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With Gauntlet being the "in-game" at the moment, I've been dreading the moment when someone attempted a C16 conversion. This new Tynesoft release, however, is very good. I suppose it's a Gauntlet clone but it's very different in many respects. For a start, it's only one player and only scrolls left and right, but as one-player Gauntlet clones go, this is one of the better ones - very playable and immense fun. The object of the game is to exorcise four buildings using a high-powered laser.

Each house has four floors and to go between floors you have to destroy all the ghosts and transporters on the floor you are on, and then go to the staircase. Transporters are nasty, large, evil-looking apparitions which act as a gateway between the world and hell, thus transporting the ghosts into the buildings. In effect, they work like the generators do in Gauntlet but at a much faster rate, so the quicker you take them out, the easier the task.

Each of the four buildings has four different floors so you end up with sixteen tough levels. Each floor is a very large bi-directional scrolling window at least three screens long and often a lot longer. The window, or floor, is a top-on view wth the walls surrounding it and other walls forming a sort of matrix. The walls are well drawn and smooth. Over thirty flicker-free fast-moving sprites can be on the screen at the same time, says the instructions and, although I haven't counted, there are a lot.

The ghosts are well-drawn too, look spooky and move in four directions. Unfortunately, their movement algorithm is very good as well and you can often end up trapped. You can also move in four directions, but your sprite is very good and very fast, and has the standard top-on view. Your energy, initially 99, is constantly being drained due to the 'face of evil' in each building.

Also, if you come near a ghost, your energy will be drained quickly, so contact must be avoided at all costs. You also carry a self-cooling plasma bolt laser and back-up fuel tank - gun to you - and the laser is capable of firing up to 70 high powered bolts over an unlimited distance. The laser stays on - during which time, you can't move. So be careful - the ghosts can catch you if you're stuck firing into thin air! Also, the ghosts can't be fired at if you're very near something, so don't get cornered, you can't blast your way out and eventually you'll die!

The laser bolt level is shown by a bar and is limited, so don't blast indiscriminately or you may end up with none left, and that is dangerous.

Around the building are eight objects to be found:

Keys - open all doors, but can only be used once
Normal fuel - replenishes your laser power supply
Power fuel - similar but with slow but powerful fuel
Fast fuel - ditto, but with fast but weak fuel
Food - replenishes energy
Bombs - very useful, takes out all baddies (including transporters) on the screen
Radio immobiliser - a fancy gadget that stuns ghosts
Glucose pills - speeds you up temporarily

Remember that all but the keys are few and far between. There is a joystick or keyboard option, music on or off and pause. The game is tough, demanding and well executed. Sixteen tough levels which will keep you happy for a long time. The game is multi-load - load in the loader and then each of the houses. An excellent game which is great all round.

Now, if anyone can produce a two player version...!