Colossal deja vu?

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This is one of the latest pair of adventures from Acornsoft (the other is Quondam) billed as being for experienced adventurers for the BBC, though I doubt Acornsoft's claim that it is of a complexity previously found only on mainframe computers - the Infocom adventures are played on micros, after all. Perhaps it is the biggest so far for the BBC.

Regrettably, quality does not equal quantity in this case. The game has good, clear text layout, as it should do at the price. The beginning of the game is rather reminiscent of the classic Colossal Cave adventure. Unfortunately, the differences between Acheton and Colossal take the form of in-jokes - in other words, traps that you may find amusing if you know Colossal well, but which otherwise will appear rather odd.

The main problem, however, is the similarity with those older adventures set in caves. I kept getting deja vu, the feeling "Haven't I been here before?" There are just too many caves, all much the same, and not enough really tantalising problems. Where are the bizarre conundrums of Philosopher's Quest, the interlinked passages of Castle Of Riddles, the mysterious messages of Kingdom Of Hamil? Above all, where is the atmosphere that pervades adventures like Gateway To Karos? Not there. I have only seen a few score locations - less than a quarter of the total - but Acheton strikes me as Colossal Adventure rehashed, with a few amusing twists thrown in.

Some of these twists are worth mentioning. As in the classic, upon committing some fatal folly you are informed of your total incompetence and asked if you wish to be reincarnated. Try answering 'no'. You find yourself in Hades, and have to find the way out! (This is not a difficult problem for an experienced adventurer, by the way.)

Regrettably these flashes of originality (is it original?) are few and far between. The game also suffers from at least one bad technical fault. Like many other adventures, it has 'short' as well as 'long' descriptions of every location. You get the long one when you first enter, the short one thereafter - unless you say 'look'. The problem is that only the long descriptions give the exits from the location, so unless you keep a perfect map, you keep having to say 'look'. This problem is compounded by the disc having to reload the overlay for each location every time you re-enter it - a most annoying wait when you have just forgotten how to get back to the limestone cavern. Disc-based adventures may be bigger, but they are definitely slower - sometimes irritatingly slow.

The game comes on twin 40-track discs, but can be transported across to 80-track discs. (It wasn't compatible with my drive, but I'm not sure whose fault that was. It worked fine on a friend's.) It will save your current position on disc, of course. There is also an Acornsoft hints and tips booklet in a sealed envelope.

Overall, this is an adventure for those of the adventuring fraternity who feel that the original Colossal Adventure has never been surpassed, and who like to while away their evenings on good old-fashioned adventure puzzles. There is nothing very startling here, but it should keep the traditionalists happy for a month or two. Personally, though, I think that at more than £17, it is a bit overpriced.

Peter Voke