You are in control of this little fella called Hugo First (staggeringly imaginative pun by Lothlorien, don't you think?) who has somehow lost himself in a spooky mansion. There are seven rooms and Hugo, being a brave lad, decides to battle through them to defeat the Count instead of bolting for the door like a normal human being.

The first room provides a Phoenix-style shoot-'ern-up where the aliens have been replaced by colourful bats. Hugo can jump and fire, as well as scuttle left and right. This screen's a bit simple for hardened mega-zappers and will be quickly cleared. But things get considerably tougher after this.

The second screen features an avalanche of boulders falling down a flight of stairs to crush poor Hugo unless you can make him jump at the right moment. If he manages to get to the top of the stairs, he'll reach the third screen where he has to swing on a rope in true Hunchback style.

Unfortunately, poor Hugo seems to be even less agile than Quasimodo and I'm ashamed to say I couldn't get any further.

Presentation of this game is above average. I especially liked the detailed loading picture which is like those found on Spectrum games. Extra features such as variable skill levels, variable volume and the hall of fame are all there.

However, the very loud introductory music is not affected by the volume setting and the Oric's spindly character set could have been improved. But these quibbles aside, Spooky Mansion is an addictive and challenging game.

Mansions appear to be all the rage these days but this one is certainly not a state-of-the-art stately home. With only seven screens, it won't trouble hardened arcade adventurers for long and the stages are straightforward enough.

The game is not all that bad though, providing a reasonable challenge, and considering the drought of Oric software will come as welcome relief to owners.

Watch out for the barrels on screen two because timing your escape is exceedingly hard.

This game is addictive but can be exceptionally frustrating, especially if, like me, you can't finish the second screen.

The little bats and spiders aren't terrific - but then if you'd lived in a spooky mansion for God knows how long, you mightn't be terrific either. But I did think the game was well presented, with high score table, instructions and all, and a couple of bars of eerie music leading you into the game.

Gripping stuff - and I still haven't killed Dracula.