This long-awaited successor to Knight Lore and Alien 8 has taken the "filmation" graphics technique used by Ultimate one stage further and introduced scrolling. Gone are the jumping and puzzle solving that confronted you in the previous games but in are shooting and exploring an even larger game area.

The game is set in the village of Nightshade which has been overrun by hordes of evil beings. The village is made up of over 500 locations viewed diagonally from the south-west and from a point above the action. The locations are composed of lots of blank space with houses marked by attractive facades. There are also cloisters and most of these buildings can be walked into through doorways. When you do this, the wall that would otherwise block the view disappears to leave a bare room.

Sabreman is once again the hero and wanders around in his usual well-animated style, turning his head to look at things and shooting. His task is to free the village from the evil that plagues it by destroying the four menacing figures who prowl the streets in search of human blood. They are a skeleton, ghost, mad monk, and Mr. Grimreaper who all have to be bumped off using a specific object.

There are six non-moving objects that Sabreman can pick up: a bible, cross, egg-timer, hammer, potion bottle and winged boots. The last two have the effect of curing ills and making you move faster. The other four objects are stored in a stack along with antibodies that can also be picked up. These are found in all the rooms but move about, so that you have to chase after them to pick them up.

The other moving objects are highly dangerous, though, since these are the monsters that have been created by the evil ones. If Sabreman bumps into them they cause damage and three hits will kill off one of his lives. They can be stopped by using the antibodies but things are complicated by the fact that not all antibodies will kill all creatures. Each monster is delightfully animated, particularly the ones that charge around with their hairy arms up in the air, looking like a cross between Frankenstein and a Werewolf.

If the antibody on top of the weapons stack doesn't kill a monster it may have some rather unusual effects on it - like turning it into a different monster or splitting it in two. Sometimes you won't even get the chance to shoot as they appear right next to you so that running is also needed to get out of tight spots. The antibodies add the necessary original touches to the game that stop it being too similar to previous Ultimate efforts.

Your starting position appears to be random and because the scenery is so similar the only way to pinpoint your whereabouts is by the cloisters that appear only a few times. These are also the focal point for finding potions and winged boots but the positioning of the other objects seems to be random. You're left having to search the whole playing area not just for the objects but the beings you kill with them as well. You are aided in this by the object flashing when you are near the correct character.

Initially the graphics are stunning and exploring is quite exciting but as you discover there are no puzzles things start to get samey. The gameplay becomes simple arcade action of exploring and shooting and getting lucky in finding things quickly. This makes it much less absorbing than the prvious games but it is still just as tough to complete. Certainly not as good as Ultimate's previous releases but an excellent game nonetheless.

P. Marvellously designed characters. P. Excellent animation and scrolling. P. Great touches in antibodies and their effects. P. Large complicated playing area. P. Very difficult game task.

N. Locations can be very bare at times. N. No puzzles to tease the mind. N. Takes ages to load.

I was prepared to be disappointed with this game, having suspected that it would be drearily similar to its predescessors. But - astonishment! I found it one of the most enjoyable Ultimate games I've ever failed miserably to solve. The graphics are simply stunning, even if Sabreman still moves as if the only footwear he owns is a pair of showshoes.

Most impressive - and funniest - are the mutant monsters: hit 'em with the wrong antibody and they do a quick change into mohican hair-styled punk monsters, waving their arms around in anguish.

Patience is certainly a greater virtue than brainwork in this game, which might make it less attractive for addicted puzzlers. For me it was a bonus.

Bob Wade