Zenobi Software
£4.99

Deep Waters Volume 1 is the first part in a compilation of games produced by River Software. On this tape are Realm of Darkness, The Mutant, Hammer of Grimold, Jack and the Beanstalk, Matchmaker and The Enchanted Cottage.

Realm of Darkness is a basic treasure hunt which has you recovering the Crown Jewels. It whiles away an hour or two but won't raise the heartbeat at all. Jack and the Beanstalk follows the classic fairy story. Good, but not that exciting.

Hammer of Grimold asks you to retrieve a dwarven hammer from the evil magician. Mutant pits you, The Exterminator, against a beast wreaking havoc in one of the Atom Bomb test site islands and, finally, in Matchmaker you are a trainee matchmaker who has to get the Prince and Princess to the church, suitably attired, on time. The Enchanted Cottage is a more recent game and isn't bad at all.

All the games hold the River hallmarks of a decent adventure - none of them can be classed as poor, by any means. However, in comparison with the other River Software titles they lack depth and quality. This compilation tape is not going to set your Speccy on fire, even though all of the adventures are of decent quality, but it's excellent value for money.