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This is Geoff Larsen's fifth adventure and goes far to confirm his mastery of the genre.

The Puppet Man is one of the most original and engrossing adventures I have seen for a long while, and must be Geoff's finest offering yet.

At the end of the last century there lived a puppeteer whose plays were the talk of the land. In fact his puppets were so life-like that it was even rumoured that they were little people, disguised as puppets.

The Puppet Man is due to perform at the village of Owlsmore's midsummer fair - but the day before, his star marionette is stolen or mislaid.

During a dream you are visited by Mnemosyne, the mother of the Greek Muses. She tells you that if you can help three ofher daughters, the muses of dance, comedy and poetry, they in turn will assist you in a search for the marionette.

The adventure becomes a trilogy of inter-related plots in which you first help a ballerina, then an auguste clown and finally Pierrot.

The backdrops incorporate 19th century theatre and circus themes giving the whole adventure the heady atmosphere of vaudeville. The puzzles are complex but totally logical and require careful thinking and backtracking.

The beginning reminds me of Level 9's Worm In Paradise and Robico's Myorem. To be compared even in part to those two masterpieces must be sure testimony to the quality of this adventure.

Later in the bash is a beautiful scenario involving a butcher, a baker and a candlestick maker - and a wooden tub. Another scene involves trapping a bear, while on the stage is a struggling Covent Garden escapologist!

As suggested, the adventure involves dancing, comedy, poetry and sleight ofhand, and, like all Larsoft adventures, is totally non-violent.

The multi-use of each location and the facility to TALK to the characters you meet, means that Geoff has used The Quill to good effect.

This adventure really issuperb and you will be hard-pressed to find a better release for the price. Larsoft is a name worth watching. All I can say is - buy it: You won't be disappointed.

Pendragon