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From the moment you stepped out of bed and put your foot in the chamber pot you knew it wasn't your day. You dropped the toast butter side down on the Persian rug, and even managed to mistake a can of fly-spray for your under-arm deodorant. Just when you thought things couldn't get worse, they did - your girlfriend Elvira is kidnapped and taken to some film studios where she is to be sacrificed at midnight to Cerebus, the three-headed guardian of the underworld.

You must battle your way through this Gothic nightmare and rescue your gorgeous beloved. Beware - a second Elvira has been created to confuse!

Like its predecessor Mistress Of The Dark, Elvira is a role-playing adventure based on the American horror show compere (real name Cassandra Peterson). Don't worry if you hate text input, 'coz there isn't any - it's entirely joystick- and pointer-controlled! Click on a useful-looking item, and if you can grab it the pointer turns into a hand - drag it into your inventory box and it's yours. If you click and nothing happens it's probably just scenery.

Some objects are a little hard to see on-screen, so have a little play around with the pointer, clicking on everything until you hear a good, solid bleep. You never know what you'll find!

Obviously there's more to objects than picking them up and dropping them again. Examining it gives a brief description, and depending on what is there's usually at least one "use" option too. Food and drink can be eaten, the rock can be thrown, a key might unlock a door or chest, etc. Alternatively it might be used in one of the many spells on offer (more on this later). Click on a container (e.g. a box) and you're given the option of looking in. To take something out, move it onto the main screen - a curious way of going about it, but it works!

Moving around's a little tricky at first but you soon get used to it. Click on the movement icons to walk forwards, backwards, turn around altogether or face right and left. This can be awkward as you often can't turn in a given direction, not because it's physically impossible but because there aren't any graphics for that viewpoint. While this is undeniably claustrophobic (exploring the guard's office at the start is especially confusing), it's a necessary evil - the only way round it would be to make every wall the same and superimpose the scenery on it, making those gorgeous graphics really booooring and atmosphere-destroying.

Like all good RPGs, the further you get, the better you become. Initially a first-level weakling, as you climb the tree of success you can sustain more hits in combat and use better spells. Ah yes, the spells! Without a doubt these are Elvira II's crowning glory, the object of envy that makes other software houses hold their heads in shame! Select your chosen enchantment from the spell book and you're given a brief description of its effects, the all-important ingredients, and the number of "power points" needed to cast it. Did I mention the power points? Well, they go up as you advance levels too; use 'em all and you're spell-less.

To mix the spell you'll need to chuck in the right components - don't assume every item can only apply to one enchantment either! For example, a spell might demand three metal objects - you'd get away with using your crucifix, dagger and wirecutters... but will you need them later? Or should you use those grotty saucepans you found in the kitchen? This really gets the brainbox working and prevents Elvira II from becoming linear and boring. A successfully mixed spell appears as a potion bottle in your inventory. Some can be cast repeatedly, others are only good for one blast.

With so much in it, I'll bet you're wondering how they fitted it all into one load. Well they didn't - the game is spread over four disks, but accessing is regular and short, keeping annoying waits to a minimum - take a bow, programmer Bruce Le Feaux, you've done a marvellous job!

Every graphic is outstanding, with some of the goriest, most stomach-churning animations ever seen. Remember the Issue 84 Megatape demo? Well it wasn't a one-off, all the horror effects are that good! On the minus side, the user interface is a little awkward at times, and the (limited) character interaction is often botched by your character anticipating knowledge you might not have acquired. This doesn't, however, stop Elvira 2 being one of the best C64 games ever! Mistress Of The Dark was a brave but ultimately flawed incursion into C64 roleplaying - its slick programming and wild graphics couldn't hide the sudden deaths and occasionally awkward problems. Game designers Horrorsoft obviously listened to reviewers' criticisms and pulled out all the stops for Elvira II. Its sheer playability and attention to detail leaves opposition standing!

I'm not normally fond of this type game, but in Elvira II's case I'll make an exception. Graphically the game's drokking brill, especially the hall-chewed bodies of unfortunate victims and the creatures that caused their demise lurking behind doors. This is so phrrt!-inducing, I often ended up cringing before entering any of the rooms.

The icon control system takes a short while to suss, but it's so comprehensive that even a thick sod like me was soon zooming around collecting stuff and kicking ass. The puzzle element may turn some people off as it's perhaps a tad tough for novices. But with a few problems successfully solved, the urge to continue is strong. My only moan is the amount of disks, and the slow access time of the drive. Despite this, Elvira II is well worthy of a purchase.

Presentation 92%
What could be better presented than Elvira?

Graphics 98%
You'll believe a C64 can fly (well, most anyway!)

Sound 68%
Minimalistic beeps but functional nonetheless.

Hookability 94%
Once you've got the measure of the game, you're away!

Lastability 97%
You'll be playing it til way past the witching hour

Overall 94%