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A monstrously large game could soon come crashing, searching and puzzling its way to your Atari ST. That's if you can afford the budget payoff and can resist the almost obligatory "Hey barman, Cadaver rum an' Coke!" jokes. They're simply not tolerated.

Cadaver is an RPG game, and a huge one at that. And, in the natural order of things, it's just got bigger - thanks to the add-on disk which increases the game size by about 50%. It's good to see games of this genre being extended, rather than a sequel being released. Sequels often tend to be rehashes or rip-offs, but this is an extension in the same vein.

What's Cadaver all about, then? Well, it's a slighly dated looking RPG with a mystical air as you begin in dungeons and caverns, an air that gains more than a whiff of Mid-Europe as you progress through the levels to the rather Germanic Castle Wulf and on to the villages and inns.

As Karadoc the dwarf, joystick firmly in your hand, you explore hundreds (literally) of rooms and scenes on your quest to find the necromancer Dianos. Your objective is to kill Dianos, quite why, I'm not sure. There's nothing wrong with a spot of necromancy, especially at the weekend - as long as you're not bothering anyone who's resting. As with almost any other RPG, the eventual objective - usually, and as in this case, connected to sorcery, bounty hunters or both - tends to get lost amid a colossus of puzzles, sub-games and similar bothersome distractions. Needless to say any items, money and good times you find on your way are yours to keep.

The game looks jolly smart with well-rendered graphics and moody dark passageways echoed by the black unused parts of the screen. Play this game alone in a darkened room for full effect. It's thoroughly engrossing. Karadoc and his stilted animation do rather detract from the moody atmosphere and the relentless isometric 3D view, while being the best way to look at the puzzle rooms also gets a little tiresome.

The gameplay is the standard arcade-derived RPG adventure fare. Approach objects, collect them and apply them to the game environment in whatever way you see fit to aid your progression towards Dianos. Pick up keys, potions, pick-axes, swords and the like, insert them into your rucksack (which can hold a staggering 32 items, some of them very big, too) and forget about them until you reach the next puzzle. Then access your rucksack (which remains invisible) to cast spells, switch switches, freeze screens and read books - only items with a specific purpose are displayed and items, such as keys, that can only be used once miraculously disappear. Why you can't just open and close rucksacks remains a mystery. Yep, standard RPG adventure fare.

Other functions include an overall map (very useful) and a diary which relates to your personal status, so don't stand in the green goo for too long or you'll hear one of the smashing sound effects that means you've bought the farm, and don't hang around for four days without pausing or saving the game because Karadoc, dwarven though he may be, needs an occasional nosh up too. The save game facility has its own twist, too. Regardless on what level you've reached, you must pay in gold to save. The further into the game you are, the more it costs. An ingenious way to keep you playing, but infuriating if you've reached the bar, having frivolously flittered away your last dosh on some new boots and have a bus to catch. Hmm.

Overall, this is smashing. Highly playable, good looking, strategic, smart sounds and huge. Other than being a little dated and samey and the animation getting annoying, we heartily recommend this.

The extra disk in this budget pack is an add-on extra called The Payoff. It extends the game by about half as much again, that's four levels, and around 200 rooms. Once you've completed the original mission by disposing of Dianos, The Payoff is your adventures on your return to the village of Wuffheim. It follows on from the original plot, and is very much in the same gameplay vein, though we suspect the graphics to have been tweaked.

The Payoff is to Cadaver as a skirts and spoilers kit is to a Ford Capri. The original package isn't everybody's cup of tea, but if you're the type who'd pay money on a Capri, you might as well go the whole hog and have the spoilers for free. Sort of.

1. The sheer size of it.
2. Clear graphics.
3. Good sound effects.

1. Repetitious, and The Payoff is just more of the same.
2. No game music option.