The characters in this text adventure game are very demanding and remarkably helpless. They all want something and it's as if you are there solely to serve them. You're the one elected to locate and schlep back the things they need. And it isn't as if you can simply drive to your local 7-11 and pick up something as simple as a Super Slurpee or a frozen enchilada. These guys want things that not even Harrod's carries- the Jewel of Selmarn and the magical sword called Myraglym to name just two of the many treasures.


The game is The Blade of Blackpoole and you are an intrepid adventurer who finds yourself transported back to the days of King Arthur. By entering a series of commands, you explore the unfamiliar terrain and try to locate the magical sword which, it is said, lies in a secret chamber somewhere in the country.


Aside from the usual commands such as "East," "West" and so on, you are also able to carry on conversations with several of the characters in the scenario: The carnivorous plant which bars your passage asks for something he gets in the spring. You first have to solve this riddle (hint: Spring refers to the season, not a babbling brook), then locate the object and carry it laboriously back to him; A recluse who hides behind a tree demands the Jewel of Selmarn before he'll give you any clues to Myraglym's whereabouts, and in the tavern you can ask the bartender and merry-making gentlemen questions, but their answers are terribly unenlightening. You can also purchase beer and other necessities for travel in the wilderness.


Several paths lead only to dead ends and others are tricky. While there seems to be no way out, there is. Take, for example, the quicksand pits. After a lot of experimentation with command verbs (jump, walk, fly, etc.) we discovered that you can get through the quicksand and emerge unharmed at the other side. How? We'll leave that up to you. This opened up many new acres to exploration and, in fact, led us to that which the carnivorous plant had such a yearning for.


In all, the game has a remarkably broad vocabulary and understands a good deal more than many other adventure games we've played. In addition, the graphics are beautiful and really give you the feeling of having travelled back in time to the days of old when you were bold.


As you can only carry a certain number of objects at any one time, be judicious in what you pick up. Not everything that looks as if it will be useful turns out to be needed.


Never drink the white potion. No matter how thirsty you are, resist the temptation.