Silmarils have put three of their top mouse-driven strategy games in one box. How long can David Robinson adventure for?

Ooh, those loathsome orcs. There you are, looking for the inn so you can recruit some daring adventurers, when one of the creatures sneaks up and attacks your best swordsman. You have to watch out for that king of thing in Ishar.

It's a real time RPG set in the usual fantasy world of magic, questing and people who aren't into settling things over a coffee. You play the handsome Aramir, who journeys through the land of Kendoria killing anything a tad nasty, until ultimately he faces the mighty Krogh. On the way you pick up companions, each with their own characteristics, who help or hinder your progress.

The only fault with Ishar is the speed. Each move through the outstanding graphic landscape - just look at that forest shot - takes a second or so; moving between the different regions of Kendoria takes considerably longer. But get used to this minor irritation, and you have weeks of exciting play ahead. OK, so the plot is nothing special, but you have too much fun hacking the baddies, interacting with your fellows and finding your way out of the forest to worry about little things like the storyline.

Ishar was a treat when it was a full price game. Now as part of this compilation, it's a must buy for elves 'n elixir fans.

Ooh, those Sharkaanians. There you are, busily checking up on your reserves of Eolian sqliz honey, when one of them sneaks into the Council chamber and murders your chief advisor. It's all in a month's work in Storm Master, the role-playing-cum-god game.

As acting ruler of Eolia, you have to defend your somewhat dark and windy realm against the neighbouring menace. Consult your knowledgeable Council of the Seven, and if they aren't too busy being murdered, they can help you feed your starving people, or whip up the odd storm to frighten the foe. The Leonardo, one of the Seven, builds you bizarre flying machines in the style of his 16th Century namesake, and if they make it past the test flight (a harrowing experience, certainly), then you can launch them on Sharkaania. Knock out the seven enemy cities, using a primitive but nifty arcade-style sub-game if you wish, and get back just in time for lashings of that tasty sqliz secretion (er, they are bees, you see).

Storm Master is an engrossing game offering good gaming if you're into strategy. It's a smart variation on the god game, with plenty for you to think about, stylish and atmospheric graphics and some convincing sampled sound effects. If you tire of Ishar, this one is likely to keep you occupied for a month or so.

Ooh, that Viking Union. There you are, busily stoking your boiler with lignite, when... yeah, you get the idea. Transarctica doesn't quite cut it like the other two games. Maybe Silmarils realise this - it's ended up in this compilation ten months after its initial release.

The basic concept - travel round a frozen world, building up your train until you're capable of destroying the evil ruling Union - is novel (and somewhat ridiculous), but the idea comes unstuck with the tedious gameplay. Driving your loco - shunting it backwards and forwards to negotiate the tracks, constantly changing map views, going back to the engine room once again to put on more coal - drives you, well, loco.

You can travel around for a long time before anything interesting happens at all. If you do arrive at, say, a broken bridge or a city, you are met by a stunning tableau (by now you realise that none of these games in any way can be faulted on their graphics) but nothing more. It's all a bit static really.

Stick with Transarctica and you may get a lot of fun out of it. You are likely to spend a lot more time in Eolia and Kendoria though, we suspect.

1. Almost worth buying for Ishar alone.
2. Storm Master is an intriguing game too.

1. The one with the buffers is the duffer.
2. Give Transarctica time, and you may get to like it.