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LUDLOW ON A WEDNESDAY NIGHT?

Your true love has been kidnapped by demons, so straightening your Proclaimers-type glasses and fastening your loin cloth you set off for the local disco to chat someone else up. Unfortunately it's Ludlow, it's a Wednesday, so it's closed. Faced with the prospect of another castle tour you decide to see where the old girl's got to.

Level One sees you strolling through a rather a bigger castle than Ludlow's, populated not by Nick-type college students but huge monsters. At first all you've got to fight with is an axe, but after destroying several monsters, glowing blocks are deposited which give extra weapons. These are especially useful against massive Guardians.

Naturally, when you've fought through them you find your sweetheart's gone for a stroll down Death Valley. After a long multiload you set off in pursuit only to find yourself in a battle with skulls. Zooming along at top speed, trying to shoot these while avoiding stationary monsters is no easy task. But guess what? Your girlfriend never left the castle after all! So halfway through Death Valley you have to turn and go back.

Arrive at the castle and you're pretty knac... tired. And there's no way you're leaping about the castle again, but an old friend is only a phone call away and he's defter than you, being an eagle. You tell him to find your beloved and let her know if she doesn't leave now you're never going to the movies with her again. In the final load, you control the eagle in his search of the lowest levels of the dungeon. But those demons that you savaged (well, you're called Savage after all) on your entrance are still around. Things are not going to be easy...

The first thing you notice about Savage is the large and spectacular graphics with minimal colour clash. All three sections look very good indeed and while playability's not bad either, especially on the second section. Yet while technically first class I found the unoriginality disappointing. With so much potential the gameplay is strangely weak. Very similar to Trantor - nice graphics, shame about the game.

MARK ... 71%

THE ESSENTIALS Joysticks: Cursor, Kempston, Sinclair Graphics: massive sprites and mildly impressive 3-D perspective on Level Two Sound: buzzy, but effective, 48K title tunes with crunching effects

'Three games in one with a linking storyline and decent presentation. In fact, I'd go as far to say this is a pleasure to the old eyes, with excellently defined graphics, smooth animation and lots of colour with minimal clash. While none of the games are particularly original they're all fun to play and mildly addictive.'

'Huge guardians seem all the rage at the moment and Savage certainly has them on Level One. The next level's like the superb 3-D Deathchase but nowhere near as good, while Level Three brings back memories of the Alchemist with huge sprites (and colour clash). While well presented (apart from the rather jerky scrolling on Level Three), with good tunes and FX, there's nothing that really grabs you and keeps you playing.'