I remember trying to work my way past the blobby monster that breathed electricity, trying to get over the steaming stinky swamp with a view to finally assembling all the necessary bits in order to repair, and fly off in, my broken down space ship.

Countdown has, it should be said, been around for a very long time, and in the wake of games like Jinxter it can't really be expected to be as smart interpreter-wise. Although you can type in sentences like, "Get the big book", there's no room for the ridiculously convoluted item-handling ("Pick up the blue box and put it into the red one under the table") seen in some of today's games.

The game has been extended with lots of sci-fi puzzles and although there is only one lateral solution, you can dash off here and there. No graphics at all, but the text is of such a high quality that shouldn't matter a fig.

Classic sci-fi adventure, rescued from the endless obscurity of the BBC market. Top notch puzzles and atmosphere.