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In days of old, when knights weren't bold (only because they hadn't been invented yet!), Vikings were regarded as the real "men about town". They enjoyed nothing more than a bit of burning, raping and pillaging. And that's what this game is all about - well, with the exception of the raping. The player takes the role of Erik - a mean, hard and very hairy Viking. This Norse hooligan has decided to seek his fortune by plundering the castle on 'Death Island', which is actually a chain of two small islands near to his home.

The quest begins on the beach of the most southerly of the two islands. Erik's first task is to scour the landscape and find a sword and shield so that he can defend himself. However, the island dwellers have taken a dislike to him, so they throw spears in his general direction as soon as he pops into view. Being hit by a spear results in Erik's on-screen energy bar shrinking a little, eventually resulting in the loss of one of his five lives. Finding a sword equips Erik with an unlimited supply, which can be thrown at the locals by pressing the fire button. If a shield is found the enemy spears have less effect on his energy bar.

Next, a ladder has to be found which can be used to gain access to a flaming torch. This gives Erik pyrotechnic abilities, so he can burn down the thatched huts scattered about the island. Hidden under one of these huts is a ship's mast - recovering it along with an oar, Erik can return to the beach, enter a longboat and set sail to the next island.

The northern island is where the real forture lurks, but this can only be taken if the wall surrounding the landing area is demolished. Having managed this, the Viking can stomp around the landscape in search of new objects - with the ultimate aim of entering the treasure-filled fortress at the northernmost point of the island. This isn't as easy as it sounds though - the inhabitants of this island move twice as fast and throw twice as many spears!

After the enlightening title sequence and the wishy-washy bit of music I was expecting a pretty decent game - but if the authors had spent more time on the game and less on the presentation, they might have come up with somethng a touch more addictive.

The graphics are fairly basically designed. The character detection isn't very accurate, which makes it very hard to sprint off around the screen. It seems to me that there is no random element to the first level, as the items are always in the same huts.

The Vikings is a nice idea, but the game doesn't really take off.

This looks and plays very, very similarly to Rambo - even the action runs in a similar sort of way.

It's still enjoyable to play, but the problem is that it only takes a few games to master and once you've completed it, there isn't anything to draw you back again.

The title screen is full of really neat tricks: a full screen picture, a scrolling message which goes right along the bottom of the screen and loads of colourful raster interrupts. There's even a really great attract mode cartoon sequence, but what's the point of making everything look pretty if the gameplay turns out as weak as this?

The Vikings is basically Rambo with a bit more to it. The presentation is very good, although a little over the top at times, but the game itself lacks any impressive or innovative features.

It's playable and quite addictive, but after a few hours play I grew tired of doing the same thing over and over again.

All in all, a pretty tame first release from Kele Line.

Presentation 93%
Full-screen loading picture, and very pretty attract sequence.

Graphics 68%
Bland use of colour, coarse sprites and reasonable backdrops.

Sound 71%
A decent soundtrack plays throughout, but the spot effects are rather thin on the ground.

Hookability 57%
Simple enough blasting action, but there's a niggling feeling of deja vu.

Lastability 46%
Fun, but not overly compulsive.

Value For Money 45%
Ten quid is asking too much for an average game with a pretty title sequence.

Overall 55%
An average variant of a tried-and-tested theme.