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You are a poor sailor, one of a crew of a large vessel currently sailing in the Pacific. After months at sea, an uncharted island is spotted in the distance. As the vessel alters course to land there, the pompous captain proclaims his intention to name the island Atalan and claim it for Britain.

But, alas, this is not to be. Suddenly, a violent storm sweeps over the vessel and, before there is time to react, the ship is tossed and battered into little more than something which looks extremely tossed and battered. Luckily for your good self, you were standing beside the mast and had the presence of mind to lash yourself to it just in time.

The mast breaks away and plunges into the ocean, taking you with it. You awake to find yourself lying on a sandy beach in the warm sunshine, washed ashore on a small island in the middle of nowhere. Okay, the middle of somewhere, but you don't know what its name is. Although the storm has passed so has the ship, the crew and everything on it.

Atalan is, essentially, a treasure hunt. You have to discover all of the treasures before you are rescued. Produced in 1988, the game has a few intriguing features such as the necessity to view locations and objects in different ways. For example, in addition to examining and searching something you may also need to look under, in, on, and behind the object, which adds a new dimension to prospective puzzles.

Complex sentences are possible using the usual AND, THEN, command or full stop. The word 'IT' is also recognised which can save time.

Puzzles are logical and usually require the manipulation of one or two objects to solve. Location descriptions are relatively brief but long enough to give a good atmosphere to the game. There is also a HELP feature which can prove handy if you are stuck.

All in all, not a very difficult game but very enjoyable all the same making it a good choice for the beginner.