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Stryfe is a plan-view, multi-screen arcade adventure from the French studio ERE, who produced the excellent Get Dexter and Macadam Bumper for PSS.

Set in the magical kingdom of Faerie, two gnomes take on the might of the Powers of Evil, led by The Great Morvelinh who, according to the sleeve notes, is "the least known of all demons"!

As you know, gnomes come in all shapes and sizes, well one size actually - small. Some become great fighters, others renowned sorcerers, but all are well versed in the art of magick.

Stryfe features two legendary gnomes in Vlamir, a top-notch sorcerer, and Olaf, who makes Rambo look like a performing flee. Your job is to guide one or both of these half-pint heroes through countless regions of the kingdom, destroying the Gates of Evil en route. Finally, if you're still alive, you must find and destroy Morvelinh himself, deep inside his lair known as the Black Pit.

Since Morvelinh's rise to power, many thousands of horrid beings have poured through the Gates of Evil and infested Faerie. These include Kobolds, Green Sprites, Trolls and Phantoms, all of which have different characteristics, mostly mean.

Various objects can be collected to help you with your quest. Of these, the most useful are keys and potions. Golden keys give you access to the next region of Faerie. You can only pick up a gold key when in possession of a silver one.

If Vlamir, the sorcerer, uses a potion, it will destroy all enemies together with any Gates of Evil on the screen. A potion in Olaf's hands will only destroy the gates. Other objects include hams for extra energy and a chest containing money and experience points.

Each region of Faerie is dotted with trees, lakes, buildings, walls (that form mazes in some levels), hills, columns and, of course, a liberal smattering of Evil Gates. All of which block your path. Often you'll have to use a potion in order to get to a key or the exit to another region.

The screen is divided into the action area, occupying the top two thirds, and a status area containing the vital statistics of each gnome. Here you'll see an inventory, energy meter, and your current score.

With a neat loading screen, a concurrent two player option, choice of characters in the one player version, reasonable sound effects, and very responsive joystick or keyboard controls, Stryfe is a good bet if you fancy a Gauntlet-like bash with the emphasis very much on the bashing!