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Monument Microgames' latest Spectrum release is Cray 5, a graphic adventure set on a spacecraft. Cray 5 is the name of the supercomputer that controls the spacecraft and, as you can probably gather, it has malfunctioned meaning it's down to you to patrol the corridors of the spacecraft. The game is flick-screen and gives you control of a large Spaceman sprite, equipped with jetpack. Your mission is to visit each level of the spacecraft, and flip all the switches that control Cray 5 to the 'off' position. There are patrolling service droids scattered around that drain your energy if you come into contact with them.

As with Monument's other releases, £8.00 buys you a spiffing product - you get Cray 5 on tape, on a mini-CD and you get a glossy instruction book and inlay, all amazingly designed and packaged up. It's rather a shame therefore that, despite excellent sound and graphics, the game is quite a dull affair.

You begin by gliding around, and exploring a few screens. You then realise further exploration requires a door to be unlocked, so back across the screens you go to collect the key of the colour that matches it. Through it, you reach another screen where the situation repeats itself - way blocked by a door, go find the key to open it, etc. Unlike in the "classic" graphic adventures of old (i.e. Citadel), there's no variety to the puzzles. On top of that, the patrolling service droids are difficult to shoot and/or avoid, particularly the ones that glide horizontally back and forth in some of the narrow tunnels you must ascend and descend. If you leave a room and come back to it, all enemies are also reincarnated. It's extremely tedious.

Not, however, that this has stopped Cray 5 flying off Monument's shelves. Such is Monument's reputation for quality, initial stocks of the game were sold out within 48 hours of its release! A second batch is in the offing though. Check out Monument's Facebook page for further details. Or alternatively, Cray 5 is available as a free download from World Of Spectrum.