THE HAUNTED HOUSE

Richard Price finds himself in limbo as he looks for a time machine.

Most months the games sent in for review tend to be a mixed bag and usually only one or two stand out from the general run of average productions. This month is exceptional as all five programs reviewed are either excellent, value for money, break new ground or restate old values. Whatever the depth of your pocket you should find at least one that suits you or your wallet.

CRYSTAL QUEST
Publisher: Pocket Money Software
Memory: 48K
Price: 99 pence

Last, there's Crystal Quest from Pocket Money Software. This is a 100 location Quilled text adventure set in the world of Star Trek. The Earth is in serious danger and you must pilot your space craft where no man has gone before to find the three Crystals which will save the human race.

At the start you find yourself in the overheating engine room of the ship. The warp drive is due to malfunction so you have to race to the control room and warp out of Earth base, pronto. There are steering systems to be mastered - if you get your colour coding wrong you could be in dead trouble and end up in a completely wrong destination.

Once you have learned how to steer the ship, you will find a variety of planets to explore - some with hostile alien life and some with robotic systems to contend with. You can use a transporter beam to get down to those landfalls but remember to set the coordinates before you beam down.

Trekkies will like the game as will anyone who can only afford a small amount of cash to buy their software. At 99 pence the program is terrific value for money, and compares very favourably with a lot of games costing five times as much. Beam me up Scotty!