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DIFFICULT TO RUN RINGS ROUND IT

BILLED as "an inscrutable puzzle," Hanoi King for the 16K Spectrum is another version of that ancient game, Towers of Hanoi. You have three pillars, with anything from three to nine rings on the first. The object is to transfer the rings from the first to the last pillar in the minimum number of moves, remembering that a large ring cannot go on top of a small one.

The puzzle is easy when playing with three rings, much more difficult with nine, when 511 moves are needed to succeed. An 'L' option allows you to see a demonstration by the computer of how it is done.

The graphic representation of the game is very simple and there is no indication of how many moves are needed on the lower levels, something you have to discover yourself.

It is such a classic puzzle that it cannot fail to absorb you but more could have been made of it with better graphics and perhaps a more interesting scoring system.

Hanoi King is available from Contrast Software, Farnham Road, West Liss, Hampshire GU13 6JU. It costs £4.95.