Big and bright

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While doing your rounds as a cosmic dustbin man you are struck by a space/time thunder storm. As a result of this you find yourself trapped in an eerie medieval castle. All you want to do is get back to Myrtle and the kids before your dinner gets cold.

The multi-storey castle has eight floors which can be accessed in any order once you have located the castle's lift room. Using the cursor keys you can select a floor, then set the mechanism in motion and ascend or descend to a new level.

You will discover many objects, most of which have a specific function. If you are to escape from the castle you must use each object correctly, but due to the restraints of your bulky spacesuit you can only carry one object at a time.

One of the easier puzzles can be found the basement. When trying to access this level you find that the screen goes blank. Wishing to throw a little light on the problem you collect the candle which you saw on a higher level, but you are informed that it is not lit.

I spent a long time burning my fingers on the flaming torches trying to light the candle until I explored the other levels and found a suitable match. Returning to the basement I was greeted by a whole new floor.

One of the bigger puzzles involves lowering the drawbridge. On your travels you will see several large letters, and when you pick them up you are told that they operate the drawbridge. The letters D O and N are easily located, but I have yet to find a W to complete the sequence.

You have only one life, which you lose when your energy reserve is reduced to zero. This energy is lost through contact with flames and the castle's inhabitants, the most deadly being your own droids. They blame you for their incarceration and are fatal to the touch.

The game's graphics are big and brightly coloured, the puzzles varied in their levels of difficulty. Thunderstruck is a fun game and a good example of an arcade adventure.

Carol Barrow