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Mike Gerrard takes a time trip back to 13th century England and becomes emmeshed in the world of Robyn Hode, Maid Marion and the evil Sheriff of Nottingham. Now read on...

Adventures are becoming as well-researched as thrillers these days. After visiting the Holy Land in Jericho Road, you can now take a time trip to the 13th century spellings, but done courtesy of the very 20th century Quill adventure generating program, and the people at Runesoft deserve to be called scurvey knaves for not acknowledging the fact anywhere in the program or accompanying leaflet.

Ye storye so farre is that the Sherryfile of Notyingham has imprisoned Maid Marion in Notyingham Castle and charged her with treason for aiding an enemy of King John... that's you, Robyn Hode himself, and very fetching you look in your suit of Lincoln green, which is all that you have when you start this adventure. If you find the authentic spellings a little off-putting, don't panic (to borrow a well-known 13th century expression) as they don't appear very much in the program itself, apart from the proper names. The spellings and geographical facts have been thoroughly researched, with thanks being given to everyone from the Robin Hood Society to the Doomsday Book.

The adventure is text-only, though rumour has it that a graphics version of Quill is on the way. The historical accuracy of the descriptions adds to the game, and there is at least some attempt to give atmosphere to the text. But don't expect a screen full of purple, or even Linclon green prose, as there are about 200 locations in each part of this adventure: reach the end of the first part successfully and you will be given a code to enable you to commence part two, which is on the other side of the cassette. This allows you to enter the castle, through Nottingham's famous saves, find Maid Marion and escape.

First things first. You begin outside the inn where news of Marion's arrest has just been brought to you by Much, the Miller's son: "To the Southeast, the North road runs almost straight to Newerc. Bernesdale forest stretches to the South, towards Scherwode and Noyyingham." It won't be long before you meet a rich nobleman, and you don't need a degree in Medieval History to know what Robin Hood would do to him... or what he would do with the proceeds.

The tasks do get a little harder, which is just as well, but the hundreds of locations aren't exactly littered with objects. It's difficult to strike a good balance in an adventure between having the player trip over axes, dwarfs and dragons every time they make a move, and travelling endlessly without ever finding anything. Robyn Hode is towards the travelling endlessly side of the scale. You spend a lot of time wandering round forests, and the traditional maze isn't exactly difficult.

Nevertheless there are some perplexing problems. In several locations you are attacked by the Sherryffe's soldiers, sometimes being mortally wounded (when Lytell John arrives to carry you to Kirkless Priory, where you fire your last arrow to mark your burial place), and sometimes thrown into a damp, dark, smelly dungeon. You can sleep here in the comfortable straw, and the guard brings you a hearty breakfast regularly, but I haven't yet found a way of overcoming the guard and obtaining a key which will open the locked cell door.

There are also plenty of natural hazards, with holes, wells and cliffs to fall down if you're not careful, and apart from being pounced on by the soldiers (you soon learn where this happens, as it isn't done randomly), I like the way you're usually given sufficient warning of any situation where your life may be at risk. It's not the kind of game where inexplicable holes appear in the middle of the street or rocks fall out of the sky.

Robyn Hode's an enjoyable adventure, but hardly one you need to rush out and buy this very instant, particularly as it is rather highly priced at £9.95: although there are, in effect, two adventures, both written using Quill and only occupying one cassette. Spectrum software pricing is very competitive, and it has to be an adventure that's something special to justify charging almost twice the price.

> Runesoft is one of the smaller software houses, and I'd also like to quickly mention its adventure Paradox, which came out a few months ago. There's definitely a vivid imagination at work here. You don't even know what your quest is, apart from progress and survival. Progress is through four different but connected divisions of the realm of Dream, the first being The Tunnel. As you leave your comfortable cottage behind you and enter into the network of tunnels, you become thirsty. It transpires that you have just seventeen moves in which to find a drink (shades of Denis Through The Drinking Glass, though in this case water will be quite sufficient). You find a pool of water, but if you drink from it direct you are poisoned. Just beyond is a flash, but as you take this way back to the pool is cut off.

Paradox is also Quill-generated, but shows how different you can make adventures using this system if you try. After The Tunnel comes The Gamesboard, made up of 56 squares which you have to cross to reach the Palace, each square having its own vivid description and many of them containing riddles that you have to solve in order to move on. Not that you've much idea which way you're moving, or which way you ought to be moving. Several hours of play later I'm still stuck there, and intrigued. Worth watching out for in the shops, or from Runesoft at 67 Lower Parliament Street, Nottingham NG1 3BB.