Label: Top Ten
Author: Darryl Still/Dave Baines
Price: £2.99
Memory: 48K/128K
Joystick: None
Reviewer: Chris Jenkins

In the days before the sinking of the land of Thog, the Warlords of Castle Ploon rode forth into the Swamplands of Glark in search of the Lost Firelighter of the Elven Kings. (See, anyone can write this kind of rubbish).

AXE is a strange adventure with lousy graphics and a mixed command system. It prompts you either for one-letter commands such as A(pproach), K(ill) or N(orth), or at certain stages for complete sentences. Whichever you choose, the graphics are minimal, extremely slowly drawn, and the program is remarkably prone to misleading statements of the "Mirriam is here - talk to Mirriam - you can't, there's nobody here" variety.

The accompanying paperback is full of the kind of writing where people talk in CAPITAL LETTERS to make themselves heard over the noise of Tolkien spinning in his grave. There's also, if you can believe it, a soundtrack tape available. From the demo on Side B of the program tape, it sounds like middle-period Clannad on tranquilisers, and the narrator like a refugee from the Northern club circuit ("Eeh up! Welcoom to t'world o' Carthelion!")

In case you haven't gathered. I didn't think much of it - but who Axed me?