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The "Berks" series started life on the C16 and Plus/4. Then after a long break Berks 4 appeared for the Plus/4, making use of the 64K of memory to create a much bigger game. This was then converted to the Atari 8-bit and finally the C64.

Jon Williams has a lot of experience, on Atari 8-bit (Jet Boot Jack) and C64 (Shadow Dancer, First Samurai). He was behind the original Berks games and surprised everyone when he returned to create a new instalment. He has joined the group Hokuto Force and released the game through its Digital Monastery label.

Italian sceners - Raffox (bitmap screen) and Flavioweb (linking & other help) contributed to the final release. Version 1.0 contained a password bug, leading to the updated v1.1 available at csdb.dk/release/?id=181094.

The "Berks" series is a Robotron-style maze game, with the player searching for crystals in a maze of connected single screens. During the game the player can press M to see the map, with flashing dots showing the location of keys and the crystal. The player must hunt out the keys to unlock the barrier to the final crystal.

Most screens also have destructible blocks, which can be worn away by shooting them. The player must hold fire and a direction to shoot, but they cannot move and fire. There are two main types of enemies. The Berks wander around the screen at random and can be shot to kill them.

Drones home in on the player and cannot be destroyed; instead, shooting them stuns them for a short while (indicated by a sound effect). Later levels add the fast-moving snakes and other background features; these include barriers controlled by a switch, barriers that switch on and off, conveyor belts that force the player in one direction and gates that teleport the player to another screen.

Completing a map by finding the crystal awards the password for the next map, and shows the level score and percentage (the percentage of destructible blocks that the player destroyed). Passwords can be entered on the title screen and the built-in instructions page can also be accessed.

At first glance the graphics may seem quite basic but they have a lot of colour.

The walls change in later levels and there are some nice animations, including the electric barriers. The incentive to explore is strong, particularly once you have earned the first password and seen the neat intermission sequence.

Control is good and there are some interesting tactics you can use (such as stunning drones to block a pathway through the destructible blocks). I did enjoy the short title tune, a version of Danse Macabre by Saint-Saens. With multiple levels to clear it should last a while, and there is also the temptation of the built-in cheats to help you see more of the game.

The main bugbear is the random placement of enemies on entering a screen. This can lead to the player being quickly overwhelmed by the drones if they are placed near the entrance. It can be remedied by leaving and returning to the screen, but it makes certain screens tougher.

The slow rate that the destructible blocks are eroded can make the pulse race as enemies get closer.

A great maze game, you would be a berk to miss it!