A GACed adventure, Citadel Of Corruption accompanies three other games - a shoot-'em-up, a puzzle game and a platform game - and a music demo, all for the price of one. Sounds like value for money... but is it?

Digital Dynamite's logic is not quite up to a certain Vulcan's: surely packaging an adventure game with arcade-style programs reduces the potential market of either one or other type of games player. Adventure fans don't usually venture into the arcade world (and vice versa) unless the game is particularly brilliant. However, as there's a distinct lack of C64 adventures around at present I can forego the chance of reviewing one just 'cause it hangs around in odd company.

A mad scientist resides within the citadel and his experiments have polluted the land near and around your village. If the experiements are not stopped your village will die through not being able to live off the land. You are the third to be chosen to enter the citadel to try and stop the scientist. The fact that your two predecessors didn't return is dominant in your mind as you stare at the uninviting drawbridge to the citadel.

Citadel Of Corruption is not bad: text descriptions are atmospheric (and I couldn't spot any spelling mistakes) and graphics are good. However, some of the ideas are odd, for example: doing the right thing with the right object brings a Zombie to life. He's so grateful that he follows you about everywhere undertaking (good word!) the odd task for you. There's nothing out of the ordinary - for an advenure game - in this but certain actions performed by you are simultaneously executed (another good word) by the Zombie. At one point you swing on a chandelier to get across a room, the mental picture of both you and your undead friend hanging on to a crystal lampshade as you fly gracefully from one balcony to another is interesting to say the least. Also having both of you squashed into a dumb waiter trying to reach the kitchen conjures up an amusing image... well, it did for me.

Exploring the citadel - and trying to find a reason for having a live, beating heart in your hand - is interesting and challenging and, even though the Save Game facility didn't work on my copy, I'm sure I'll return soon to sort out that mad scientist.

Unfortunately, the mixing of game styles in the Gems package renders Citadel Of Corruption an expensive adventure; the arcade programs are definitely not good enough to get me to dust off my joystick.

These marks are for Citadel Of Corruption alone.