Doublestar

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Topologika has had this two-game production in preparation for some time. Cause of the delay was the time needed to put the finishing touches to Hezarin - the free bonus game - of which more anon.

Most seasoned adventurers will know that Topologika has taken over the combined mantles of Acornsoft and Level 9 as far as text adventures are concerned, and the quality of this product shows why.

Well packaged and presented, with on-line clues - and even solutions for the desperate - Brian Kerslake's company have once again come up with a top quality offering.

The Last Days Of Doom completes Peter Killworth's entertaining trilogy of adventures centred on that pestiferous planet Doomawangara with its vile volcanoes and grotty gravitation.

Something is causing Doom to teeter towards total destruction and so you, your trusty - and irritating - robot dog, plus three companions, make a somewhat haphazard landing on the planet to see what can be done.

The tension mounts rapidly because Peter Killworth has a move-counter in operation for the initial stages. Once the ship has landed it slowly slithers to destruction and it's a question of moving fast to save what you can.

One or two old friends from the first two episodes appear - with differences - so that once again there is the black rod topped by the rusty star to be found. It's not altogether an earth-shaking discovery, but is well worth a wave. Done in the right place, it can even retrieve your retriever.

In the same way, blobs turn up. Once again they are associated with time travel, though on this occasion rather than entertainment, it produces a disturbing effect. Well, who likes to watch oneself die? Mind you, the dog can be of help here and VAT can be construed as Vitality Added in Time.

I heard the other day of a young girl who preferred radio to TV because, she said, "the pictures were better". That's not as daft as it sounds and - to my mind - good text plus a good imagination still equals, or betters, illustrated adventures. Let me give you a flavour, with a typical location description:

You are standing inside the city, in the middle of a street which leads north and south. To the west once stood an entrance, but rubble and the occasional hint of lava are all the remaining signs of it.

You can see the cracks in the street surface, obviously of recent origin. The rumbles of Dooms interior are having an effect here too!

Around you are high, featureless walls of some stone-like material, many with cracks extending to the rooftops. Dead leaves blow through the area, giving it a mournful deserted feeling.

Now how's that for a description brimful of atmosphere? The Last Days Of Doom is a complex adventure ideally suited to moderate-to-experienced players, though the readily available help means that beginners don't have to feel excluded from this quality offering.

Here are a few cryptic clues: Breaking a globule in the right place may cause a cold - but it's worth it. You may feel sick but heaving away can help with a current problem.

There's one phase of the game where you'll literally have to blast your way through the local environment - and you can finish up all fingers and thumbs if a bit of reservoir battering is not undertaken.

Now on to Hezarin. I saw an early version some time ago and expressed surprise where Jon Thackray told me that it was to be included as a freebie. Frankly, I felt it was quite capable of standing alone.

It says something for Topologika that they have kept the two games together - and that fact is reflected in the value-for-money rating below.

Hezarin is loosely based on the Epic of Gilgamesh, though you don't have to be a theologian or a student of ancient near-eastern civilisations to enjoy this very satisfying and complex adventure.

You start off above ground and there's plenty to explore there, as well as vital things to locate.

As with Doom, the location descriptions are full and highly literate, as this example indicates.

You are in an immense hemispherical chamber with exits in most directions. Dominating the cave is a massive stone fountain from which columns of water jet up almost to the ceiling before spraying back into the ornamental pool beneath.

Light filters in from a hole in the roof, and refracts in strange fashion inside the water columns, sending dazzling blobs of colour scampering across the cavern walls. The floor is covered in a springy moss-like substance which hampers walking, especially as watching the psychedelic kaleidoscope is making you dizzy and nauseous.

Read that, shut your eyes, and you could be listening to the water and in awe at the colours. In fact, the fountain has visible properties as the description indicates, and is an ideal haven for small amphibians.

Again, I offer a few cryptic clues. You'll encounter a Poohsticks bridge - and don't be afraid to have a go at that classic game. If at first you don't succeed, try, try again.

You'll have trouble with Orcs. Make good use of your sense of hearing, and if you hear an explosion try retracing your steps. Last, but by no means least, don't be afraid to WAIT - even if you feel under pressure.

Both games have a parser which allows multiple input of a quite complex nature, and Hezarin has an OOPS facility allowing you to come back to life if you do something fatal. A new instruction permitted is BACK, which allows you to retrace your steps.

What Topologika has presented us with here is an absolutely first-class double package, the like of which I have not come across before. It is an absolute must for any serious adventurer. Pass this one by and you must be as mad as a hatter.

Mad Hatter