Mandarin Adventures is a new company specialising in text adventures. Using The Quill the aim is to produce well-written and creative adventures at a modest price.

At £3.95 the price is certainly modest, and the packaging if not striking is smart. The game is a science-fiction fantasy. Earth is reeling under a series of cataclysmic events - earthquakes, tidal waves, meteors and the like. Unknown to man, these disasters are being deliberately caused by a race of extremely bored alien beings just for a bit of fun.

The adventure starts off in the city streets, and after mulling over a few problems, the adventurer will surely end up at the mercy of the aliens, and be metamorphosed into another creature.

Taken home by children, here is your chance to see the inside of perhaps the most famous birdcase in the world.

There are problems in the game, but there is also a certain inevitability in some of the events, and to a certain extent the player is given a helping hand through the plot.

There is also humour, including the chance to meet the famous Kilroy. He, it turns out, is a friendly alien, who for years has been trying to warn Earth of the peril it is in!

Although there are no graphics, there are some unusual screen effects, coupled with sound. There is also the chance to destroy or save the earth - will you be up to it?

Mandarin seem to have kept their promise as to the quality of their software. When the word "Quill" appears on a game, it sometimes tempts the reviewer to use words like "rushed" and "cutting corners". This product proves that, given time, it is possible to produce a competent and reasonably priced product. The idea is also fairly original.

There is also humour... some of which appears when you meet the infamous Kilroy; probably the best-known sign-writer in the world!

There are certainly some inventive touches in the program, and one wonders if the price would remain so reasonable, had it been released by a larger company. Value for money.