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A very strange world awaits the intrepid explorer in Boffin, a world in which petri-dishes (petri-dishes?) and tripods must be destroyed, in which unlucky horseshoes must be collected, mysterious owls touched, giant puffer blimps outwitted.

This is a quest not unlike Knight Lore, although to my mind Knight Lore far exceeds it in quality of graphics, plot and problems to be solved. Here, you must pass through a series of caves by destroying all the horseshoes which are, for reasons best known to themselves, hanging around upside-down. Having done that, you must touch the enigmatic resident owl, the guardian of the cave, who then allows you through to the next cave.

There are actually two games on the cassette. The original Boffin, which features twenty caverns and high-resolution graphics, and is exclusively for the BBC Micro. Whilst, on the other side of the cassette, Boffin 2 boasts 25 screens, all different from the original Boffin and can be run on the Electron as well.

It's difficult to get involved in the game. This kind of quest really demands a properly thought out scenario, along the lines of Knight Lore, and a goal to hold it together. It's no longer enough to throw in a few "tasks" (Why must you collect horseshoes?) and some ill-assorted hazards (Why should these caves be full of hydraulic rams?) for no particular reason.

On the whole, there is nothing much to hold your interest.