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The sunken treasure ship Esmeralda has been found, and its scattered cargo of gold could make you very rich indeed. So it's on with the rubberware and brass helmet for some deep sea diving. The ship has over 100 rooms, all presented in isometric 3D. Needless to say, the Esmeralda is packed with marine life, from friendly Stingrays (which allow you to ride on top of them) to lethal octopuses, starfish and even homing mines! In an emergency, you can release a smart fish, a nasty piranha which chomps up the baddies!

You begin with six lives and a full tank of oxygen - which can topped up by picking up air cylinders. Differently-shaped keys can be collected to open locked doors. Whenever you collect a multiple of 50 bars of gold, there's an opportunity to save the game.

The bizarre intro complete with a paddleship and magnificent soundtrack, really sets the scene. Speaking as a fan of the superlative Knight Lore and Alien 8 I have to say the puzzles aren't spectacularly new, but the familiar gameplay has been given a great new undersea twist.

Racing to get the fastest fifty bars etc is a good scoring system, the different scoring systems maintain interest. With amusing graphics and FX, this is well worth buying.

I love the intro, the concept of underwater exploration and the idea of paying homage to a classic genre. I'm not too sure about setting the game within the confines of a ship and staying there: why couldn't our diving friend explore outside the ship and provide a bit more graphic variety?

It's a fine game as it is, but prolonged plasy reveals little new in the way of graphic style. The game is certainly fun though, and there's a lot of enjoyment in getting through individual screens.

Presentation 88%
Great intro, demo, map, save/load option, less delay between rooms on 1Mb machines. Good manual.

Graphics 71%
Imaginative and entertaining, including a podgy main sprite and vicious smart fish!

Sound 90%
Magnificent, varied intro which goes on for ages. In-game FX are okay.

Hookability 74%
Control system and 3D takes a little getting used to, but soon becomes addictive...

Lastability 77%
...while various high scores (times and bars) keep you playing this tough challenge.

Overall 76%
A superbly presented and very playable arcade adventure.