Tiny Problem

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I must admit I've always had a habit of rooting for the underdog, so it's nice to come across a game that takes the side of the little man.

And in A & F's Shrinking Professor, a text-only adventure game, that is exactly what you are, a very little man. Working away in the lab one night, a potion slips from your grasp, and choking green fumes envelop you.

Waking some time later, you find that you have shrunk to an inch in height, and have slipped through a crack in the floorboards.

You know there are some crystals on top of the lab table which will restore you to your former height, but getting there could be a pretty tall order.

And so begins a tricky quest. There's nothing so obvious as a magic wand or a horde of gold in this one. I mean, what do you do with a darning needle the size of a javelin, or an enormous fingernail?

Dragons and trolls may be a piece of cake for an experienced adventurer, but how on earth do you get past a hungry frog or a very cross vole?

This for me is what changes Shrinking Professor from an average adventure into quite a good one. The locations and objects are novel, and there are sound effects to grab the attention.

The game doesn't reach the heights of, say, Level 9 or Acornsoft - it's quite a bit smaller for starters - but it is fun, and difficult enough to cause even an expert a few problems.

I haven't even managed to cross the main road yet. Every time I try, along comes a car and splat! Now I know how a hedgehog feels.

James Bibby