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On the outskirts of Paris, mischief is afoot. Two evil characters, the Cardinal and his sidekick Bishop, have captured Esmeralda, and are holding her captive somewhere in the area. You, as Quasimodo, must rescue Esmerelda.

After an apparent age, Hunchback: The Adventure, has finally arrived. As you begin, some very colourful (if not particularly clear) graphics will pop onto the screen, and some pretty, redefined text will tell you what has happened so far.

The graphics are quite small, taking up the top region of the screen. There is a large strip, stretching from one side to the other. On top of this background, a small picture of the current location appears, and on the other side, each object you have picked up (six is the maximum) is shown too.

This pictorial representation is quite a good idea, but the pictures are too small. Everything on the screen becomes cluttered, and I had to read everything twice to make sure I hadn't missed a vital point.

The descriptions are very well written, and always witty. Although there are some errors, such as Paris being spelled with a lower case 'p', everything sails along with lots of jokes, all in keeping with the period.

On your travels in the early stages of the game, you encounter a number of uncouth and very violent guards. Should you have come across a weapon, you can throw your soul into battle.

During the fight, you are given a running commentary, and as this happens, cartoon strip style pictures take the place of the location graphics.

The most popular objects in the game seem to be books. Zen and the Art of Guillotine Maintenance is a personal favourite. Wandering around in the cathedral, you will come across a number of locations which serve little purpose other than to help the game along.

Finding a thoroughly vandalised area, you investigate and discover it is the choirboys' stalls! A dodgy lot, these choirboys...

As in The Never-Ending Story, there are three parts and no SAVE facility, and the same maddening programming slips. THROW KEY produces the mind-boggling "There is no verb in that sentence".

Despite its shortcomings, Hunchback: The Adventure is a great game. It is well assembled, fun to play, and offers a reasonable challenge.