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The old country has falled on hard times again, wth the forces of evil running rampant through the land. Stories tell of a region where there is an enormous source of power. You, should you decide to accept this mission, have to reach this power and so dominate the land. You will not however be able to do this without the Talisman...

Talisman is a conversion to micro of Games Workshop's very successful board game of the same name. It can be played by up to four players or you can opt to have computer opponents if you so wish. Each of the players selects a character from a list of ten, naming them if they wish. These characters all have slightly different initial values in strength and craft and range from Ghouls and Wizards to Druids and Assassins. You can then choose whether you want the computer to play the other characters and which of three skill levels you want.

The game is played by moving your character through the game's fifty locations. You can move as far as you want within the time limit, which is depicted by sand running through a large hour glass. On your journey, you will find various objects and potential followers. To acquire these, you have to stop in the location containing them, but before you actually get your greedy little hands on them assorted events happen - you may have to fight a monster or it may just be a random event which increases or decreases one of your attributes.

Combat is decided by either strength or craft. The computer displays your strength (or craft) on the screen and that of your opponent, giving you the chance to run away if you deem the battle to be a lost cause. A number between one and six is then added to both sides with the greater total value being the victor. If you win a combat situation, you acquire whatever objects or followers happen to be there. These add to your strength and craft, making you more powerful as the game progresses. Combat on-screen is great fun to watch. Both opponents get engulfed in a cloud of dust with assorted grunts coming up on the screen. It's not quite the Zap! and Kapow! of old Batman films but it's not far short.

Throughout the game, you will gain assorted spells which can be cast during your turn. These range from the fairly insipid Time Dilation, in which everyone else misses a turn, to a lethal Psionic Blast. You may also change alignment from good through neutral to evil, which may affect matters throughout the course of the game. The ultimate aim of the game is to battle through the three levels and reach the source of power before your opponents.

Visually, the game is very attractive with excellent graphics, but I personally prefer the board version. I feel it gives me that extra edge being able to rattle the dice aggressively, trying to know my opponent's playing piece off the board. One of my regular adversaries though, prefers the computer version in order to deliberately thwart my tacts. You pays your money and you takes your choice.