falls you must get a multiplication sum correct.

On to room 6 where Albert the Alien lives - in a minefield. In a limited time you must issue commands such as "west 3" to steer him to safely.

Room 7 features ghosts who won't destroy you if you are quick enough at solving an anagram.

You can enter the rooms in any order, but they all need unlocking by adding a set of numbers together.

If you succeed in any room you can try for a bonus key by entering the maze of seventeen skulls. If you pick on the right skull, aided by a devious clue, you win. The Count keeps many more nasty friends who leap out at unexpected moments and steal precious keys or put you into prison.

Some of these can be stopped by hitting Space, but others require you to complete words or solve number problems very quickly.

If you get fed up with the words defined in the program you can enter your own selection.

My whole family have found this an addictive program. None of the tasks are difficult in themselves, but to succeed you will need fast re- flexes and an alert brain.

Mirrorsoft has come up with something quite out of the ordinary and for my money, it's a real winner.

Sound ........................... 6
Graphics ........................ 7
Playability .................... 10
Educational value ............... 9
Value for money ................. 9
Overall ......................... 9

Rog Frost
Electron User Vol. 3 No. 11

Product: ENTHAR SEVEN
Price: 17.95 (two 40 track discs), 16.95 (one 80 track disc)
Supplier: ROBICO, 3 Fairland Close, Llantrisant, Mid Glamorgan
CF7 8QH. Tel: 0443 227354

"Ignoring the angry shouts, from the large, red faced man, charging down the corridor, you stepped through the veil of light, into the gleaming teleport cubicle and slammed your fist into the button! The rings of light, embedded in the floor and ceiling, pulsed energetically, and you braced yourself for the uncomfortable moment when your body would be torn apart, atom by atom, to be reassembled, moments later, on the Flight Deck of an Interplanetary Space Hopper orbiting a small, Earth- like planet called Enthar Seven.

"Let the adventure begin!"

FIRST the good news: ENTHAR SEVEN is now available for the Electron. Now the bad: Only if you have an AP4 disc interface from Advanced Computer Products or any other DFS compatible with BBC Micro.

I had a slight problem getting started. I happen to like a leisurely beginning to an adventure game, and ENTHAR SEVEN doesn't exactly provide it.

I found myself in a planetary orbiter with a rapidly decaying orbit.

The warning lights were flashing and I had some tasks to perform in or- der to get out intact. I tried to begin preliminary exploration, ignor- ing the problems, and got killed far too often for my peace of mind.

Just before total paranoia set in I thought of trying STAND, and the situation improved a bit - for a while. After I had finally calmed down I got myself out of that dratted orbiter and into the Command Centre.

Then the game began in earnest...

I for one like the sheer complexity that the program presents. It's a game to load and then spend time with a map considering what item in what level will help you with a problem.

After far too long I discovered that bats intent on killing me didn't need garlic, but something a lot more scientific and logical (and me with a 98 per cent pass mark in a logic exam in the dim and distant past).

There are the obligatory mazes. Though I hate them I must admit I really enjoyed getting the better of that Securibot and the rubbish heap.

One maze, in the cavern area, had me foxed - it's a twisty affair that normally would be mapped by dropping things. The trouble is that a creature shoots out and gobbles up everything you drop.

The answer to this problem is totally logical, and the clue for how to map the maze is clearly supplied in the location descriptions.

ENTHAR SEVEN really is a big game with over 450 locations. I have been fried, frustrated, irradiated and thoroughly put into my place. The puzzles are good, the descriptions and atmosphere superb, the backup help is readily available.

If this standard is maintained, ROBICO is going to be well worth following and I would recommend that you buy all it publishes.

Sound ........................... 9
Graphics ........................ 9
Playability ..................... 9
Value for money ................. 9
Overall ......................... 9

Mad Hatter
Electron User Vol. 3 No. 12

Product: FRANKENSTEIN 2000
Price: 6.95
Supplier: AUDIOGENIC, 12 Chiltern Enterprise Centre, Station Road,
Theale, Breks RG7 4AA. Tel: 0734 303663.

IN FRANKENSTEIN 2000 your aim is to revive the famous old monster which you have found on inheriting the infamous barons castle.

In the futuristic world of 2000 AD your method is to shrink yourself down to a tiny size and enter the monsters body.

Stage one finds you in the monsters throat which is full of frogs.

Your task is to destroy as many of these as possible during your journey downwards.

This is best described as a version of Space Invaders. As you travel you will sustain damage from colliding with frogs or the throat walls.

You will also use up oxygen. Too much of the first or too little of the second spells the end of your mission.

Before reaching the lungs, a pellet of oxygen must be shot. If you take a long time to hit it you won't have much oxygen for the next stage.

The activity in the lungs is very similar to the frogs in the throat, but here it is cigarette packets you must shoot. An added hindrance are bubbles of cardon dioxide which float up towards you.

After shooting another oxygen pellet you reach the heart where you steer through the various cavities to activate the implant.

It requires careful timing to get past the electrical impulses and to slip through the valves as they open.

A rather unpleasant task faces you in the stomach. You have to shoot the slices of bacon, while avoiding the fried eggs.

Finally you reach the brain where, if you've got the oxygen supplies and a minimum of damage, you can knock out the bad neurons. This re- quires real precision, and I have not yet managed to do it. Audiogenic has an original idea with this game, but it doesn't quite succeed.

Technically it's all fine with neat, fast graphics and it has pleas- ing sound effects.

However the whole program lacks any kind of extra feature to make it stand out from the crowd.

Sound ........................... 6
Graphics ........................ 7
Playability ..................... 5
Value for money ................. 5
Overall ......................... 5

Rog Frost
Electron User Vol. 3 No. 11

Product: GEOFF CAPES - STRONGMAN
Price: 8.95
Supplier: MARTECH, Bay Terrace, Pavensey Bay, East Sussex BN24 6EE.

Tel: 0323 768456

CAN you emulate Geoff Capes by becoming the strongest man in the world

That's the idea in this game from Martech in which you must endure the hardships of a strongman championship.

There are six events, some with the computer as your opponent but others are an individual challenge against the clock. The instructions are well written, but list the events in the wrong order, which proved to be a real irritation until I'd begun to master some of the problems.

Before the games start, you must earn some muscle by hammering two keys as fast as you can. As a keyboard saving alternative, a touch on Return will grant you a random amount of strength. Having earned your muscle, you then distribute it around Geoff's body by selecting various screen icons.

After this, the first event begins. A car falls on you and you must turn it over. The method is simple: The muscle symbols flash in turn and you move your arrow to that symbol and hit Return. There is a time limit but with practice the necessary co-ordination can be mastered.

Next comes sumo wrestling. Move left and right and then lunge at your opponent to push him out of the ring. It's easy but what a shame it's all over in two seconds.

Event three is the fairground bell-ring. You move the hammer into position and then wallop the keys to bring it down fast on the button.

Positioning the hammer is rather chancy. It depends on which muscles flash and in which order. This one proved an annoying stumbling block for me many times.

In the next event you must chop through a log within a qualifying time. As an axe moves along the log you press Return to chop into the soft parts of the wood. This event requires timing, but little else.

The tug o' war proved my undoing. The instructions say that the meth- od is the same as for the car roll. However, each time I played, I was pulled into the river, which meant I have not seen event six, barrel loading.

The instructions make this sound quite fun, with a lot of keyboard hammering and precision timing involved, but it's obviously not for un- coordinated weaklings.

As usual with Martech software, the programming is excellent, the graphics are smooth and fast and the sound is sensible. But something is missing. The World Strongman competitions on television make compelling viewing. By comparison, I found the computer simulation boring and rather frustrating.

My best performance has rated me as Mr Puniverse, but more often I end up at Wimp level. I know lots of people who like this kind of game, but I would invest my money elsewhere.

Sound ........................... 6
Graphics ........................ 7
Playability ..................... 4
Value for money ................. 4
Overall ......................... 5

Rog Frost
Electron User Vol. 3 No. 12

Product: IAN BOTHAM'S TEST MATCH (Tape)
Price: 7.95
Supplier: TYNESOFT, Unit 3 Addison Industrial Estate, Blaydon,
Tyne & Wear NEZ1 4TE. Tel: 091 414 4611

RAIN may stop play on a regular basis at the Oval but it should cause few problems if you're playing IAN BOTHAM'S TEST MATCH. The armchair enthusiast can bow put willow to leather all year round.

The game allows one or two players to compete over 16 overs, 32 overs, or a full innings test match.

When playing against the computer you are always put in to bat first.

A choice of four strokes is available. They are selected by holding down the appropriate key and pressing the <RETURN> key to execute the stroke as the ball approaches.

The timing here is very difficult to judge. Unfortunately no matter what stroke the batsman plays he always performs the same movements.

Once your side has bitten the dust - and that won't take long - you position your fielders before bowling. Players are moved using a com- bination of four keys and set in position by pressing a fifth. On seve- ral occasions I found that this positioning key had to be pressed numer- ous times before a player was released.

You are provided with a choice of four bowlers each having a differ- ent pace or style. Having selected fast, medium, spin, or bouncer, just press the Q key and the bowler will make his run up.

When fielding a ball you first move a cursor to the player you wish to move before you can begin to chase the ball.

Normally by the time you have made your selection the ball has reach- ed the boundary.

An element of humour is provided by a little duck, complete with bat and cap, which leaves the field with a tear in its eye as your exit for no runs.

The graphics used in the game are quite reasonable, it is just a pity that the game is so awkward to play.

Sound ........................... 4
Graphics ........................ 6
Playability ..................... 5
Value for money ................. 6
Overall ......................... 6

John Revis
Electron User Vol. 3 No. 10

Product: JACK ATTAC
Price: 2.99
Supplier: BUG-BYTE, Liberty House, 222 Regent Street, London
W1R 7DB. Tel: 01-439 0666

ONCE upon a time there was a young man named Jack who had a beautiful girlfriend called Jill - until the local giant incarcerated her in his castle.

Being a brave sort of chap, Jack decided to enter the castle to at- tempt a rescue.

The castle takes the form a 45-screen maze which you must negotiate in order to find the key which will unlock Jill's dungeon.

Different areas are sealed off by coloured doors. These are unlocked by coloured keys which are to be found around the castle.

I don't know if the giant is a greengrocer in his spare time but the castle is littered with fruit. Every one must be collected before you are allowed to free Jill.

As soon as you have released your beloved, the giant will awaken. You must therefore escape from the castle within the next two minutes.

The 45 screens do not need to be completed in sequence, and you are free to wander from place to place as you seek the next key.

Each screen is big, colourful and normally patrolled by a nicely de- tailed bad guy.

There are also secret passages which can take you from one section to another without the need for a key. I found JACK ATTAC a well written, fun to play and sensibly priced program.

Sound ........................... 7
Graphics ........................ 7
Playability ..................... 8
Value for money ................. 8
Overall ......................... 8

James Riddell
Electron User Vol. 3 No. 10

Product: LOONY LOCO (Tape)
Price: 4.95
Supplier: Kansas City Systems, Unit 3, Sutton Springs Wood, Chester-
field S44 5XF. Tel: 0246 850357

IN LOONY LOCO, the evil baron will stop at nothing to destroy the train.

You play the part of the hero who must outwit the enemy and apply the brakes.

That little story is used by Kansas to link together four activities, all with a railway flavour.

In the first activity you drive an engine along a track with the scenery scrolling in the background. To make life difficult for you air- ships and planes keep flying over and dropping bombs.

A well directed puff of smoke is required to prevent these from caus- ing a disaster.

Also causing problems are runaway trucks. These can be avoided by firing a harpoon at them or by switching tracks at the numerous points along the way.

When you reach your destination you progress to the next part of the game. In this you are running along on the top of the carriages.

Not only do you have to leap smrtly from coach to coach, but you must also jump over the balls which are rolling along, and duck under the arrows that are fired at you.

Your aim is to reach the buffet car to gain access to screen three.

Once in the buffet car you must catch the cups and saucers that are rolling along conveyors.

The kindly railway management will allow you to drop a maximum of three while trying to catch the required forty.

Screen four is quite different from the others in that it is a logic problem, requiring you to set the eight switches to put the trains brakes on.

The trouble is that you can only move switch eight if the other seven are correctly set and so on.

You are allowed 300 moves, and at first you'll need them. I think the lowest possible number of moves is 170.

LOONY LOCO is the best program I have seen from Kansas City Systems.

Screens one and two are fast and furious arcade action with good smooth graphics and useful sound effects.

Screen three is the weakest because the cups come in a soon predict- able set pattern. The fourth screen is great fun to crack, but once learned it is no problem.

You can start the game on the screen of your choice. Overall it is a first-rate package and highly recommended.

Sound ........................... 6
Graphics ........................ 8
Playability ..................... 8
Value for money ................ 10
Overall ......................... 8

Rog Frost
Electron User Vol. 3 No. 11

Product: MIKIE (Tape)
Price: 9.95
Supplier: Imagine, 6 Central Street, Manchester M2 5NS. Tel: 061-835
1353

THIS game, set in an American high school, stars an all-American school- boy Mikie who is trying desperately to get a message to his sweetheart.

You have just volunteered to help him.

The first screen provides an aerial view of a classroom. There are nine desks with pupils sat at each one, and beneath five of their stools are little red hearts. As you collect each one, they change into letters to form a message to his girlfriend.

When you collect the fifth heart, the classroom door opens, allowing you on to the next level.

Collecting the hearts isn't quite as easy as it could be as your fel- low pupils won't stand up to let you at them so you have to bump them off their seats using your hip-zap technique.

On top of this you receive a great deal of hassle from the teacher who doesn't like you disturbing the class. If things begin to get too hairy you can always find yourself a vacant stool and sit down for a while - but not for too long, otherwise the teacher's false teeth will fly towards you.

Having escaped the classroom you must negotiate the hallway to reach the next room. The hall is patrolled by a teacher and a mad janitor, so nimble footwork is required.

Screen two is set in the locker room with several lockers containing three hearts. You stand in front of the locker and press the "shout" key three times to release the hearts. This time you are being chased by the teacher, janitor and chef.

The same sort of thing is repeated in the canteen, gymnasium and schoolyard.

I found survival has a high random factor. Sometimes the teacher will plod around in a corner and you sail through the screen. On other occa- sions he will be hot on your heels and you will lose all three lives on the first screen.

The graphics are crude and the animation not much better. MIKIE was never destined to be a blockbuster, but a little more care on the graph- ics side would have been greatly appreciated.

Sound ........................... 5
Graphics ........................ 6
Playability ..................... 6
Value for money ................. 7
Overall ......................... 6

John Revis
Electron User Vol. 4 No. 1

Product: MYOREM (RICK HANSON III) (Tape)
Price: 9.95
Supplier: ROBICO, 3 Fairland Close, Llantrisant, Mid Glamorgan
CF7 8QH. Tel: 0443 227354

DURING the past fifteen months, WHEEL OF FORTUNE, WOODBURY END and RICK HANSON have been battling it out for the honour of being the number one adventure program available for the Electron. Now there is a new preten- der to that crown.

You begin the adventure in the now familiar role of super spy Rick Hanson and in a strange predicament: "Gazing around, you see that you are in the south-east corner of a large dusty arena, bound to a study post by thick ropes. Smooth stone walls, ancient and yellowing, surround you, reflecting the sunlight into your eyes. You are choked by the gag pushed into your mouth minutes before. You can say nothing. You only have your thoughts." You can't move, shout, twitch or even smoke a last cigarette - all you can do is think. That is the crux of your success or failure. "You close your eyes and the memories come streaming back to you...your mission to lead a coup against a South American junta...that abhorrent prison...your evasion of the soldiers and eventually your leap for cover into the gaping blackness of the ditch." The atmosphere created by these memories is such that it will trans- port you into Rick's psyche. I won't give away any more of the plot as Robico is offering a hundred pounds cash prize to the first person to complete this adventure. So if you want that prize, you will have to earn it.

The program accepts multiple statements such as: "Get all the pens except the red one and write with the black one." This is a welcome re- lief from the all too common "Get oeb" maximum allowed by most adventures.

As with all Robico adventures, MYOREM is packaged in a professional maner with full game details, an Adventurer's Notebook, and an envelope for obtaining limited hints from Robico for the less intrepid adventurer.

MYOREM is definitely the best text adventure I have yet seen for the Electron. Its evocative descriptions and superb plot must make it a classic addition to any discerning collection - and you don't need to have played its predecessors to enjoy its richness.

Buy it - you won't find better.

Presentation ................... 10
Atmosphere ..................... 10
Frustration factor .............. 9
Value for money ................. 9
Overall ........................ 10

Pendragon
Electron User Vol. 4 No. 1

Product: PROJECT THESIUS (Tape, 3.5" DFS Disk)
Price: 9.95
Supplier: ROBICO, 3 Fairland Close, Llantrisant, Mid Glamorgan
CF7 8QH. Tel: 0443 227354

AFTER playing the first Rick Hanson game, I couldn't really see that Robico could improve the quality of their games. I was wrong - they have.

The dossier that comes in the games packaging outlines Rick Hanson's latest mission. The enemy has made a breakthrough in an advanced weapons system using it.

Rick's mission is to discover as much about it as he can, which will require him to get the plans for the system. A submarine drops him at Fisherman's Cove, a secluded spot on the enemy shoreline. The submarine will stay in the area until Rick has finished his mission and will then pick him up.

To help him, various undercover agents in the area have left instru- ctions - some in the form of subtle clues - and others will meet him to aid him in his task. You start on the beach at Fisherman's Cove. It is very cold and the first thing you should do is find something to help you get dry.

When you find it, removing your wet clothing first will help and if you wipe the towel rather than yourself you should find that you can start to concentrate on your mission.

Examining the towel will provide a clue, and you should now look for a telephone box. Examining everything when you get there will give you some numbers to try if you go back to the cave and dig.

One of them will provide you with some clothing. A visit back to the telephone box, now that you know which number to use, will allow you to hear a message giving details of the location where you will meet your first contact.

You can ignore the helicopter for the time being, and an examination of your clothing will find you on the outskirts of Winterton, the vill- age where you are to meet your first contact.

While PROJECT THESIUS isn't the hardest adventure I've ever played, it is the most enjoyable. The location descriptions are full with masses of detail.

A superb game that I can highly recommend.

Presentation .................... 9
Atmosphere ..................... 10
Frustration factor .............. 8
Value for money ................ 10
Overall ......................... 9

Paul Gardener
Electron User Vol. 3 No. 12

Product: PSYCASTRIA
Price: 7.95
Supplier: AUDIOGENIC, 12 Chiltern Enterprise Centre, Station Road,
Theale, Berks RG7 4AA. Tel: 0734 303663

YES folks it's time once again for some good old zap and blast. Why communicate with alien life forms when you can incinerate them? The alien command bases are located on land, at sea, on the moon and in space. Your task is to decimate all four.

Play is limited to a narrow window in the middle of the screen, best described as Zaxxon viewed from directly above the ship. This provides you with a birds eye view of the buildings and weapons which constitute the enemy base.

Your ship, always positioned mid-screen, is allowed to move from side to side in order to avoid buildings. The screen scrolls continuously from right to left or vice versa, depending on which way you are facing.

Scenery and enemy forces are drawn using good detail and are animated faultlessly.

You begin your attack from the left of the command base, flying at ground level dodging to each side, shooting tanks and ammo dumps.

If you haven't destroyed everything by the time you reach the right of the base your ship flips over automatically and you return to destroy the remaining defences.

The enemy is present in the form of numerous fast moving UFOs which come screaming in trying to ram or shoot you down. Owing to their high speed you cannot wait to see the whites of their eyes before firing.

Adopt the age old technique of continual rapid firing whether the enemy are on the screen or not.

While on the subject of the enemy craft, do watch out for the tail gunner. On several occasions I nipped into an aliens slipstream only to receive a laser salvo from its rear end.

An annoying feature is that when your ship is destroyed you are re- turning to the start and all the enemy tanks and ammo dumps are re- placed.

This means that the only way you are going to reach screen two is to wipe out the enemy using a single ship. There is no way you are going to achieve this in your first few minutes. The aliens come thick and fast, and their aim is deadly.

PSYCASTRIA is a very good arcade game let down by rather difficult play.

Sound ........................... 6
Graphics ........................ 9
Playability ..................... 7
Value for money ................. 8
Overall ......................... 8

James Riddell
Electron User Vol. 3 No. 10

Product: RICK HANSON (Tape)
Price: 9.95
Supplier: ROBICO, 3 Fairland Close, Llantrisant, Mid Glamorgan
CF7 8QH. Tel: 0443 227354

ROBICO is well known for the quality of its BBC adventures and so it was with some interest that I tackled its first Electron game.

You play the part of Rick Hanson, secret agent. Your mission is to assassinate General Garantz, an evil criminal who is threatening to ex- plode a nuclear bomb in New York unless he is paid a ransom.

You begin your mission in a railway station. An initial exploration of the fourteen locations surrounding you reveals several objects, all of which are useful.

A visit to the telephone box should give you further information about your mission, but reversing the charges is a throw-away line.

After collecting everything else you can find you must look for a route out of the station. Leaving by the front door is not the answer as you will soon discover.

Hesitation can also prove fatal as one of the generals men is some- where inside looking for you with evil intent.

To get on the right track, or rather over it, head back to the bridge. A passing train is on, and in time.

The guard should be dealt with quickly, so put in the spanner in his works. Leaving the train will find you in a village with more exploring to do.

There's lots to do here and if you take a gamble in the tavern you will find you can stay the night.

You must now try not to avoid too close a shave, and cracking the code should see you well equipped to solve the remaining puzzles before leaving the village.

I am very impressed with this game. It has about 220 locations and is totally logical. Packaged with the game is a card which entitles you to help if you get stuck.

Also enclosed is a smart adventures notebook. This is about the size of a diary and consists of blank, colourful pages. I'm not sure how use- ful this is, but it does add an air of professionalism to the game.

The program uses screen memory because of its size so you can only see eighteen lines of text at any one time.

RICK HANSON is nothing les than brilliant and Robico must now join Epic as being the software houses for adventures on the Electron.

I look forward to spending time on the follow-up version, RICK HANSON II, which from initial impressions seems to be every bit as good.

Presentation .................... 9
Atmosphere ...................... 9
Frustration factor .............. 9
Value for money ................ 10
Overall ......................... 9

Paul Gardener
Electron User Vol. 3 No. 11

Product: ROBOTO (Tape, 3.5" DFS Disk)
Price: 2.99
Supplier: BUG-BYTE, Liberty House, 222 Regent Street, London W1R 7DB
Tel: 01-439 0666

ROBOTO is set in the distant future where a feeble sun shines on a bar- ren Earth. A crumbling power station has developed a serious malfunction which has caused the auto components to run rampage around the complex.

Unless you can regain control by de-activating all the zones a major power failure will occur which will wipe out the last remaining life on the planet.

You control a robot, a stick-like object which can float gracefully around the 51 high resolution screens. You can dive, climb, or cling on to vertical walls as you blast the various nasties out of existence.

Each screen contains a power orb. When you destroy one, most of the meanies on that screen will stop firing at you, making it mush easier to progress to the next zone without losing a life. Additionally, some orbs give extra ammuntion, which is particularly useful as it is all too easy to run out completely.

Many of the rooms are real devils to get through first time and re- quire deft use of the control keys which, thankfully, you can redefine.

The program is well written, has no obvious bugs, and follows the now familiar style of having BBC Micro and Electron versions on opposite sides of the tape.

The graphics are smooth, albeit with a little flicker, and the sound is not too intrusive, but I wish you could turn it off from within the program.

This is an enjoyable game for the nimble fingered, requiring a good memory or a well drawn map. ROBOT is well worth adding to your collect- ion.

Sound ........................... 6
Graphics ........................ 8
Playability ..................... 8
Value for money ................. 9
Overall ......................... 8

Rog Frost
Electron User Vol. 3 No. 12

Product: SAVAGE POND
Price: 2.99
Supplier: BUG-BYTE, Liberty House, 222 Regent Street, London W1R
7DB. Tel: 01-439 0666

TO most people a frog is a small green slimy amphibian which sits lazily on a lily pad devouring passing flies. I too had this impression until I tried my hand at the tadpole survival course, otherwise known as the SAVAGE POND.

The screen displays a cross sectional view of the pond. When the game vegins the pond is quite barren except for a handful of hydra on the bottom.

Having emerged from one of three eggs you begin to stuff yourself with the nutritious amoebae which float in the water above.

These are useful for gaining points, but do little to aid your prog- ress towards becoming a frog.

Froghood is achieved by consuming the worms which drift from the sur- face to the bottom. For every five worms consumed you take a step toward maturity, nine such steps and you become a frog.

Unfortunately for our wriggling buddy, life is not a bed of lillies.

Apart from the deadly hydra you must also cope with eggs dropped by passing dragonflies.

It is imperative that these are consumed before they reach the bottom because if they are allowed to hatch you will meet your maker at the jaws of a dragonfly larva.

For each step you take toward maturity a new hazard is introduced to the pond.

These take the form of jellyfish, spiders, and even radioactive waste.

SAVAGE POND was reviewed in this magazine over eighteen months ago and received a very favourable reception. It has now been re-released at less than half the price and is therefore a bargain not to be missed.

Sound ........................... 7
Graphics ........................ 7
Playability ..................... 8
Value for money ................. 8
Overall ......................... 8

Carol Barrow
Electron User Vol. 3 No. 10

Product: STAR FORCE SEVEN (Tape, 3.5" DFS Disk)
Price: 2.99
Supplier: BUG-BYTE, Liberty House, 222 Regent Street, London W1R 7DB
Tel: 01-439 0666

STAR FORCE SEVEN is a military strategy game set in a futuristic space context.

You take the part of the space fleet commander, battling for 25 plan- ets and trying to prevent the marauding Zurgs from invading Earth.

Your first task is to decide how many of the various types of space- craft you require. You have a limited number of points and must choose carefully between cruisers, transporters, spy ships and so on.

Having made your decision, you decide which star to visit first.

There are 26 stars and, to make life easy, each starts with a different letter.

When you reach a star, your main options begin. You can get intelli- gence reports on the size and population of the various planets.

You may move into orbit around a planet and assault it or bombard it.

If there are any enemy space fleets around you can attack them either in a random way or by picking off individual craft.

If the pressure gets too much for you, you can do a star jump and hope to find somewhere safer and quieter.

This is not an arcade type of game so there is no graphic action which you control. You make general decisions and the computer then car- ries out the action.

When you are battling to win a planet the display consists of the numbers of troops remaining, both your own and those of the enemy.

I found this game rather dull to play. It looks like the kind of game that we had five or six years ago when computers had limited graphics capabilities.

It does not offer a real chance to use your own skills and relies too much on random happenings.

Another factor I disliked was that on being destroyed, I had to re- load data to be able to play again.

I'm afraid I even found the rather limited sound an irritant. Thank- fully this can be switched out.

There are five difficulty levels ranging from easy to difficult, but even level one was too hard for me.

If you like this kind of strategy game no doubt you would be pleased to add this to your collection. I'd prefer to invest my money elsewhere.

Sound ........................... 3
Graphics ........................ 4
Playability ..................... 4
Value for money ................. 6
Overall ......................... 4

Rog Frost
Electron User Vol. 3 No. 11

Product: TENNIS
Price: 2.99
Supplier: Bug-Byte, Liberty House, 222 Regent Street, London W1R
7DB. Tel: 01-439 0666

SHOULD you be one of the many thousands of people who spend Wimbledon fortnight glued to the TV set you may have considered trying a computer simulation.

Bug Byte have just released one such program, though I doubt whether it's destined to be a winner.

You have the option of playing one or three sets with either four or six games per set.

Control is via keyboard or joystick and your opponent is always the computer - you cannot challenge a friend.

This is a pity as the computer provides such stiff opposition that you will normally only win one or two points during a complete set.

The court is drawn with perspective going into your screen, the com- puter always being at the top of the screen.

When serving, as in the real game, you must remember to keep your
feet behind the baseline or you will be foot faulted.

Your player can travel left, right, and up and down the court, and
balls can either be volleyed or taken as groundstrokes.

When volleying from the net I would suggest that you do not stand too
close as you will tend to hit the ball out of court.

I can only assume that the angle of the shot which you play is deter-
mined by your position in relation to the ball, though I didn't find
that this made too much difference.

The ball's flight and its associated shadow, was relatively smooth,
although on several occasions it vanished for a fraction of a second in
mid-flight.

The characters representing the players are large, angular and rather
crude. The best part of the screen is the scoreboard where electronic style numbers display sets, points and server.

Had the game employed a user-selectable skill option it would probab- ly have had more lasting appeal. But in its present form I feel it would soon be abandoned by a thoroughly demoralised player.

Sound ........................... 6
Graphics ........................ 6
Playability ..................... 6
Value for money ................. 6
Overall ......................... 6

James Riddell
Electron User Vol. 3 No. 10

Product: THE QUILL (Tape, 3.5" Disk)
Price: 16.95
Supplier: GILSOFT, 2 Park Crescent, Barry, South Glamorgan CF6 8HD.

Tel: 0446 732765

GILSOFT are modest enough to call THE QUILL an adventure writer's ut- ility. I would go a lot further than that. If you can't program in machine code then THE QUILL is an absolute must!

Although an adventure creator, it produces machine code games. It consists of two parts - a database editor and an interpreter.

The main menu controls access to all the utlities you need, such as saving, testing and loading your creation.

Sub-menus cover printing, amending and inserting all the text, move- ment and status values for your adventure.

Your adventure is created using the tables which are available from the main menu.

Text is selected from the main menu, then from the sub-menu you can either insert new text with or without specifying a location, or amend text already entered.

After entering your text you are returned to the sub-menu and can then view it or get a printout.

Aside from text you also need to insert the data relating to the events that take place during the course of the game and this is done via three further tables - movement, event and status.

The movement table is used to set the directions for each location and the room that each move will take the player to.

The event table specifies the actions the interpreter has to take to reply to a players command, such as deciding whether an object can be dropped before allowing a player to DROP it.

The status table contains the entries handled by the interpreter that are independent of player input, such as keeping track of the players inventory as he moves from location to location.

It is possible to assign synonyms by giving them the same word value.

A random function of especial interest to Dungeons and Dragons fans, is incorporated by the implementation of a CHANCE command.

It is also possible to use up to 64 flags for situations that can occur during the playing of the game.

They are simply variables that control situations and objects, such as whether or not a room is lit or how many objects a player is carry- ing.

THE QUILL allows a maximum of 253 locations and about the same number of objects and messages, so it is possible to create a lengthy ad- venture.

However, if you go for large amounts of text, you will find that mem- ory limitations will affect the size of your adventure.

It is possible to save your creation in two ways, either as a data- base - in which case you can load it back in and test it at a future time, or as a completed adventure in which case the interpreter is saved as well.

When saved as a completed adventure it will run independently of THE QUILL and Gilsoft have no objection to you marketing it provided you credit them with having used THE QUILL to produce it.

It is an absolute godsend to people who have the imagination, but not the programming ability, to create adventures. I simply cannot recommend it highly enough.

Documentation ................... 8
Ease of use ..................... 9
Value for money ................ 10
Overall ......................... 9

Paul Gardener
Electron User Vol. 3 No. 11

Product: THRUST (Tape, 3.5" DFS Disk, 3.5" ADFS Disk)
Price: 7.95
Supplier: SUPERIOR SOFTWARE

REMEMBER the days when Space Invaders were king, and the buzz which went round the arcades when Galaxians appeared? If you do then you must buy yourself a copy of THRUST from Superior Software. Loading up THRUST was like discovering an old master in the attic.

Your spacecraft and all buildings and gun emplacements are displayed as high resolution line drawings.

The game is played as a series of missions of increasing complexity.

In the first one the drive unit is on the planets surface, along with a fuel dump, gun emplacement and nuclear reactor. In subsequent missions, the drive will be located in underground caverns.

Fuel can be taken on board by hovering over the dump and activating the tractor beam. Hovering is achieved by pointing the ship away from the planet and using short bursts of thrust to counter the effects of gravity.

The gun emplacements are deadly accurate but can be taken out by a single shot. Firing at the nuclear reactor will halt the operation of the guns for a short while.

Having located the drive unit, the tractor beam can be used to tow it behind your ship, and this is where the fun really begins.

The programmer must be either an ace physicist or an articulated lorry driver, because the drive unit hangs beneath the ship like a pen- dulum attached to a fixed point on the ship by a solid bar.

Each movement of your craft will cause a realistic movement of the pendulum. As a pilot you must fly as smoothly as possible, counteracting every swing of the drive unit.

Should the swing become uncontrollable you will surely be dragged into a cavern wall.

The mission is completed by towing the drive unit into space and jumping into hyper space. As with every good arcade game, there is an opportunity for the arcade aces among you to earn big bonus points.

Having emerged from the cavern with drive unit in tow you can fire on the reactor until it goes critical, at which point you have five seconds to make your hyper-space jump. This feat of bravado will earn you an additional 2000 points.

THRUST is a classic game, a game at which the natural games player will excel. This is a definite contender for my game of 1986.

Sound ........................... 8
Graphics ........................ 9
Playability .................... 10
Value for money ................ 10
Overall ........................ 10

John Revis
Electron User Vol. 3 No. 11

Product: TWIN KINGDOM VALLEY
Price: 2.99
Supplier: BUG-BYTE, Liberty House, 222 Regent Street, London, W1R
7DB. Tel: 01-439 0666.

THIS is a graphics adventure with 175 locations each portrayed in full colour. The program is by no means new, in fact it has been around for years, but the novelty lies in the price - just 2.99!

In traditional adventure style, you play a treasure seeker, in this case aiming to score 1024 points. Your journey takes you through for- ests, over and under mountains braving deserts and ravines. You will encounter elves and dwarves, dragons and witches, and droves of rather nasty guards and gorillas.

TWIN KINGDOM VALLEY is not one of those adventures where you must spend three weeks pondering how to escape from the first location. In fact about 100 of the sites are easily accessible by the usual direction commands.

You'll have no problem finding the lamp which you will need for the tunnels, or a bag for carrying things. If you do get a bit stuck then typing HELP lists all the verbs you can use.

Some of the other travellers you meet are a nuisance, not only to your quest, but also to the smooth flow of the game. Some can be help- ful, but if in doubt, check your own strength and indulge in a little violence. The best cures for weakness are waiting around or swimming in Watersmeet.

One techincal feature of the game is seriously amiss. With a Plus 4 fitted, the save game feature doesn't work. The most annoying part is that without a saved position there is no re-start option, so you have re-load the entire game. Even when it does work, saving a game is a long, long process.

Despite its shortcomings, I like this game. It has an interesting atmosphere and it straightforward to map. TWIN KINGDOM VALLEY is a real bargain, and is one adventure I am determined to solve.

Presentation .................... 9
Atmosphere ...................... 7
Frustration Factor .............. 6
Value for money ................ 10
Overall ......................... 9

Rog Frost
Electron User Vol. 3 No. 12

Product: U.S. DRAG RACING (Tape)
Price: 6.95
Supplier: TYNESOFT, Addison Industrial Estate, Blaydon, Tyne & Wear
NE21 4TE. Tel: 091-414 4611

THE scene is the Clifton Center, Arizona. Your dragster is ready on the track and so is that of your opponent Pete Piston. Out comes the track marshall who waves you forward. Your support team of mechanics gives you the required push and Pete's crew does the same for him. Then comes the instruction to start engines. You build up the revs, slip her into gear and you're off, hurtling down the track in hot pursuit of Pete.

Your aim is to beat Pete to the winning post one quarter of a mile down the track. Success will up your rating from novice to rookie and you can then try your skill against Tex Turbo.

Beat him and you become a pro and face Clint Clutch, and then on to Sam Servo who is demonically fast. If you get past him, you're a faster driver than me.

Your accelerator pedal consists of the greater than and less than keys. These must be hit alternately as fast as you can. The Spacebar serves as the gear change and so far as I can discover you can only change up through the gears.

If you go into top gear too early, the cars lack of torque will mean a loss of acceleration and certain defeat. It all means that you need not only two really nitty fingers, but also a good sense of timing.

As is so often the case in this type of game, both cars stay still and together in the centre of tje screen while the background, in this case white lines, scrolls past.

The display gives no indication of who is winning, which means it is essential to read the distance indicators as well as your rev counter and speedometer. It's a game that will keep your eyes and fingers busy.

Sadly, winning a single race may not be enough. You take part in three races against each opponent and you only win if your fastest time is better than his. I developed a policy of really going for it in the first race and sauntering through the other two to give my fingers a rest.

The graphics are neat and tidy, as they should be with so little on- screen movement. My favourite feature is the parachute that slows you down at the end of the race. The sound gives you a good idea of the speed you're travelling, but is rather unimaginative.

My main concern is that this type of game is bad for keyboards. My Plus 1 joystick interface didn't work with it, so it is almost imposs- ible to avoid hammering the poor keys. If you are prepared to risk it, U.S. DRAG RACING will get the adrenalin pumping as you desperately try to beat the opposition.

Sound ........................... 5
Graphics ........................ 7
Playability ..................... 7
Value for money ................. 5
Overall ......................... 6

Rog Frost
Electron User Vol. 4 No. 1

Product: VINDALOO
Price: 7.95
Supplier: TYNESOFT, Addison Industrial Estate, Blaydon, Tyne & Wear
NE21 4TE. Tel: 091-414 4611

HOW on earth can you make a game out of a curry? The clue lies in the last three letters of the title, and your aim is to become "flushed" with success.

The storyline concerns Raj, who runs an Indian take-away, but has eaten one curry too many and is now in urgent need of relief. The vital facility he requires is deep in the cellar under the shop and your job is to guide him to it.

Finding the route is not too difficult. You start at the top of each screen and work your way to the bottom. Your controls are just left and right - you fall from one floor to the next.

To make the journey you have to cross bridges which vanish quickly and, in some cases, unpredictably. You also have to cope with lifts. You can fall on to them while they are moving downwards, but you will lose a life if you fall on to a lift which is rising to meet you.

Apart from having to judge the moving platforms, you have to steer Raj through collections of animals that bounce up and down on elastic threads. Fortunately, they move in a well-ordered manner and you soon learn how to avoid them.

If you load the game but don't start playing it straight away you'll get a display of the twenty rooms in turn. It is well worth the time looking through all of the screens so that you can learn the hazards before you are plunged into them.

You will also be able to enjoy the good quality scenery, the pleasing plinky-plonk sounds and the humour in the room names.

VINDALOO is a nice idea and most of the programming is good, but playing it proved something of a disappointment.

It could be that Raj, who looks like an Egyptian mummy with a ruck- sack, flickers horribly, or it could be that the dissolving pathways just have me beat. Or perhaps it is that the whole game is too slow - Raj moves at the right speed, but you have to spend too long waiting for the bridges, lifts or elasticated animals to be in the correct places.

Whatever it is, Tynesoft's VINDALOO is not for me.

Sound ........................... 7
Graphics ........................ 7
Playability ..................... 4
Value for money ................. 3
Overall ......................... 5

Rog Frost
Electron User Vol. 4 No. 1

Product: WHAT'S EEYORE'S
Price: 5.95
Supplier: MAGUS, 4 Toronto Close, Durrington, Worthing, West Sussex
BN13 2TD. Tel: 0903 67609

EEYORE'S tail has gone missing again and his mournful looks are making everyone miserable. In desperation, King Golly is offering the hand of his daughter in marriage to the toy that can re-unite Eeyore with his tail. As Joe, on of the GIs (Golly's Infantry) at the palace you decide to try your luck.

If you think this scenario means that the game is for kids, think again, for this is the most ingenious and original adventure that I have seen for a long time.

You begin outside Golly's Palace, near the town of Robard's Sun (get the pun). A quick exploration of your initial surroundings will reveal that most of the locations you visit are made of one or another kind of sweet. I did try to eat my way through, but without much success.

It won't take you long to realise that the problems you find aren't going to be solved by using lateral thinking - as Magus themselves say: "You have to think illogically to get anywhere".

The solution to one obstacle is fairly obvious. To get on to the motorway you will need a car. You'll discover one in Noddy's garage - but you won't find it easy to use.

While the program offers no help other than a list of verbs recognis- ed, there are clues to be found within the game. Waking King Golly will get the response "Golly stirs and mutters...the giants notebook". A clue? I'll leave you to find that out for yourself.

The soldier in the Pretty Maids house will offer to help you if you do and find his musket, fife and drum. I'm still looking.

I have to admit that I am struggling with this adventure. The scenar- io is so innovative that I am still trying to adjust to it. The adven- ture is also wickedly funny. Virtually every object, and most of the locations, form the basis for some kind of fun.

An exceptionally good adventure that is ingenious, imaginative and funny. An absolute must.

Sound ........................... 5
Graphics ....................... 10
Playability ..................... 9
Value for money ................ 10
Overall ......................... 9

Paul Gardener
Electron User Vol. 3 No. 10