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This is a real budget gem from Mastertronic's new M.A.D. range (Mastertronic Added Dimension). Titles on this label will be £1 dearer than the rest of their games, but if Spellbound is an example of the standards that these games will set, then they're going to be worth every penny!

Spellbound is the follow-up to Finders Keepers, but is a larger and more sophisticated game, which combines arcade action with an adventure style command system.

You play the part of The Magic Knight, who has to rescue Gimbel the Wizard and a number of other characters from a castle where they have all been trapped after one of Gimbel's spells went wrong. The Knight is a large, finely detailed sprite, who is smoothly animated as he wanders around the rooms of the castle. In his wanderings, the Knight will come across the characters he is looking for, as well as a variety of objects that can be used to solve the problems that will bar his way. In solving these problems, you are able to use an ingenious system of pull-down menus to assemble some quite sophisticated commands, just as if you were manipulating objects in an adventure.

For instance, if you are carrying some objects and you want to use one in some way, by pressing 'fire' you call down the first menu. This presents you with commands such as Get, Drop, Examine, Blow, Cast Spell and so on. Then, by going to the next menu, you can specify which object or character that command is to be used on.

All the characters and objects in the game have their own status table with details of weight, magical energy, state of mind, and other qualities that will allow you to use them during the game. This adds another element of puzzle solving to the game, as you have to work out the best way to use all the objects that command is to be used on, and to keep all the characters safe and happy. And, if that's not enough, there's a time limit and some of the usual arcade-style obtacles and traps to get past as well.

All in all, Spellbound is a game that would be good value even if a few more pounds were added to the price. Mastertronic and the game's author, David Jones, have done very well to produce such an excellent game at such a low price.