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Ah, nostalgia, I first reviewed this game for Home Computing Weekly in 1984 and loved it, to quote: "One of the best adventures of the year - buy it!" Has it stood up to the test of time?

Before I answer that question, the plot. A series of garbled telephone messages (reproduced on the B-side of the cassette incidentally) reveal that Valkyrie 17, a hideous super-weapon developed by the nazis, is active again. You fly out to the Hotel Blitz in Lake Bruntz, where your secret agent contact was murdered. Can you find and stop this deadly machine? Basically an espionage plot then, not amazingly original, but I cannot offhand think of a better executed one for the Spectrum.

At the hotel bar, where you start, is a girl who would "lot a trink, dollinsk". Nearby is the manager, who demands you pay your bill before leaving, and will use martial arts to persuade you if necessary. Answer the phone and you will be told "the Red Kipper flies at midnight". Search around a bit more and you'll find a wig and dress. Should you wear them? Do they suit you? When you escape the hotel, how do you descend the ski slope?

These are just a few of many confusing aspects to this wonderful, polished adventure. It has some graphics, which are fairly average by today's standards - but still attractive.

What make Valkyrie 17 so good however is the intelligent, lengthy and humorous text, and responses. Just a small example is this one. Searching around in an attempt to leave, you find the dusty cupboard where the maid keeps her brooms. Having looked around inside, "A chambermaid appears and politely asks if you have been standing in the broom cupboard. She dusts you down and leaves." That sort of attention of detail and clever forethought is rarely seen in Spectrum adventures.

The vocabulary is friendly and your interest is maintained for a long time by a varied range of responses. The problems are all logical, not obscure; perseverance and thought will ensure you complete the game eventually. The response time is a little sluggish, but not offputtingly so, and certainly not as bad as in Lord Of The Rings. The game is also pleasantly atmospheric and well presented.

When first released, Valkyrie 17 came in a well designed box, with an information dossier and a free Valkyrie 17 badge; exactly what adventure packaging should be, but sadly not seen on the Speccy very often. The real shame is that Ariolasoft have done away with this, put it in an ordinary cassette box and squashed all the information into a fold-out inlay. Also, considering its age, I think this is a little overpriced.

But these points aside, Valkyrie 17 is great fun and remains one of my favourite Spectrum adventures. I have no reservations in awarding it a Monster Hit; can't wait for the sequel. Ironic really, that the best game I have reviewed for months is nearly two months old...

A Monster Hit.