You need to be speedy

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The quest begins in the darkest depths of the Labyrinth. Freedom is to be found high upon the seventh level, but reaching it will not be easy. Speed, ingenuity and a good memory will all be necessary if you are to reach your goal...

In Labyrinth, from Acornsoft, you control the hero, Mork, on his journey through the maze. To progress to the next level you must locate the magic crystal that is hidden in one of the chambers. Having acquired this, you can use it to break down the force field that bars the exit.

In case you were thinking of casually strolling around the Labyrinth until you found the crystal, forget it. The maze is inhabited by combinations of up to nine different creatures, all of which have no intention of letting you leave.

Mork is armed with a gun which is effective against the majority of nasties. However, some monsters required a slightly larger dose of lead than others before they decided to fall over.

Mork is also provided with a large boulder which can apparently be used to flatten some of the more stubborn monsters. I found that pushing it around tended to cramp my style, so I stuck with the rapid-fire technique.

Monster-bashing is pretty exhausting work, so to ensure that our hero doesn't over-exert himself an energy indicator is displayed, the length of a green bar representing the amount of energy left. By eating the fruit that is scattered about the labyrinth you can maintain your energy levels.

While travelling around the maze, your way may be barred in either of two ways: a force field blocking the way to the next level, and two inpenetrable flashing cubes situated in the doorway to a new chamber. These cannot be shot, bouldered or walked through, but with a little cunning you should figure out how it's done.

Labyrinth can be played at quite a steady pace on the lower levels. Your energy reserves are depleted at a miserly rate and you can always turn and run from the monsters should things become a little too hairy.

I don't think that Labyrinth will ever be ranked as a classic, but it is certainly worth taking a look at should you get the chance.

Jon Revis