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The objective of Xor is to reveal the true nature of the eponymous entity who rules the world in which the player finds himself. This is achieved by travelling through fifteen mazes, collecting the many masks of Xor that lie therein.

The player controls two characters, Magus and Questor, and each one has individual characteristics that enable them to pass where the other cannot. Therefore both are used to complete each maze. There is no time limit, but the player has a set number of moves per labyrinth.

Hindering the player are Xor's forces - a bizarre assortment of creatures and strangely-behaving objects. There are also useful items such as maps, each displaying a quarter of the current maze, and bombs which are used to destroy sections of wall once detonated.

The player enters any of the fifteen mazes, and is given one letter of a cryptic clue to the nature of Xor every time he completes a level. His eventual aim is to complete all fifteen levels, and learn the secret of Xor.

You can spot this game's heritage a mile off: it's a converted BBC Micro game, and has carried the same look onto the C64 in much the same way that the Repton series did. It uses the same over-sized characters, which gives the similar 'claustrophobic' feel - you can't see what's coming as you whizz around the maze.

Although similar, the puzzles are far more intellectual than in Boulder Dash. Overall, Xor is quite a challenging, interesting puzzle game, albeit in a now overworked format.

Maze/puzzle games such as this are very much an acquired taste.

Xor is reasonably well done, and can get extremely devious, with later screens having shades of Boulder Dash as fish and chickens 'fall' down the screen. The ability to swap characters is also reminiscent of the old Firebird Silver release, Thunderbirds, and adds an entertaining twist to the proceedings.

The graphics and sound are nothing to shout about, but the gameplay is sufficiently enthralling to make up for this deficiency.

Finishing a screen should take some time - completing the whole game would be a real feat. I'd have preferred a smaller price tag, but if you fancy giving the grey matter a workout, try Xor.

Presentation 52%
Few options, and lacking instructions.

Graphics 62%
Smooth, but generally uninspiring.

Sound 54%
Occasional unimpressive spot effects.

Hookability 72%
The simplistic gameplay is easy enough to grasp, but the complex puzzles require rather more attention.

Lastability 70%
Increasingly difficult puzzles throughout the game maintain its challenging appeal.

Overall 61%
A little crude for the C64, but a good puzzle game nevertheless.