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One of Artic's new adventures, Eye Of Bain, is its first with graphics. Bob Chappell compares it with a text-only release, Curse Of Seven Faces

Artic has long been respected for its text adventures. Its earlier games Espionage Island, Planet Of Death, Inca Curse, Ship of Doom, and the highly challenging Golden Apple, have long posed challenges for adventure aficionados.

Now it seems to have bowed to the inevitable - adventures with graphics. Perhaps bowed is not quite the right word - nodded might be more apt. For Artic has brought out two new adventures, one with graphics and (hooray) one without.

First, the text only adventure, Curse Of The Seven Faces (Spectrum and Amstrad), written by Alan McDonald. Like any text adventure worthy of the name, Curse has detailed and literate location descriptions, generating an atmosphere that quickly enthralls.

There are a lot of places to explore (over 140), with plenty of objects and puzzles to stretch your inventiveness.

The plot concerns tracking down an evil wizard and takes you through caverns, mountains and forests. While accomplishing your mission, you'll pass through a troll's lair, the inevitable maze, a castle, the domain of the elves, a mansion and the wizard's realm.

Most of the puzzles are not too difficult and, to be honest, are hardly original either, though there are a few really novel twists which should test your mettle.

Some of the objects don't sit very easily with the general theme of the adventure - I'd rather not see guns and Microdrive cartridges in an adventure that features magic wands and spell books.

Whatever the shortcomings, the presentation and the atmospheric text compensate. You'll certainly get good value for money if you buy it.

Now the Eye Of Bain (48K Spectrum, £6.95), the one with pics. Mind you, you might not realise it had any graphics, as the adventure kicks off in text mode. Only by typing LOOK or DRAW will the screen clear and a picture of the current location slowly appear. A touch of the Enter key and the text reappears. And a good job too.

The pictures are very simple and do absolutely nothing to enhance the game. Although the textual descriptions are fairly spartan, if your own imagination cannot conjure up better images than those provided by the graphics in Bain then you must either be under three or a cabbage leaf.

Setting aside that grumble, the adventure itself is pretty good. The eye of the title, if you hadn't already guessed, turns out to be a priceless treasure. It is hidden in a temple and jealously guarded by a somewhat vicious tribe of Alvanians, so beware.

I had arrived at the tribe's camp. My Alvanian, clearly being a trifle rusty, must have said something like "May mildew strike your grass skirts", instead of saying "Greetings from the Great White Mother across the water". I deduced that I must have committed some such minor breach of diplomacy by the fact that I was in a native hut, shackled by one leg to pole.

Having parted myself from the pole without having to saw my leg off, I rejoined my hosts, expecting them to be overawed by my Houdini-like escape.

I was somewhat taken aback to be executed on the spot. Still smarting, I restarted, tried a different tack and was soon clear of the Alvanian mafia.

I later passed a poor wretch tied to a whipping post and also had a fairly traumatic experience with a shapeless black beast down a well. I didn't find a way to get the chain off my leg, but that didn't matter - I died of thirst in the desert.

The text is neatly presented and response to the usual two-word input is immediate. When the program cannot understand a word, it tells you whether it's the verb or noun that's the problem. A good adventure with a decent assortment of puzzles. The text descriptions could have been beefed up if the graphics had been given the elbow.

Room for just a brief mention of two useful books published by Datamost, a division of Prentice Hall, entitled A Shortcut Through Adventureland; volume one provides detailed solutions to fourteen adventures that are probably better known to Atari and Apple owners. The solutions include Sierra On-Line's Ulysses and the Golden Fleece and The Dark Crystal and Sirius' Blade of Blackpool. Volume two is likely to be of greater interest to UK adventurers, as it covers all but the latest Infocom adventures. The books are priced at $9.95.

For all those suffering souls who are bewitched, bothered and bewildered by Scott Adams' superb Sorcerer of Claymorgue Castle. The Dungeon Master takes pity on lesser mortals who do not poessess a brilliant enough mind (not to mention Adventure International's detailed crib book) to enable them to complete this excellent adventure. The answers are not written in Alvanian, but merely backwards.

Can't find the secret of the Plain Room?
SNOI TCER IDTN EREF FIDN IGNI HSUP DNAG NILL UPYR T

Can't open the Stone Door?
LLEP SDEE SESU NEHT ELTS ACOT NIYA WREH TONA DNIF

More help with Stone Door?
TSAE NEHT ECIW TNWO DMIW SHTA ERBD LOHT AOMN I