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Lap of the Gods is a maze game for sorts, and for a change it involves no blasting or zapping.

It's all about appeasing the Gods of Zzarn and retrieving for them some buried crystals.

So you zoom round a series of mazes the first is small and simple - picking up three effigies in each putting them into a storage chamber. Then collect the crystal and push off the next to do much the same thing.

That's basically all there is to it, yet it's a tricky little devil to play. The corridors of the labyrinth are patrolled by green and blue monsters and if you get touched three times while holding an effigy it'll be taken from you. Frustrating. And on occasion they'll also relieve you of any goodies you might be carrying like Yellow Slab Acid and Blue Block Digger.

These may sound daft but they're vital if you're to retrieve the buried crystals. The name of the object is a good indication of where to look to find the crystal. The effigies are colour-coded and when you've managed to get three into storage, you can access the menu to find what gifts the Gods have given you to retrieve these precious stones, and also access the teleport facility. To teleport take an effigy and you'll be whisked off to the land it belongs to.

This will be a larger maze and they get more complex with tortuous routes the deeper you travel through the game.

When starting off in a new maze it's a good idea to suss out the area and find the entrances and exits to the storage chambers. You need to know the route pretty thoroughly to avoid getting lost and caught.

Lap of the Gods is a pick up and dodge game with a few additional extras thrown in for good measure. The fact it is so difficult and frustrating lifts it a little above average, though.

Label: Mastertronic Author: Clive Brooker Joystick: Kempston, Sinclair Memory: 48K/128K Reviewer: Clare Edgeley

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A pick up and dodge maze game. Even though it's got really quite simple graphics it's very tricky.