SOMETHING COMPLETELY DIFFERENT

It is unusual for an Adventure to offer different levels of play, but then Cricklewood Incident is an unusual Adventure!

To start with, you must select a level in accordance with your ability – Utter Wally, John Travolta, Gengis Khan, Superman or Geoff Boycott.

The screen is formatted in an unusual way too. There is a section describing your location, another, your exits, and alongside this is your current state of health. Starting off as 'You feel great', this usually deteriorates fairly rapidly as the game progresses.

To move around at will is fairly difficult, due to the intervention of the fuzz, an alien spaceship, and a band of Hell's Angels. If the fuzz strike, you usually end up in a cell, but don't worry - you can walk out at will! The alien spaceship is a nuisance. After analysing you, you are usually discarded as uninteresting, but might end up anywhere.

The Hells Angels are killers. You go into a real-time fight, with various tactical key-stroke options. These range from retreating to the use of the knee.

Travel is by bus and train - IF you can find one and have the money. And then there's that push button with the 'forbidden' sign. An open invitation, isn't it? So I fell for it!

The object of all this is to find the Holy Grail, and if I mention the words 'Yang-tse', 'pointed stick', and 'yet another minute passed', those of you who have spotted the link will probably, like myself, spend more time searching for a Norwegian Blue (beautiful plumage!) than the Grail.

The Cricklewood Incident, which I played on the Dragon, together with a BBC and Spectrum version, are from Salamander Software. The game is also known as The Streets of London on the Commodore 64, and marketed by Supersoft.

I haven't played very far into it yet, but intend to go back as soon as my son lets me back on his Dragon! And if you like it - take heart - there's more on the way!