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Having already been treated to an adventure-based walk through Elvira's warped life, we now come to something which requires a little less brainpower. Yep, it's arcade-adventure time, and what a jolly good romp it is too

This is a man's, man's world. But where would he be without a girl like Elvira? I mean, who else has a house by the name of Large Assets, and an ancestor called King Alfronso of Brest?

Now Elvira's weirdest ride is about to begin. She's been ordered to prove herself sufficiently spooky to win the family's ancestral home.

Three levels lie between Elvira and her prize: The Fire World, the Ice World and the castle itself. The Fire and Ice worlds can be played in any order, but both must be completed before the castle can be reached. If this all sounds like some weak excuse to put her petite-ness into a completely improbable arcade adventure, it's because it is.

Okay, so the story's as crazy, creepy and kooky as you'd expect. But just how good is the game? Well, it's big. Very, very big. For a scrolling arcade adventure, Elvira manages to be good to look at, and expansive. Once you get used to the idea of controlling a (top heavy) sprite like that of Elvira, everything slots into place quite nicely. It is a little strange to dump such a cultured girl into a land infested with spells, sorcerers and unmentionable nasties but - hey! - it's all in the name of good, clean(ish) entertainment.

And entertaining this most certainly is. Can there be anyone out there who isn't familiar with Elvira and her unmistakable form? Well, after making a film, presenting heavy metal programmes, and bulging out of this month's uncanny cover (not to mention the cover tape's playable preview), it's hard not to feel like you know her intimately. In that respect, it's a stonking idea to put her in an arcade game.

If playing Elvira brings any other games to mind, it's Ocean's Toki. Both are multi-directional scrolling arcade adventures. Both games have a slightly leisurely pace, but not to the detriment of the game. The ability to finely control the jumps, and fire weapons while in mid-air enables precision problem solving. There's nothing nicer than a game which caters for the gamer's needs. The other really great touch, is the way that Elvira hugs the features of the landscape. Along every rocky bank and jagged slope, her figure follows the flow of the land, the scrolling screen gliding along smoothly as she does so.

Spells are also thrown into the game equation, ranging from simple shield and first aid spells to more necessary feather-fall and fire resistance spells. Weapons too litter the worlds of Elvira. From the humble little daggers which she is initially equipped with, Elvira can arm herself with all manner of wondrous, dangerous and magical projectiles. When faced with some of the nastier bad guys, they're certainly appreciated.

From the mushrooms which launch deadly spores, to the sorcerers, to the tentacles which swing from the roof, the bad guys all look like they've had a little thought put into them. Their intelligence leaves a little to be desired, however. Movement patterns are a bit on the simple side, and a touch of monotony does occasionally set in when fighting off hordes of nasties.

There's a certain amount of puzzling to do in Elvira. The right keys must be collected, and in the right order. Various areas require the right spell to progress, and the devious traps are sure to catch out any player who tries to plough on.

Graphically Elvira pleases, with smart and varied landscapes. Parallax scrolling is also used to good effect, making the whole thing look slick and consoley.

Much as the epic size of the game prolongs playing time and stretches the C64's abilities, it's also responsible for the game's biggest problem. You see, Elvira is just too loose - the spaciousness of the playing area occasionally making things a bit too unstructured and aimless for my heart to be completely won over. The gameplay could have done with a bit more of an edge.

Thankfully, the structure of the game's puzzles are well thought out, so they stimulate the synapses just enough. Getting lost in the maze of tunnels and rooms is never too much of a problem.

In the end I can't help but fall for Elvira's charms. It's just such a friendly and playable game that it's impossible to get frustrated. But the urge to continue is always there. It's a big game, it's a good game, and it's nice to see the femme fatale back in vogue.

1. The instructions aside, there's not enough of Elvira's tongue-in-cheek humour.

1. The main sprite is excellent - it really does look and (hem hem) feel like Elvira.
2. A good range of spells and nasties adds to the usual arcade adventure format.
3. Brilliant graphics and scrolling playing area.
4. There's weeks and weeks of exploring in there.
5. The way Elvira follows the contours of the land is an excellent little trick.
6. Ability to play the first two levels in any order is an excellent touch.
7. Great in-game presentation.