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Firienwood is a 100 per cent machine code adventure which makes up in presentation and speed what it lacks in difficulty. An evil wizard gas stolen the fabled Golden Bird of Paradise. Your task is to search Firienwood in order to find and enter the wizard's castle. If you can then overcome the wizard and free the golden bird, you will receive untold riches and happiness for the rest of your life, plus an invitation to play the adventure again.

The game seems to concentrate more on difficulties than problems. For instance, you have to cross a river, but the boat you wish to use will only hold you and a certain number of objects. There are more objects than you can take with you, so what do you take?

MP tell me there are a few ways of solving the game. I only used one - but, from the number of locations and puzzles that seemed to have no bearing on my solution to the adventure, I think they must be right.

The vocabulary is fairly extensive and most of the GET, DROP and EXAMINE type of verbs are recognised as well as a few you wouldn't expect. The only drawback to this adventure is the market it seems to be aiming at.

I can't see an experienced adventurer taking more than a couple of hours to solve the game - and surely there aren't that many novice adventurers.

However, if you are a novice - better yet, if you have never tried an adventure before and are wondering where to start - then this is the adventure for you! It is free from spelling mistakes that sometimes plague even the more upmarket games.

Also the on-screen display is not off-putting, which novices sometimes find to be the case with the normal black-and-white display that we purists prefer.

Overall, definitely for the beginner, but should not be completely dismissed by the more experienced player.

Merlin