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In a secluded valley in the depths of Burgundy two warriors, members of the Deutscritter Order of Teutonic Knights, don their armour and unsheath their swords as they prepare to settle their differences in combat.

That's the basic scenario of this very entertaining two-player game, in which steel rings on steel and terrible wounds are inflicted.

The medieval humbug includes a list of rules for Teutonic Knights. They must refrain, for instance, from 'taking to women', which seems a bit harsh to me. Perhaps that's why they're always going out for duels...

After a stirring rendition of Elgar's Enigma Variations the screen display appears: a black valley between two red hills, with a deep blue sky and yellow sun in the background.

The two duelling knights start at either side of the screen in the foreground. On each of the overlooking hills stands another knight with a raised sword which falls lower as the combatant's strength is sapped.

The players control their men using four keys plus the shift lock or copy keys for movement. Swords can be lowered or raised by using the same keys without shift lock or control.

The fun of the game is in pursuing your opponent up and down, forward and back in an attempt to force him to fight. When you do catch up, it's mayhem all the way as swords rip through armour or slice through limbs; it really makes you squirm.

The sound when the knights are fighting is a very authentic steely clanking, and the way that they stagger back as swords clash is very impressive.

Swordmaster is an immensely entertaining game with excellent graphics and animation. Keyboard combat will engross all but the most pacifist of players. The only real drawback is that the screen display never changes, which could lead to you experiencing a certain amount of deja vu.