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Earlier this year, some of Accolade's star programmers defected to form a new company called Three-Sixty. One of their first offerings is Dark Castle, and arcade adventure which may prove to be the definitive platforms and ladders game for the Amiga.

From the moment you load Dark Castle; it is obvious that a great deal of time has been lavished not only on the game itself, but on all the trimmings that serve to give it a really classy feel.

Each room in the castle is full of every kind of creature from rats to flying monkeys, from magic brooms to whip henchmen, and from burning eyes to kamikaze vultures.

Sprinkle liberally with guards, trap doors, keys, ten top weight swinging ropes, ladders, magic shields, falling stalactites, rocks to throw, chains to pull, elixirs to drink, and the best collection of stereo sampled sound effects this side of reality, and you have the perfect recipe for a superb romp through fifteen of the toughest but most addictive screens you could ever hope to see on the Amiga.

Having played and died a handful of times it's worth watching the running demo and the "info" slideshow, designed to explain the somewhat complicated controls. Then it's off to the Castle again for a spot more Black Knight bashing, this time prudently selecting 'beginner' from the options at the bottom of the screen.

The drawbridge drops, letting you enter the castle antechamber. From here doors lead off in four directions and stairs lead upwards.

Although you can decide which way you want to go from the antechamber, in the end it doesn't matter because you'll still have to fight your way through all fourteen rooms before you get a crack at the Knight.

Controls are via a mixture of mouse and keyboard, and can be very confusing to begin with. But the game itself makes it worth persevering and you should get used to the movements after half an hour or so.

Each room has its own set of problems and resident creatures. In one, for instance, a whip henchman is dishing out 100 lashes to three unfortunate prisoners, chained to the wall. Beyond the henchman hang two keys, one of which you need to progress further into the castle. A mace hangs on a nearby wall.

To get past the henchman, you must get the mace and stun him with it, leap over his crumpled body (you don't want to trip over him), and get the correct key. If you're about to pick the wrong key off the wall, the three prisoners will shake their heads, ignore their warning at your peril because a ten ton weight will come crashing down on your head.

Once you've got the right key, you must get back past the henchman before he regains consciousness and starts trying to whip you. Even then you still have to contend with rats, guards and vultures as you climb and jump your way to the exit at the top of the screen. And this is just one room!

The graphics are excellent yet still play second fiddle to the amazing sound effects. If at all possible, you should play this game wearing headphones or with your Amiga hooked up to your stereo, it's worth shelling out for the extra cables.

Once you get used to the rather unfriendly control system, Dark Castle will grab you by the throat and not let go. Compulsive viewing... and hearing!