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For over 1,000 years, the people of Lanathor feared to leave their citadels knowing if they did, they'd be assaulted from all sides by fantasy software.

No, actually, a terrible evil has been stalking the land. Only your trusty band of heroes can save the day. But first they've got to find this evil - and it's damned elusive.

Thus the kingdom lies before you - as does a massive Dungeons And Dragons adventure. It's complex, detailed and all but impenetrable unless you've previously experienced this type of game. If you have, you're likely to find Disciples Of Steel very slick (it's all mouse-driven) and very atmospheric.

As well as the major evil-defeating business, there are dozens of villages, inns, forts and castles to call at, plus hundreds of lesser characters wandering around. These can either be talked to or killed. Some help you and others make a fine stew. It's up to you.

Indeed, the key of Disciples is its atmosphere and detail. Every time you play, small differences are added to make the game totally new. Looking after your characters - you can control more than half a dozen - is your prime concern, which is a bit boring, but there is plenty of combat, loads of spell-casting and the odd special weapon to find.

All this means is that the game is unashamedly aimed at those whose imaginations live in the twilight world of deep dungeons, torch-lit corridors and strange shops in Manchester. The manual helps considerably. It's evocative of the quest, but gives you a pretty good grounding in how to play as well. If you've au fait with AD&D, you should have no problem.

Time is the other factor. It takes an epoch to finish Disciples Of Steel, and an infinity to discover all these is to see. You can decide whether this is a plus or minus point.

Disciples Of Steel presents a completely invented world, but one you might have seen in hundreds in other games, books or films. Dwarfs and elves are pretty old hat - new place names don't really make that much difference.

If you are interested in beating a bit of evil now and then, you may find the game has good graphics, quick responses and updates and plenty of fool-proofing. It's also very well thought-out, with obvious care going into its manufacture. Boring text is cut to a minimum, so there's always something interesting to look at on-screen, and the fantasy mood is captured well. It's certainly well above-average for the genre, and rewards you for the effort you need to put in to get to grips with it.

1. Quality fantasy bash with much more depth than the Gauntlet series.
2. Only two disks, so very little dreadful swapping and munging.
3. Generally not as exciting as Dungeon Master, but with a similar underground section.