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Oscar is having trouble with spectral squatters. He's just moved into a large Gothic castle, only to find that the place is haunted by the evil demon Grell and his dastardly minions. He asked the wailing and clanking bunch to leave, but all they did was laugh and throw his crockery around - poor old Oscar! His last remaining chance is to force them out, and the only way he can do that is by searching the castle for objects which give him the power to do so.

The screen displays a 3D view of the current location, with Oscar moving freely within the screen limits - moving through one of the doors brings a fresh room into view. A display panel at the bottom of the screen features four icons (used to pick up, drop, inspect or use any items found), five pockets (used to carry objects) and a soul (energy) meter.

Throughout his ramblings, Oscar is constantly attacked by the evil demon's minions. These spooks are quite dangerous, and a mere touch from one of them is enough to reduce the power of Oscar's soul. Oscar dies if his soul meter disappears entirely, but there is a cure - finding the Globe of invulnerability allows Oscar to touch the ghosts without being harmed. This is a useful boost, and Oscar is going to need all the help he can get if the supernatural squatters are going to be made homeless.

Those people who yearn for the good old days when the Spectrum was the state of the art, need look no further than Con-Quest for their next game - it's visually and aurally ancient. To say that the gameplay is simplistic is an understatement - it's appalling in all respects, and the three pound price tag is a joke.

Steer well clear.

It's regression time, folks. This horrid little program reminds me of the tacky 'anything will sell' Spectrum software that emerged during the boom of 1983.

Looking at this for the first time you wouldn't think that this was a piece of Commodore software at all; the graphics are crumbly, there's no sound to speak of and the gameplay is awful. Trying to get some sort of enjoyment out of this is like trying to get blood out of a stone.

A repellent program that should be avoided - even at its relatively cheap price.

Great! With Con-Quest we can all pretend our C64s are Spectrums...! Serious though, this is a real let down.

The characters are all single colour and make a horrible mess when they collide. Even the backdrops are little more than line drawings signifying doors. It's got its qualities... but they aren't much. Oh, and did the programmer remember that the C64 has a sound chip? I think not, especially when I hear only the badly timed pitter patter of feet - even when the hero is in his bubble!

I usually enjoy maze and solving games, but Con-Quest has not been exploited to its full, and only leaves a uninspiring game.

Presentation 71%
Fairly good icon system, but little else.

Graphics 14%
Ineffective backdrops and badly animated, single colour sprites.

Sound 3%
Two or three very crude and unsuitable spot effects.

Hookability 31%
There may be some initial exploring fun...

Lastability 16%
...but very little to persuade you to reload.

Value For Money 30%
The cheap price may be of some commiseration.

Overall 15%
A very poor arcade adventure which is well below today's standards.