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"Warning: We strongly recommend this game be played with the lights on." So begin the instructions for Vampire Castle, in which your objective is to find and destroy Dracula.

The game loads on a BBC Micro to the music of Taccata and Fugue in D minor by Bach - you know, the one that goes "da di-di, da di-di, da di-di da dee". Nice the first time, but you can have too much of a good thing, like every time you die and try again!

There must be now be as many adventures set in a castle as there are castles so, feeling somewhat over "castellated", I took the plunge. This castle houses Dracula and a dumb waiter. Wow! How original!

But there are some unusual locations - a children's nursery for example - and objects - a hang glider! So the puzzles, or most of them, are fairly original within the plot. The response is fast; much faster, for example, than the Acornsoft adventures and there are also occasional sound effects and graphics within the game.

The vocabulary is limited - another one of those games with no EXAMINE - and commands containing unknown words are met with a variety of rib-tickling responses like "What are you gibbering about?" and "Stop trembling and try again".

The game is moderately easy and should appeal to part-time adventurers who like a bit of spoof horror! But if you've played and beaten The Count, this will be like an A-level exam to a graduate!

Vampire Castle is from Micrograf for the BBC B and costs £7.95.