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Boris Myashirov bravely ventures into a world of fiery dragons, fearsome warriors and busty beauties (so that's why he volunteered!)...

Arriving on three disks, plus a 12-page rule book, 60-page specific reference leaflet, Death Knights Of Krynn is the second in the Krynn series of AD&D games from the battle-scarred hands of SSI.

Death Knights Of Krynn begins about a year after Champions Og Krynn. Takhisis' baddies have been vanquished and the Gargath Outpost commander has invited you back to celebrate the victory, talk about old times, swap a few stories and all that jolly stuff. During the party the gorgeous Lady Maya, she who is an honest-to-goodness silver dragon (although you'd never guess if you saw her) talks about Sir Karl (alas no longer with us) and how brave he was during the war.

Shame about Karl. He's now an undead thingy working for the evil side. Inevitable, really, that the celebrations should be interrupted by an all-out attack by a Death Dragon and a bunch of Nightmares - and who do you reckon is riding the dreaded dragon? Yep, big Karl himself, resplendent with the latest in the 'decaying flesh' period of dress. Poor ol' Maya can't take the sight of the remains of her ex-lover (and neither can the rest of the party, uurrggh). Next thing you know, he spouts a piece of propaganda, turns and flies off. Maya flies off after him and Karl's cronies drop in for dinner - you.

SSI's AD&D series has taken a while to get up to speed as many features have been tweaked and problems ironed out with each game release. I must admit to not favouring the Forgotten Realms series of games due to their lack of balanced gameplay and old fashioned magic system. However, the initiation of the new Krynn games series improved matters no-end. What follows is a reminder of just what those Krynn improvements are plus the specific Death Knights Of Krynn info differences from the original Champions Of Krynn.

Firstly, magic in Krynn is controlled by three moons, with each moon representing a god (good, neutral and evil). You'll need to choose carefully as each moon brings its own benefits due to the mage's power varying with the waxing and waning of the moons.

That said, you are unable to choose an evil mage in Krynn. So, along with the need to memorise and study spells the chances of mages dominating the game are reduced - a good thing as the AD&D system is particularly susceptible to this. The Gods also influence clerics who'll need to choose a god to receive specialised deity powers. In Death Knights Of Krynn, the power of the cleric has increased with seventh-level spells now available. Similarly, mages can now progress up to eighth level. There is also a new spell category called Druid spells that can be used by high-level rangers.

Combat, although important, has been redesigned to be more balanced. There are not as many random encounters, the numbers of monsters reach about 10 instead of the previous 30-40. In addition, the monsters' hit points are reduced so they are easier to kill. There are plenty of tough individuals though, so don't think you've got off lightly.

Fans of the books will be glad to see Dragonfear make an appearance. This morale killer emanates from mature dragons but is only really troublesome to low-level characters.

Champions Of Krynn was a vast improvement over the earlier AD&D games (which, in this fast-developing area, are now looking creaky). Pool Of Radiance had boundless freedom and very little plot, while Curse Of The Azure Bonds had a good plot but little freedom.

Death Knights Of Krynn has both good points plus, unusually for an SSI game, no little intrigue. There are quite a few sub-plots to draw you into the game. I would not recommend Death Knights for the role-player who enjoys a puzzle-intensive game.

However, for those of you who enjoy tactical combat, this is the game for you. The combat takes advantage of the surrounding terrain and has a decent artificial intelligence system. Well worth a look.

An interesting wrinkle in this modified system is that certain characters produce new game elements. Kenders (cheerful thief-type chappies with the intriguing ability to taunt people) replace Halflings, Paladins also return in Death Knights, having been replaced by Solamnic Knights in Champions Of Krynn. The differences?

Well, Knights are divided into separate orders and only two of those orders can cast clerical spells when they reach level six while all Paladins must wait until they reach level 9.

Paladins are immune to disease though. Knights have the unique, and irritating, personality trait of giving away a portion of their valuables - noble fellows that they are.

Atmosphere 85%
Excellent graphics and sound effects combine with nifty 'special' screens.

Puzzle Factor 69%
Not really a puzzle RPG. More action based.

Interaction 76%
Interaction is useable but is not too advanced.

Lastability 85%
Should keep you up most nights.

Overall 84%
The best action-orientated RPG on the C64.