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An interesting adventure, this one. At first glance it appears to be a standard text/graphics adventure, from a little known software house, but upon closer inspection it is obvious that Clueso has something a little special.

The plot is basically a murder/mystery set in France, as indicated by the loading screen which shows a detective and a window view of Paris, including, of course, the Eiffel Tower. The layout of the game is in the form of a small graphic picture, though not all locations are accompanied with illustrations. Some of these graphics are very nice, and they are all followed by a text description of the location.

This all sounds like pretty standard stuff, and indeed it is, but as I said, this game has that little extra - a sense of humour. One of the first things the player finds is a ringing telephone (complete with sound effect) which, when answered, is revealed to be a wrong number. Later on though, the phone plays a more useful purpose. Another nice touch is the use of French. Instead of replying with the boring "I don't understand", when stuck for words this program uses the French equivalent "Je ne comprend pas". But as with the telephone, the use of French is not only there for variety and a knowledge of the language comes in handy later on.

Overall, Clueso is an enjoyable program, with fast responses and a strong sense of humour. This game is recommended - as long as you know your French!

Available from Imperial Software, Imperial House, 153 Churchill Road, Poole, Dorset.