Producer: Mirrorsoft
Retail Price: £5.95
Language: Machine code
Author: Texgate Computers

I suppose I could sink this review on its launch by saying something silly like if you're bright you'll get the Mirrorsoft but, don't worry, I won't say anything of the sort.

Ashkeron is notable for its huge size, its unique walk-through graphic system which gives the feel of wandering through a castle, and also, its conspicuous lack of the kind of puzzles which so engaged the early adventurers weaned on Artic games. However, this game is no walkover and the more you play it the more involved you become as it builds consistently upon the charming little world it creates.

Ashkeron is the name of the principality where a Princess Zeraphina lies weeping on account of her forthcoming marriage being held up by the absence of five treasures bequeathed for the well being of the peoples of Ashkeron. The curse of the wizard in the nearby castle will be complete unless her dowry can be wrested from his grasp. What is needed is a powerful and resourceful man, say a blacksmith, to go and sort out this evil magician and, if he should return in one piece, who knows, he might get to marry the princess and start up his own foundry (sorry folks, someone left that journalese machine on it's off now and the rest will make complete sense, I promise). At the crack of dawn on the day of the Spring Equinox, the people accompany Stephen (that's you, the blacksmith) to the gates of the wizard's castle. Suddenly, the sky darkens, lightning flashes and a clap of thunder bursts overhead. The skies clear and the panic subsides but Stephen is now on his own.

There are two options from which to choose on loading; a standard version or a randomised version. It is some measure of just how interesting this game is to say that the standard game proved quite surprising enough without having to resort to random elements. That said, it's good to be offered a second option where the objects are scattered randomly and the game different every time. An added interest is the competition run by Mirrorsoft to find an adventurer of the month who will be the player to produce the highest score for each month until Feb 86. £25 in cash each month awaits the player with sufficient wit and diligence to achieve the month's best.

The first frame, funnily enough, brings just the sort of puzzle so rare in the remainder of the adventure whereby either it gets solved or you're left wandering excluded from where it's all happening. Here you might guess your quest lies across the drawbridge and through the portcullis rather than in the forests that surround the castle. One little tip at this crucial point for those who end up buying screw-in light bulbs or bags of minted peas, or who can be relied upon to put their feet in it don't fool around switching the sound off with QUIET half way through this delicate problem otherwise you'll be back on the wrong side of the drawbridge before you can say SOGAT82. Best to leave any fine adjustment until safely ensconced within the castle.

Moving east you notice the perfectly adequate and sometimes rather good graphics which only occasionally stretch the imagination too far toward the abstract. A distasteful smell naturally pervades the stables and the stable boy 'arns that the horse here is very frisky. Exploring the castle further you will come to realise cold, damp towers mark the NE, SE, SW, and NW corners of the building and their heights afford access to the upper and lower levels. Exploring the second level above might be better left till later as it is guarded by sentinels who pose little threat while you are on the move but are only effectively, and finally, dealt with once certain knowledge has been gathered elsewhere (you know, not being able to give away clues causes this column to make about as much sense as instructions for self-assembly furniture). Much more of an immediate threat are the small whispering winged creatures which grasp and lift you high into the air. These creatures left me stumped time and time again even when they drop you they grasp again as you struggle in vain to make good your escape. Were this not enough, also wandering about many levels is the green slimy dwarf who slices at you with his magnificent sword while he circles you warily.

A very strong point in favour of this adventure is its making full use of the examine command. EXAM POT in the kitchen gives 'Bubbling inside is a horrible green liquid in which the odd bone can be seen' while EXAM BOOK in the library brings forth 'It is bound in leather and is obviously very old'. (Incidentally, picking up the book makes it difficult to read, and once you get into a position to read it, much haste is recommended). Throughout, examining things will either take you further into the intricacies of the plot or add to your involvement, or enjoyment, as for example, when examining the pictures that line the walls of the art gallery.

It won't be too long into the game before you meet 'Suddenly it grows cold... You see a patch of green fog, which, writhing and swirling, transforms into the wizard.' This passage will mark the beginning of a period of time when everything turns topsy-turvy due to some nasty piece of cunning magic from the wizard. North becomes south, up is down, OPEN is CLOSED and other inversions occur which, if not fully understood, will leave you baffled at your lack of progress. Fortunately, the wizard's spell fades after a time and is abruptly shortened by changing levels.

Ashkeron! is a real-time adventure which not only involves the 'time passes' every 20 seconds (and the occasional graphic of the wizard asking 'Have you gone to sleep?' to which the inevitable reply is YES) but also the real threat of being waylaid by a patrolling sentinel or marauding green dwarf overpowering and eventually killing you should you delay. It is highly professional, sophisticated software with many fine features (you can even use a joystick). Its appeal will be very broad due to its open structure, which can be quickly and easily explored even by the most novice of adventurers, and its endearing storyline set within a most impressive and believable castle ensure that in its walls lies a challenge everyone will find interesting and rewarding.

COMMENTS

Difficulty: easy to get into, not so easy to complete
Graphics: on every location, quite good though a little chunky
Presentation: not bad, the white background is an unfortunate choice
Input facility: basically verb/ noun though also allows speech input
Response: very fast
Special features: game plays in real time

Up till now, Mirrorsoft has made quite a name for itself with its educational software. (Troubleshootin' Pete's still trying to master the Mister Men game! Ed.). But here's a new departure, an adventure game and a pretty good one at that.

You play Stephen the Blacksmith who's been chosen by his fellow villagers to go into the castle of the evil wizard. His task, once there, is to recover the five treasures that'll allow the wedding of the fair Princess Zeraphone to go ahead. For, according to local legend, the marriage will be cursed without them. They're obviously a jolly lot, the local folk.

The game makes a special feature of its 'walk-thru' graphics. And what are they, you ask? Well, basically they consist of a fairly normal screen picture covering part of the screen that scrolls in the direction you travel. The piccies are reasonable, if a little 'blocky'.

Watch out too for a couple of other unusual features of the game. There's a joystick option - for entering direction commands - and a randomising feature. Choose this and all the objects appear in different places in each game.

Ashkeron is well up to Mirrorsoft's usual standards and buried within it are some tricky problems waiting to be solved. So, if you're just hanging around street corners waiting to rescue another princess in distress, you'll be pleased to know this game gets my royal assent.

NASTY HOBBITS

Richard Price sets out on the road to Rivendull while Tolkien turns in his grave.

Not long ago, after a long day at the keyboard, I settled down in front of the TV for a few hours of mindstretching intellectual activity - namely Hawk the Slayer, a film which would make Mary Poppins seem like high art.

At the beginning was a short voiceover which summed up the plots of about 75 percent of all adventure programs: "This is a story of heroic deeds and the bitter struggle for the triumph of good over evil and of a wonderous sword wielded by a mighty hero when the legions of darkness stalked the land."

All but one of this month's software fall into this category. Games designers seem to think that this sort of plot is all that most players need. I doubt it and once again make a plea for real storylines and humour. Grumble, grumble...

Never mind though, Delta 4 Software has taken the archetype of all those solemn hero tales and turned out a classic parody.

ASHKERON
Publisher: Mirrorsoft
Memory: 48K
Price: £5.95

Still in the worlds of wizardry we come finally to Ashkeron.

The wizard has purloined poor Princess Zeraphina's dowry of five great treasures. Without them her marriage will be ill-starred and will bring ruin to the bucolic paradise of Ashkeron. You are Stephen the Blacksmith and have vowed to enter the sorcerer's lair to recover the sparklers.

You might be forgiven for thinking this was an Avalon style graphics game - 'walk-thru graphics' on the cover could suggest this. In fact the game is a text adventure with graphics which blend into the next location picture when you move. That happens with a machine-gun roaring which adds nothing to the game.

Text input is standard verb-noun and you can choose between a game where the objects always begin in the same place or a randomised version. The game is in real time so events will progress whether you do or not.

The castle is quite large and complex though often you can do nothing with the rooms - in the clock tower you cannot examine either the tower or the clock. Other characters can be spoken to and the castle staff can occasionally be helpful. The Examine function can be odd - I picked up a candle, tried to examine it and was told it was not there!

The trouble with games which expect you to find treasure is that there is no other incentive to carry on, especially if careful exploration only results in information about things the programmers consider important.

This is not my type of game. It is not enormous - only 125 locations - and it doesn't have the detail which provides a compelling atmosphere. Nevertheless, it is well-made and attractively presented. The prospect of a £25 prize each month for the highest score may induce you into Ashkeron. Not me - I'm going to get back to Fag End and Boggiton.

Ashkeron is an Adventure with yet another approach to graphics. It is described as a "walk-thru" graphics system with locations opening out in perspective before your very eyes. This is not quite an apt description, but nevertheless the method is quite effective.

The graphics window occupies the top third of the screen. Moving east or west "slides" the picture across left or right a frame - you can hear it brushing past! Going north or south causes the picture to "split open", for want of a better description.

Moving east/west is therefore very similar to the 3D scrolling Adventure. This method is more consistent, since all movements are by text input or joystick.

Talking of text, there is quite a lot of it. Events happen whilst you are thinking and there are characters you can talk to, as in: SAY TO BOY "SADDLE HORSE". Shades of Hobbit!

The objective is to find five treasures stolen by the wizard and return them to the princess before crowning her. All this takes place in a castle which houses, among other things, a frisky horse, a temperamental cook and a bedroom-infesting fly!

is the executioner in the torture chamber as evil as he seems? Will the butler ever serve that jugged hare? And oh dear - when will the wizard stop his imitation of the Wizard of Frobozz? Still, that will hardly worry Amstrad and Spectrum adventurers who are unlikely to have seen his antics?

Ashkeron is a very playable adventure from Mirrorsoft and is destined, I think, to become very popular. It is for the 48k Spectrum and Amstrad CPC464.

PRICE: £7.95

In the dim and distant past, Stephen the Blacksmith entered the castle of the evil wizard to recover the five stolen treasures of Ashkeron. The castle was vast and labyrinthine, its inhabitants numerous and its owner possessed of a cruel sense of humour. Stephen, though, was brave and resolute, needing only your help to solve the mysteries of the castle.

Ashkeron is a graphics and text adventure, containing pictures of each location. These are clear and quick to appear but seem to be of little help in the adventure.

Interaction with other characters is important. The stable boy and the executioner seem friendly enough, but the slimy green dwarf proves lethal after a while and will not be put off by your disappearing. Various magical creatures prove a hindrance in your travels, and the wizard is a real nuisance when it suits him.

There is a lot to do and a lot to explore in Ashkeron. Once you have solved the adventure, your next move is to complete it in as few turns as possible.

Produced for the 48K Spectrum by Mirrorsoft, Hoborn Circus, London.