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The inlay card for Knight Lore makes intriguing reading. '3D scenario', it says. Also, 'amazing animation'. Plus 'Filmation, a unique process whereby you have complete freedom within the confines of your imagination to do as you wish with any of the objects and items'. Sounds like the usual promotional con? No, this game is as much of a breakthrough as Ultimate claim!

For a start, the graphics are astounding. There have been plenty of 3D games in the last year, but this one is in a class of its own. The characters and objects are large and completely solid, not just line drawings. The perspective is as clear and convincing as you could hope for and yet the action remains satisfyingly fast and precise.

You might think all this is just pretty window dressing. In fact, the 3D presentation is essential because most of the game's numerous puzzles simply couldn't be displayed in 2D. The story goes like this: Sabreman, having escaped from the jungle and the Underwurlde now finds himself afflicted by a curse which has made him a werewolf. The only being who can free him from it is a certain wizard who must be located and given certain objects to create the necessary spell.

So, Sabreman spends his time roaming through the wizard's Escher-like castle, trying to get safely through 100-plus rooms, picking up objects en route.

He has 40 days to complete the task - the passage of each day being indicated at the bottom of the screen where a sun and a moon rise and fall alternately. Every time the moon rises, Sabreman changes into a wolf, clearly a nasty experience even though the wolf does look rather cute.

But it's the challenge presented by individual screens which makes the game. There are spiked floors to be avoided, floating paving stones which may sink when you jump onto them, and evil barbed balls which fall from the ceiling. Then there are brilliantly drawn ghosts which rush through at dangerous speed, armoured guards plodding soberly in straight lines, and white spheres, which usually bounce gently around the screen, but can also act as a kind of ball-bearing to roll paving stones from one place to another.

These elements have been combined in different ways to create the most ingenious puzzles. In one screen, an object you need is surrounded by spikes - you can drop onto it from above, but escape seems impossible. However, if you stand on a sinking paving stone for just the right amount of time, you can create a path to safety. Elsewhere there are objects hidden under paving stones, as well as booby-trapped objects - collecting one might cause barbed balls to fall and block your escape.

Control of Sabreman marks a departure for Ultimate. There are two keys to turn him left and right, another to move him forwards, two more to jump and pick up objects. This mode of movement takes a little getting used to, but at least the company have abandoned their traditional control key layout in favour of a much more workable arrangement. Joystick owners have an option called 'directional movement' which many people will find even easier.

One criticism of the previous three Ultimate games was that interest in them was bound to wane once they had been solved. I don't think this will happen with Knight Lore, because even after solving the game, there will still be the challenge of solving it in fewer 'days'.

There's no doubt about it, Ultimate's magic is as powerful as ever. Knight Lore will be every bit as influential as Atic Atac was a year ago. It's a spellbinding triumph.

As with all the Ultimate games, the cassette inlay is less than explicit about what you're actually meant to do in Knight Lore. Now all can be revealed:

Scattered around the many rooms of the castle are various objects such as crystal orbs, potions, boots, and crystals. You can carry up to three of these at once.

Once you've picked up three you must find the location in which the wizard walks around his cauldron, one of two things will happen. The flickering spell on top of the cauldron may attack you - in which case, get out fast.

Alternatively, it may flash up a picture of an object. If you have this object, move it into the 'drop' position of your status display and then hop over the side of the cauldron (avoiding the wizard). This effectively drops that object into the brew.

You simply have to keep repeating this procedure with fresh objects until the brew is complete.

The bad news is that you have to put in no less than 14 different objects - which could take some doing! But it can be done. (Both Underwurlde and Knight Lore were solved by games freaks within a week of their release.)