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Level 9 specialise in large, text-only adventures usually having over 200 Individual locations. In Lords of Time, a band of evil Time Lords are plotting to alter the history of the world. You must travel back through time and collect nine crucial objects, each marked with the symbol of an hourglass. These will be later used to defeat the Time Lords.

The game starts and you find yourself in the comfort of your own living room. Suddenly there is a blinding flash and before you hangs a painting. There is also an hourglass on the mantlepiece. The painting depicts Old Father Time, and may come to life when examined. The hourglass is a valuable treasure and can be kept inside the grandfather clock to retain your points. The only exit is North, and here stands a large, run down grandfather clock. It looks big enough to climb into, and perhaps it needs winding (could this be a clue)? Once inside the clock you can see huge cogs numbered one to nine, and a massive, stationary pendulum.

The cogs are the key for travelling through to the many time zones. The idea is to leave the present and travel through many prominent times in the earth's history. Go back- and confront angry cave people and ferocious dinosaurs. Go forward and get lost amongst the stars.

Your main objective is to attain a maximum score of 1,000 points. In order to achieve this, the crucial treasures marked with the hourglass symbol must be collected and put into a cauldron. Doing this will cast a spell and defeat the Time Lords.

I find it impossible to justly describe what a brilliant adventure Lords of Time really is. To me, all Level 9 adventures create a remarkable atmosphere because the descriptions sound so life like. This is where so many other adventures fail.

The game comes with a useful booklet containing some helpful clues. The Instructions are clearly set out and explain exactly what must be achieved. The booklet is short in length and can therefore be easily read before diving into the adventure itself.

Lords of Time, like any interesting adventure, has a long lasting appeal (at least, until completed), but I think it will take at least a few weeks to figure this one out. It is generally a difficult game, but definitely worth the money.

Fraser Hubbard