Seven magical rings are hidden on seven floors of a high tower. The hero of the piece is a magician, who must collect the rings and enter a fearsome dungeon, where an escape key is hidden. The flick-screen levels are guarded by blood-curdling Things which hinder progress; fortunately, the magician is armed with a sword, a quiver of arrows, fireballs and lightning bolts.

At any time during the game the action can be paused, revealing a status screen. This details the number of rings found, Things killed and arrows remaining, and the current status of magic ability and wounds. Injuries sustained can be healed, but this uses up magic, which is only replenished by collecting potions scattered about the mazes. Should the wounds level reach 100%, the game ends.

I remember playing this continually on the Spectrum four and a half years ago, and it's lost none of its appeal since then.

The graphics and sound are really terrible, coming from the minimalist school of special effects, but this simplicity contributes to the eerie atmosphere of being alone against impossible odds.

As soon as you're accustomed to the wide range of keyboard controls the action is frenetic and engrossing: defending yourself with homing missiles, turning a corner to find a gang of Things lurking there...

Ignore the stick men and basic line drawings: Halls Of The Things is easy to pick up and extremely difficult to put down.

The appalling graphics of The Halls Of The Things disguise an engrossing and challenging game. Presentation is excellent: the range of available controls and weapons is superb, and the ability to redefine most of the game's parameters caters for all skill levels.

Initially, it's quite baffling, partly because of the minimal instructions, but once you're accustomed to the keyboard, long and rewarding games can be enjoyed. Sonically it's nothing special, but the spartan effects that do exist contribute a small amount to the atmosphere.

Collecting objects and destroying monsters is a simple format, but achieving the objective is far from easy: the random dungeon design each time you play the game guarantees its lastability.

Highly recommended for all who want some classic blasting action.

Presentation 76%
Wide variety of options marred only by the minimal instructions and slow game access.

Graphics 24%
Dull colours, poor animation and sparse backdrops relieved by an occasional neat touch.

Sound 20%
Few, if atmospheric, effects.

Hookability 69%
Quite hard to get into until you're familiarised with the controls.

Lastability 88%
The random dungeon maze designs, changeable difficulty setting and variety of weapons and action permit a different game each time.

Overall 88%
An ageing but very playable classic.