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Island Of Xaan is a machine code text adventure in which you are stranded on a remote island. You have just been slung into prison by the island's ruler and your task is to escape from there and eventually from the island itself. Once free from the prison cell, you must find a disguise and collect enough treasure to pay your passage on a boat to home.

In common with many other adventures, this one doesn't supply you with a list of the commands to use. Neither is there any other form of help. Typing "Help" whilst playing the game returns the response "Write to Alice!" I have a feeling that this refers to the adventure column in another Beeb mag which shall remain nameless.

There are a few instructions in the first part of the program but these only inform you that the game responds to a two word input. However, there is a Help card provided but this has no clues on it and is only used to identify you are a proper purchaser of the game when writing to Robico for help.

There are 180 locations to explore in Island Of Xaan that are divided into several main areas. I have only managed so far to get out of the cell and prison complex, which I found rather tough going.

Being written in machine code, the response time as one would hope is very good, as are the descriptions of locations. There is a save game facility which is very fast, much to my surprise and joy.

One nice touch is that the cassette of Island Of Xaan comes with a rather smart little notebook for you to use to chart your progress.

Up to the point I have reached so far, this adventure has been both challenging and enjoyable. I get the feeling that the rest when I get round to completing it will be every bit as good.