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This is the game that everyone has been waiting for. During a wait for the official version of Gauntlet from US Gold, the rest of the software industry has developed an overwhelming compulsion to produce Gauntlet imitations. This chorus of "send in the clones" has brought us Storm (Mastertronic), Dandy (Electric Dreams) and Druid (Firebird).

So, has the market been saturated to the extent that Gauntlet is an anti-climax? The short answer is no. Despite approaching the game with misgivings that it could be disappointing (given the hype it's received) I can report that the official Gauntlet is by far the most enjoyable and addictive of them all.

The original arcade game could be played by up to four players. On the Spectrum of course, this is whittled down to two (thankfully both can play with a joystick) but it is the option of cut and slash teamwork as you clear dungeon after dungeon of nasties that adds a whole new dimension to playing a Spectrum game. You would expect this two player option to slow down the action but surprisingly there is no loss of speed and the action is frenetically fast.

You have a choice of four characters and, if playing the two-player game, it's best to choose characters that have complementary characteristics. Thor, for instance, is a warrior with excellent muscle power and good in close combat but a dunce when it comes to casting spells. You might want to team him with Merlin who gets pummelled badly in hand-to-hand fighting, but can use his magic power to wipe out monsters and the generators that spawn them.

Thyra the Valkyrie's specialty is hand-to-hand combat and Questor the Elf relies on his magic charms to make up for moderate abilities at fighting.

As for adversaries, the dungeons are overflowing with them, ranging from ghosts to Death, whose fatal charms will drain you of health unless you have the spell to kill him. In addition, there are Grunts, Demons, Lobbers and Sorcerors, all with their own characteristics and each requiring a slightly different approach to despatch them most effectively.

Be warned that due to the complexity of Gauntlet (512 levels) there is a lot of time spent rewinding and loading from tape. If you don't find Gauntlet compulsive, this could be a drag but if you become addicted these breaks can become a welcome respite from the unrelenting battle.

The aim of the game of course is to fight, barge, charm, shoot and punch your way through those 500+ levels. It's not a game for dedicated strategists. For one thing, the swarms of dungeon dwellers threatening you leave little time for planning ahead. There are, however, ploys you'll need to implement if you want to survive. Unless you are an advanced player you can forget about the points tally - worry instead about your health score. Go for all the food you can pick up (some of it is poisoned but after a while you can spot the difference) initially I found myself shooting food by mistake in the heat of the fray (not a good idea).

If cornered by monsters, try to destroy the generators, you can't clear a screen completely until you have. Mass slaying of roomfuls of magic ghouls may make you feel good but think of your health which will be sapped by each individual contact.

Gauntlet holds a lot of surprises; the graphics are vivid and maintain their clarity, even on a screen teeming with detail. The speed of the game will satisfy even the hardened arcade player, the lifespan of the game will keep the value-conscious happy and there are enough elements to it to satisfy those who want something more than to just shoot things. Of course, if you just like shooting things and know somebody else who likes shooting things too, then this game will seem very close to heaven.

A Monster Hit.