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There tends to be a nostalgic gleam in the eye of adventurers everywhere at the mention of the word Zork. Infocom's first three games quickly established themselves as classics and there can't be many people left who have never had a nasty encounter with a grue. The good news is that Zork is back although in a somewhat different form as Infocom launch their first role playing game.

The game breaks new ground in so much as it is not like a full blown RPG such as Ultima or The Bard's Tale where you just tend to go round hacking everything to bits until you are powerful enough for the final confrontation. Instead, the emphasis is still very much on problem-solving. So don't go expecting very much in the way of graphics - there aren't any with the exception of a title screen - another Infocom first! You do however get an on-screen map of your immediate surroundings although die-hard text only fans can switch it off.

All the wizards have mysteriously disappeared from the Kingdom of Quendor. Villages lie deserted and strange and ferocious monsters inhabit the countryside. Even the Enchanter's Guild has been abandoned. All of which means that it falls to you, a mere peasant to save the world and ultimately seek out the most fabled treasure of all - the magnificent Coconut of Quendor.

Each character is graded on seven different characteristics: strength, luck, endurance, compassion, dexterity, intelligence and armour class. Endurance is the important one to watch as where that reaches zero, you pay a visit to that great adventurer's guild in the sky.

You can start off with a predetermined character or set up your own, varying the attribute statistics as you see fit. Different tasks require different skills so it is important not to bias the scores too heavily.

Completing different tasks may result in your attribute levels increasing or decreasing depending on what you do. For example, rescuing the baby hungus (a cross between hippo and sheep) will result in an increase in your compassion. Hacking it to bits with a sword might not have quite the same effect.

Magic plays an important part in the game. As well as scrolls, even the most mundane object may be blessed with hidden powers so it is always worthwhile getting someone to identify something for you. Most of the objects though can only be used a certain number of times before they lose their potency. Items can always be sold instead of used and you might decide that it is worthwhile to invest in a suit of armour or a decent sword.

Weapons have to be wielded if they are to be used successfully. Combat involves to trying to knock the living daylights out of a monster while it does likewise to you. As you get hit, your endurance decreases although this is only temporary. As you kill a few things, your experience increases and with it your number of endurance points. At various times during the game, other attributes may temporarily go down. For example, you lose strength when you use a magic item.

Beyond Zork retains all the usual humorous Infocom touches although location descriptions are not as long as in previous games. There are lots of characters and objects from previous games putting in a welcome appearance but it is not necessary to be familiar with the other stories to be able to play this one.

There are several new commands to play about with but most of these are cosmetic, changing the screen colours, etc. There is an 'undo' command which might prove to be useful after an ill-advised move although you can only step back one turn and you can't use it in combat situations.

Beyond Zork is a delightful game to play. The humour bubbles through and anyone who has been put off role-playing games need not worry. The effect is more like a traditional adventure with a few extra bits added. To anyone who has played Zork, this game is a must for their collection and it also makes a splendid introduction to anyone who has not yet sampled Infocom's heady delights.