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This offering from Virgin for the Oric is set in underground caverns inhabited by many nasty perils, ranging from red spiders to blue subterranean worms.

The idea is that you, Helpless Harold, must survive long enough to collect 17 sections of ladder and fit them together. When you have done this, Harold can climb down a well to collect a treasure chest.

Loading the tape proved a little tricky, but the instructions were clear enough. The major problem to overcome is your boredom, because after one or two sections have been found the game becomes very stodgy.

A timer counts down from 40,000 so it seems that you are expected to persevere, but time seems to pass very slowly.

The graphics are simple and Harold moves amusingly but slowly - we need Jumping Jack or Horace on the Oric soon! Avoiding the hazards requires more luck than skill.

There are enough good Oric games around now for me to doubt whether anyone is desperate enough to buy Killer Caverns.

Perhaps if more thought could be put into the display and sound there is potential for a good game here, but my opinion is that it is "Virgin" on the mediocre.

P.S.W.