Producer: PSS
Retail Price: £9.95
Language: Machine code
Author: Mike Simpson

Some games are big because of large budgets, others because of large and prominent advertising. And some games are big because they attempt something new, and advance the limits of programming just that bit further. Swords and Sorcery is one of the games which has earned a reputation solely on the length of time and concerted effort expended on its completion. As with all ambitious programming efforts the date of completion was put back time and time again - but it hasn't surfaced at such a bad time, being in sight of Christmas and those long winter evenings.

Recently, complicated games haven't been given the reception which was their due in the early days of home computing. I think the reasons behind this are twofold. The first reason is the way in which the home computer games market is becoming both broader and shallower as if the bubbling cauldron of energy and ideas that was this industry had run its course and now lines up with all the other consumables, stuck in the mud of a silted up estuary. Reason two is the average age of games players which has fallen right down through the teens to the point where anything greater than keeping a fire button depressed for five minutes is thought educationally over-demanding. Now you might think, wouldn't all this be better placed in an editorial (and indeed, since I haven't written this month's, these very words could reappear there yet) and not in a review. Well, if this game does not recoup in chart success all the man hours put into it this paragraph may seem just that bit more interesting.

It would seem every major new project requires a buzz word, as if the computer games industry were out to create a subculture language all of its own. In this case S & S presents us with MIDAS where, for the very first time, the computer plays the part of your eyes much as the camera plays the part of that geezer's eyes when he crashes that medics party in St. Elmo's Fire. You know the bit, he's dripping wet and she turns round and she ends up telling him how she just puts out the rubbish and things like everyone else. (I hope the Ed doesn't delete this stuff - this is very inventive writing). On the left side of the screen your view of the catacombs is smoothly animated and doss indeed give the impression of a cartoon film. As you approach a chest or a bottle you seem to bounce up and down - just as you do when walking on a street - and you can even jump: the room and objects before you fall and rise again as you land on your feet.

The other characters and creatures you meet in the dungeon are also smoothly animated as they wander the corridors. There are treasure rooms to plunder, caverns to explore and pits to avoid. Failing to successfully negotiate a pit results in the walls of the pit whizzing past you as you plummet to an early exit. The goal that transcends all others is the search for the four parts of the priceless Armour of a Master Armourer who fashioned the masterpiece in distant antiquity.

On the right side of the screen is either displayed an aerial view of the quadrant you are in or a rather intimidatingly complicated set of labels and figures which flash up once combat has begun. At the bottom of the screen is a revolving sequence of options. Keys 0 and 8 revolve the options while key 9 chooses that option at the far left end of this strip. Flashing arrows indicate where movement is possible and I'll doubt whether a single person could play this game and not come away with the impression that this arrangement is both awkward and clumsily designed. The truth is it doesn't quite work.

In battle, momentary panic can set in followed quickly by frustration as the player struggles to get the right set of options flowing one after the other. But even when in a comparatively calm situation the clumsiness of this system is all too apparent. Take this attempt to get an object from a chest where OPEN CHEST, GET SANDWICH, EAT SANDWICH would suffice in, say, The Hobbit. EXIT, ACT, SMASH, CHEST, HANDLE, TAKE OUT, CHEST, SANDWICH, HANDLE, ACT, EAT does the job in S & S here, which is not only longer but, remember, involves all that revolving option palaver at the bottom of the screen.

Loading up the game you are presented with three options: Default Game which sees you take on the role of Flubbit the Dull, a ready-made character with an uninspiring name, Load Game which restores a previously saved character, and New Character where you select a name and training scheme for your character. This training scheme allows you 14 days to train with 12 masters and gives your character the opportunity to improve its sword skills, or perhaps its thievish abilities, eg picking locks. Forty dragons teeth is your budget for armoury.

As with all complex subjects S & S has an authorative and full account of the world you will enter. To summarise all that is said therein would be a difficult task indeed. Perhaps a good way of showing what to expect is to give three examples (which will probably remind many of D&D guide books):

SPELL - FIREBOLT: a small blast of magical fire which will burn some of your foes. It does about the same as a hefty sword blow (from an inexperienced swordsman), range - line of sight.

SPELL - UN-POISON: this spell will neutralise any poisonous substance imbibed, ingested or injected into the user, preventing it from doing any more damage (poison damage is spread over a period of time), range - normal.

MONSTER - MAGES: there are two sorts of mages, the lesser and greater varieties. They are visually identical and the greater is recognised by the fact that he uses more powerful spells. Mages disdain hand-to-hand combat and will always attempt to keep their distance and cast spells. Due to the fact that they do not wear armour or carry much equipment they also move quite quickly.

You will notice the period of time aspect to poison noted in the UN-POISON spell and this is a very sophisticated concept in this game. For this reason a close eye should be kept on your character's strength and spell power whilst handling mysterious objects. Some items you pick up will instil within you tremendous powers and the ability to deal with all but the deadliest of foes. On the darker side some artefacts will parasitize your strength and negate your efforts, draining the very blood from your hapless character.

Swords and Sorcery is a super attempt to bring the sheer depth of D&D to the computer screen. Rare for this type of game are the impressive graphics and brilliant animation showing in the best way possible the excitement of exploring monster-filled dungeons. Considering the amount of time spent programming it, and the high quality of the graphics, it is hard to imagine many who wouldn't be prepared to invest the time in getting to know how to play the game in order to delve deeper, cultivate their character and reap the rich rewards.

COMMENTS

Difficulty: playing is hard to begin with
Graphics: very good
Presentation: super
Input facility: revolving options from larger menu

PSS
£9.95

Through the mists of time in the dim and distant past a proclamation was made throughout the land... Yea, verily, PSS will produce a true computerised role playing game and it shall be called Swords And Sorcery, to follow the alliterative vogue. But as time passed many scoffed and said that such a task was beyond the heroes of the age. And then one day the clouds rolled and the heavens thundered and the earth shook and the postman delivered a package. Only two years late S & S had arrived.

The great thing about Dungeons and Dragons and the like as tar as I'm concerned is that they fire the imagination and draw you into a convincing world created by the games master. A lot of that involvement comes from playing with like minded people for for those who have never become involved, loonies). Obviously you loose that element with only the hum of the computer to keep you company.

Role playing games are also notorious for the involved mechanics of running a world; constant dice rolling, looking up tables and consulting charts is conducted by the referee. But a good dungeon master will make it all look effortless and create an ongoing narrative with the players. Again the computer fails because the cluttered screen is far too busy. Familiarity will help you accustom yourself with the revelant windows, but even then I'd have preferred less of the bones showing.

Above all though, the dungeon should be believable, and it's the curse of bad players to create chamber after chamber of monsters. Unhappily the computer reproduces this 'hotel corridor'syndrome perfectly, replacing subtle traps and vivid description with continuous battles.

Not that it's all bad, and I'm sure S & S will become a cult of sorts. There's room for better dungeons as later levels are added to the core MIDAS system. And the true spirit of the game starts to come through if you get a chance to indulge in a little casual conversation with a monster before combat - the battle cries and insults are great. You also train your warrior at the start in various skills and attributes can be increased. But in the end I found it all too mechanical to do what it set out to, which is indulge the player in role playing.

REPLAY

Please welcome! From Dublin! Our new reviewing chap, Philip Kiernan! (Come on, don't be shy.)

Summit
£3.99
0977 797777
Reviewer: Leigh Loveday

'Anatomically upsetting' were the words Jonathan used in description of this 'un, and, looking at the cover art of an impossibly-muscled barbarian type, it's horrifically clear how right he was. In fact, Swords and Sorcery is a definite addition to the ranks of the immortal Games Featuring Anatomically Challenged Characters, up there with such greats as International 3D Tennis, the original Legend of the Amazon Women, and, of course, Game Over (hem hem). Arf.

Well, errr, moving swiftly on to the game in hand... it's ever so slightly ancient, getting a review way back in ish two. (And it was two years late coming out even then - not promising, is it?) it did, however, introduce the 'awesome' (so awesome, in fact, it hasn't been seen since, heh heh) MIDAS software, which is, er, something to do with the 3D tunnel effect and cramming sprite graphics in, I think. Er. Anyway, it's basically the grand-daddy of games such as Bloodwych and the non-Speccy Dungeon Master - though of course it's much less complicated. The puzzles, quests and suchlike of the later games are missing here, making the whole thing basically a case of whether to talk to monsters or to chop them into warty slivers (which you almost always end up doing anyway). Ho Hum.

Anyway, everything (bar movement) is done with scrolling menus of commands - you know, Hit, Magic, Talk etc - which lead into other menus. It's easy to use but takes ruddy ages when you have to smash open a chest, take out every object in turn, pick all the objects up in turn, and so on. The best bit comes when you can actually get a beastie to talk before attacking you with something of substantial pointliness - you can indulge in bribes, threats, boasts and even some pretty chronic insults (try 'Death to the chopped-up slimy yellow zit' or even 'You slow sweet bottom-blast' - eerghh). Utter filth, I think you'll agree.

Well, that's about all the thing has to offer. If the other stuff in the genre like those mentioned above wibbled your particular cerebrum to a pleasant degree, you'll probably get your four quids' worth here, if you can keep in mind its age and treat it like the slightly senile, drivelling old goat it is. If you haven't got the time or patience to plough down past the surface, though, avoid it like a Bobby Davro charity appearance.

Publisher: PSS
Price: £9.95
Memory: 48K

Right, are there any doers-in of demons, monster-bashers, snappy swordspersons or subterranean sorcerers out there? if you prefer Rambo-style dungeon exploration to the vaguer joys and subtleties of text adventure then Swords and Sorcery may well appeal to you.

The aim is to develop an increasingly powerful character who, by combat and theft, is able to travel deeper into the dungeon to take on ever-stronger creatures and better treasures. Spells can be cast and magical items abound in the catacombs of Zob, whose armour you seek.

This is almost entirely a graphic game and definitely not a text adventure - text is displayed to show the results of actions which are chosen from a set of menus and sub-menus. Using three keys for left, right and enter you whizz through different categories of action, line up the chosen word at the left hand side of the buffer and punch in the action.

So, if you wanted to get something from a locked chest you would first choose the Act menu, then select 'Smash' - if you haven't got a key. From there you would 'Open' it on the same menu and then shift to the Handle menu to 'Take Out' and finally 'Pick Up'.

Above this menu-wandering is the text display and two graphics windows. On the left is an animated picture of the corridor, or room, you're in. Here you will see monsters approaching in the tunnels or spot the occasional item on the floor or walls.

The righthand window is the map of the Quandrant of the level you're in, with all rooms and doors shown. There are also moving white blobs to represent you and the monsters you've seen. Once you've been into a room and scurried out hastily any monsters there will show up on the map to remind you of how difficult life can be when you're 60 feet under.

As this game claims to be Level One and says there are four quadrants to a level, I presume, using my rudimentary arithmetic, that there are four screens in this game. I suspect this means that you will have to undergo a lot of reincarnation and falls down deep pits - not shown on the map - before you can progress fast.

You need not necessarily lash out at every monster you meet. There is a Talk menu which allows you to trade breathtaking insults such as 'Beware O dragon bottom biter or I will curse you' and 'Death to the zit headed smelly piece of rag'. Such profanity may well overawe some less heroic creatures and persuade them to evaluate an item you've found or give you some useful information. On the other hand they may take umbrage and chop your legs off... such is life.

When you start a game you can choose either to play with the default character Flubbit the Dull or choose to create a new character who can be 'trained' and armed to enhance specific skills, whether physical or magical. This sequence uses menu routines too and you can make many different named characters if you like to vary your role. Each one can be saved to tape for future catacomb crawling. Make sure you spend some time with Yama, a master who can provide the secret of living more than once - absolutely essential hereabouts.

Once you've trained - a fairly swift process involving a couple of minutes menu handling - you can buy some weapons and you're ready for the off. You can then move your white blob around the maze, again using only three keys for left, right and forward.

The first thing to remember is to make sure you're actually holding your weapon and wearing your shield if you've got one. There are monsters in almost every room and there are about 20 types made up of interchangeable graphic components.

The combat routine allows a series of attacks and defences - you will have chosen your preferred moves from the Hit menu. Hit points, stamina and magical strength are shown on a status screen. You may choose to enter into negotiations before you fight but although this is quite amusing there are not that many creatures who appreciate the finer arts of debate. Many monsters are walkovers but you are bound to lose stamina as you travel and finding food is a necessity.

The instruction booklet is comprehensive and gives detailed help for most situations. When you get to the back you'll find that this game is meant to be the first part of a series of modules. By the time you read this you should be able to get hold of Level 2, costing £1.00, and subsequent levels at £4.95 each. There is also supposed to be a village scenario where you can trade or buy new items.

If this game was in text format it would probably be deadly dull but the mixture of presentations is lively if nothing else. The graphics are not staggering but they serve their purpose and the game has constant action which will probably appeal strongly to aficionados of D&D.

I began playing Swords and Sorcery after a long stint with a text adventure and at first didn't have much motivation. However, after I'd mastered the menu handling and created my own character - Flubbit the Dull is not particularly resourceful - I got into the swing of it. It became remarkably compelling in time and I found myself, near dawn, still struggling to build up power to get past a particularly tough and vicious creature in the second quadrant. Intellectual it's not but there is plenty to do.

MACHINE: Spectrum
SUPPLIER: PSS
PRICE: £9.95

Swords and Sorcery has been the root of many rumours in the Spectrum world. Remember Psyclapse and Bandersnatch? Of course you don't. Those games never got beyond fancy adverts. PSS have taken a much more sensible attitude. No hype. They let the game speak for itself.

When Spectrum owners hear the name, a frequent reply is "Ooh. So it REALLY exists?!" Well, it most certainly does, and it's been worth the wait.

There is a quite phenomenal amount of paperwork with the cassette. About thirteen A4 pages. The first few hundred words give an introduction. The authors have made a brave attempt to make the somewhat humdrum plot sound interesting. The aim is to venture into the darkest recesses of the dungeon, and return with a suit of armour. Honest!

Okay, not the strongest of plots. But I for one would rather go looking for a suit of armour than picking up every sparkling trinket that comes to hand!

One of the elements which sets S&S apart from anything else is that it only uses six keys.

Do not despair, purist adventurers! Three of these are used for movement (turn left, turn right and walk forward) whilst the other three are used in conjunction with the fiendishly simple menu system. More on that later.

The screen is set up into various sectors. There is a wide band for text (insults, greetings and war cries) in the lower-middle area.

The menu system is not easy to explain fully (it took PSS four pages, and they wrote it!). If you imagine a line of text at the bottom of the screen with the left-most command highlighted; "HIT magic act talk use"

Now, two keys will move the line left or right, highlighting each new command as it reaches the left hand side of the screen, and the third will select the option.

Each of these base commands will then produce a sub-menu. "Hit", for example will display the various forms of attack you can use. IF you're holding a sword, you could HACK you opponent.

Magic works on the same principle, when you select the desired spell, there is as suitable special effect, and the program will inform you how well it worked.

Handle and Act are very similar. Both allow you to manipulate objects. The easy way to remember is that, generally, Act is for objects on the ground and Handle is to use something you are already holding. The Act menu also allows you to jump, which (logically) causes the scenery to go down for a second!

The graphics are very good. Each monster (there are nearly 50 different species) will loom out of the murky passage in 3D before confronting you. All are clearly identifiable (and a little daunting!).

Also chests and various other objects, like bottles of wine and sandwiches are drawn.

Talking to the people you meet is great fun! You can be friendly or unfriendly, depending on you mood, insult them, bribe, threaten, or shout at them. The computer will concoct a suitable combination of the creature's name and another phrase. The characters will respond - often physically!

Something I found a little frustrating was the speed of combat. It is very easy to panic after being attacked, and completely miss your desired option. Instead of hacking at a skeleton, I found myself trying to pick the lock on a sandwich! This is easily corrected, and very rarely fatal.

As in Dungeons and Dragons - and some superior games - your character has a list of attributes which will help him through his quest. These determine whether it is feasible to ask Kevin The Strange to eat the chest.

To complement the living foes you will encounter, PSS have also included a number of other traps. The standard "dirty-great-hole-in-the-middle-of-the-floor" crops up, as well as a number of more inventive things, like moving walls, matter transmitters and magical barriers.

Sometimes "You sense a trap" will appear on the screen. PSS say that jumping is a good way to escape these, but I always jumped into a "dirty-great-hole-in-the-middleof-the-floor"!!

PSS are planning many add-on modules to expand the game - three more dungeon levels available in December and The Village module - used to enhance your character's skills and abilities and The Arena which allows you to get involved in combat with other players.

For real fans there are badges, t-shirts and posters!

This game can't be classified. It's unique. When it eventually hits the shelves of you local store, raid your piggy-bank!

PSS
£9.95

This is not really an arcade game and, unlike Tau Ceti which is arcade with an adventure plot, this is strategy with graphics.

I have a friend who bought a Spectrum a year ago because he hoped to play Dungeons and Dragons on it, although several brave attempts have been made, nothing actually satisfied him and eventually he sold it. This program will make him sick that he didn't wait!

PSS have been promising this program for over a year now, surely the longest wait for a program so far, and we have been gently reminding them at every opportunity. So, now it's here, what's it like?

Quite simply it is the best version of Dungeons and Dragons ever produced on a computer. Using only six keys, three for movement and three to access menus, a wide range of actions can be executed. Two large windows are used, the main one at the top centre of the screen is a plan view of the maze showing your position and any monsters in the vicinity. Your character walks around this maze and when you are engaged in battle, it becomes your status screen displaying both the monster's and your own status details.

On the right of the TV screen is a 3D perspective view of what you are facing, this also alters as you move. At the bottom of the screen a window displays actions and conversations which you are engaged in. Finally there is a menu of options which are selected by scrolling them until the one you want is at the far left and then pressing key 9. Initial characters can either be the built-in default one (Flubbit the Dull), you can load a previously saved character from tape or initialise a new character and 'train' him/her.

A little practice is required, but once mastered, using the keys gives fast access to the options which is just as well as the game needs fast decisions. I really enjoyed it and had some fascinating and humorous conversations with some rather strange beings. All is forgiven PSS, swords and sorcery is well worth the wait.