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What adventure game can you play using a joystick? Come on now - there is one! It's called Avalon and it comes from Hewson Consultants for the 48K Spectrum.

Avalon - oddly subtitled "the adventure movie" - is a cross between Dungeons & Dragons, Atic Atac and a full-blown adventure game and is destined to become one of the big games this Christmas.

Avalon is a mythical Isle of Glass featured heavily in the Arthurian legends which set programmer Steve Turner off on the course to create this new game.

You play the part of Maroc the Mage, a Lore Seeker, who sets out to destroy the Lord of Chaos who has taken up residence inside the Isle of Avalon.

The game has eight levels - each getting progressively more difficult as you get closer to your final goal and the Lord of Chaos.

In order to get this review to you as quickly as possible, this reviewer only pottered about the first two levels - but that was enough to see that Avalon is an absorbing and challenging game.

Just as in adventure, there are problems to be solved before the player can progress to the next level of the game. You have to collect various items and complete various tasks before unlocking the doors to lower levels of the Isle of Glass.

Maroc has to travel around the many rooms of Avalon - at first collecting spells and gold which will aid him when he comes to venture into the lower levels.

On the first level he also has to find the Servant - a funny little spirit creature who will aid his quest.

There are nasties inhabiting the rooms and tunnels of Avalon who set out stop the Mage reaching their Lord.

A nice feature of the game is that when you "die" it's only your astral form kicking the bucket and you return to the starting room complete with all the spells and other goodies which you collected before the nasties got to you. This helps you get into the game without becoming terminally frustrated with it.

Collecting and adding to your powers is where the D&D element comes in to the game. The similarity to Atic Atac is that you find your way around a maze of rooms. The adventure element comes in when you have to start solving problems in order to progress further into the game, which appear at lower levels.

The 3D graphics are among the best I've seen on the Spectrum and there are a number of nice touches - like the Servant spirit.

The screen is split into a large graphic display showing Maroc and his surroundings, with a small window at the bottom centre which displays command options - like "move" or the spells which Maroc has available to him such as "freeze" or "flame".

To choose what you want to do, you simply pick an option by scrolling the commands in the window and making your selection using keyboard or joystick.

The game comes with a well written and informative set of instructions - which are essential reading before you sit down and play.

I'm not sure about Hewson's claim that Avalon will appeal to out and out adventurers as well as arcade game fans - but the game is fun to play, pretty to look at and challenging too. And at the price, you can't go far wrong!

I can't wait to see the first map of the Avalon rooms - or hear from the first person who claims the ultimate and tells me he has achieved the rank of Supreme Lore Lord. I reckon that telephone call is a long way off!

In order to help you reach that rank, we've got together with Hewson Consultants to bring you an exclusive Avalon map - plus games tips on the first level of the game. So don't miss December's issue of Computer & Video Games with the special added ingredient of Prof. Video's visit to the Isle of Glass.