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Well-known mail-order software house Eighth Day is launching a new line in adventures this month. But the new Detective Tales series from the Wirral software house is, sadly, only for 128K adventurers at the moment - and here's why.

The first game in the series, The Rates, features the inimitable Sherlock Holmes - and as the famous Victorian detective you must solve a complicated mystery.

An invitation from that eminent though controversial physician of the criminally insane, Doctor Vybes, leads the master investigator to a small and remote English village just as darkness is about to fall.

There, in a quiet bookshop, Holmes learns more of the doctor and his work.

But soon after Holmes reaches the doctor's home, murder is committed. And the seeds of confusion are sown as Holmes searches for the real villain of the piece, avoiding obvious conclusions and attempting not to become a corpse himself.

The Raven, written using Gilsoft's PAW, recognises not only the standard verb-and-noun combinations but also adverbs and prepositions. Words can often he abbreviated, and the vocabulary is fairly flexible, supporting both SEARCH and EXAMINE commands. Every character remembers what you have done - one even has a 10K memory!

Each location is graphically illustrated, and the text descriptions are atmospheric and informative.

The Raven is extremely sophisticated and brings together all the humourous and horrible elements of the 19th century. Order it from Eighth Day Software, 18 Flaxhill, Moreton, Wirral, Merseyside L46 7UH.