US Gold obviously aren't content with trying to dominate the arcade scene, and have followed up their attack on the adventure market that started with the excellent Exodus: Ultima III.

Dunzhin and its sequel Kaiv were written by American software house Screenplay back in 1982 but have survived the passage of time by having a strong role-playing flavour.

Indeed, they are neither text nor graphic adventures and form a grouping of their own.

The two games cast you as the Warrior of Ras who must explore a castle in Dunzhin and a cave in Kaiv in search of a treasure. This changes in every game, as does the castle itself, and includes objects such as the "Frightful Amulet of Xudan" and the "Withering Cross of Wyjen".

You start the game as a pretty feeble level 1 character whose combined attack and defence combat values aren't going to give the castle's monsters too many sleepless nights. Your body is in a puny state and will damage easily and your first few attempts will end quickly at the hands of ghouls, skeletons and dwarves. At this stage you'll be ready to criticise the game's basic graphics which depict you as a crudely drawn character in a walled castle which is revealed as you explore.

However, a few lucky blows with your rusty sword and you've gained enough experience points to increase in level. This makes you a little tougher and a lot more confident. From then on, screams of "Banzai!" will fill the air as you become hooked.

You control the actions of your warrior by entering single letter commands which are abbreviations for adventure style activities such as Aim, Bribe, Hit, Hack and Search.

Hit is the command used in combat, and is followed by another abbreviation which indicates the part of your opponent that you are trying to hit. Such targets include the head and neck which are hard to hit but won't stand many blows and the chest, arms and legs which are tougher but easier to hit. The number of hit points deducted from the target is determined at random and, of course, can be reduced by armour.

Your own hit points increase in proportion to your level but your head and neck remain vulnerable.

Certain creatures pose additional hazards for a hit from a Ghoul may tune you and one from a coackatrice can turn you to stone.

In addition to the monsters that will try and kill you, there are pits to fall in, wires to trip on and even slippery floors on which you might slip and "fall on your butt".

These accidents can and should be avoided by quick reactions as they cause damage.

On the positive side, there are rooms to heal you and mend your broken weapons and battered armour which should help you through the lower levels.

At the time of writing, my current character has accumulated over 190,000 experience points, has reached level 10 and woe betide anyone or anything that stands in his way. Having said that, I am still a long way from finding the, as yet, elusive "Crimson tomb of Pacyb".

Kaiv, Dunzhin's sequel, adds more to this basic but enjoyable gameplay as before you enter the caves you have to buy equipment for your warrior. Some of the more intriguing items of sale include a magic sword, a mirror, and a cross. Hints perhaps of what lies ahead...

I have still some of Dunzhin left to explore and am sure that I will enjoy the challenge that awaits in Kaiv.