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Where do you start with a game like this? The manual? Not when it's as thick as an eskimo's underpants. Let's leap straight into the game then. Er... Thwok! Aha, back to the manual methinks.

A good thirty minutes manual reading is required in order to gain a minor insight into how to play the game. A further thirty minutes of fumbling around with the menu system and you'll be ready to roll. Sounds off-putting? It is but don't despair.

What we have here is a game which looks like a fantasy adventure but plays like a complex strategy game. You must trek through various chaotic words and try to restore peace and order before returning to your home - limbo.

Menu options dictate the type and difficulty of the coming adventure. You can play alone or against up to three of your friends. I didn't have three friends to rub together (fnar, fnar) so I was forced to play solo. If you enter the game at this stage a random character is created for you. Alternatively, custom-made characters can be moulded with a Wizard Design routine.

Five attributes govern your character's abilities. These are Action Points (which dictate the number of tasks you can perform in any one round), Stamina, Constitution (when this reaches zero you 'pop your clogs'), Combat and Defense. Initially, according to your magical ability, you have a number of spells at your disposal. As you increase in experience and power you can master more and more spells, up to forty-five in all.

The game is played as a series of rounds during which you can move, collect and use objects, engage in combat and so on. You spend the first round conjuring up creatures to form an army. They include pathetically weedy pixies, trolls whose intelligence is only slightly higher than that of the surrounding vegetation, and 'heavies' who include dragons, demons and spectres. Some creatures perform certain tasks more efficiently than the others. Unicorns can be ridden for rapid travel, giants are real meat grinders when they get into battle and the apparently useless pixie is actually invisible and therefore strategically invaluable.

Once armed to the teeth (or the gums depending on the age of your wizard) you can deal with the various tasks ahead. The foremost objective is to kill the other wizards in the game and then get home via a portal which appears after your wizard bashing is complete. Unfortunately, your enemies have been busily conjuring up their forces and they have very different plans for you.

Combat couldn't be easier. Simply move to an adjacent square, place your cursor on your opponent and press fire. The computer then works out the amount of damage caused and whether or not your victim retaliates. You can continue attacking in this manner until either the enemy is dead or your action points have run out for the current turn. Of course, come his turn, you'll be the one who's soundly clouted. Daggers and magical swords, which you'll find scattered all over the place, do wonders for your fighting ability, not to mention your otherwise short lifespan.

Even if you get naffed off with all the gentlemanly man-to-unearthly-creature combat, you can fight really dirty and use magic. Just select the required spell from the spell menu and do battle as before. There are some truly diabolical spells at your disposal. 'Gooey Blob' fills the surrounding countryside with, well, gooey blobs, which ensnare the enemy in much the same way as a large sneeze [That's enough gooey stuff, thanks - Ed]. 'Flood' and 'Tangle Vine' perform similar tasks but with water and sinister vegetation. Offensive spells like 'Lightning' and 'Fire' are powerful enough to please the most demanding pyromaniac while 'Magic Shield' provides some defence against enemy spell casting. Knowing how best to employ sorcery in battle certainly separates the heavyweight thaumaturgists from novice prestidigitators. Oh, yes indeedy.

There are also the more mundane tasks like treasure hunting and exploration to consider. Here again, your magical ability is useful. You can brew potions to your heart's content. Throw the relevant herbs into the pot, stir, cook for thirty minutes on gas mark eight and voila! You have a delightful soup that will allow you to fly, travel more quickly or heal wounds.

The three Lords Of Chaos scenarios are more than enough to keep you busy for a very long time and plans are afoot to release further scenarios for the game (what's more, you'll be able to continue with your existing character). But is it any good? (Lengthy pause to build up the tension... )

It's brilliant! Despite the horrors of the manual and menu system, Lords Of Chaos is actually quite straightforward to play. The graphics are lively, your surroundings are colourful and most of the sprites are embellished with token animation. Sound is fairly limited but quite rightly so; a strategy game of this sort just doesn't need to constantly harass a player's ears. With its novel fantasy theme Lords Of Chaos makes a welcome change from the glut of modern war games. Its playability also makes it worth a look for newcomers to strategy games.

Invite your mates over, bring out the pop, four-pack or Perrier, lay on some troff and make an evening of it. Then Lords Of Chaos really comes into its own.

1. The manual and menu system are confusing to begin with.

1. Simple combat system for even the most ham-fisted of sorcerers.
2. Magic system is extensive, original and easy to use.
3. Functional visuals are tidy and pleasing to look at.
4. Gradual build up to final battle increases atmosphere.
5. Ability to manipulate landscape via floods, etc, is superb.
6. Line-of-sight spotting builds up tension.
7. Long game life provided by three totally different scenarios.
8. Character creator gives even more player involvement.
9. Possibility of further scenarios makes package all the more enticing and long-lived.
10. Multi-player option which demands to be used.