Although at first the name Pyradventure conjures up the idea of an adventure about an arsonist, it is in fact one set in the pyramids of Egypt. Not an idea that is new to adventures but one which undoubtedly offers a lot of scope to the writer ever striving for inspiration.

The idea may not be new but its producers are new and expanding: Dragonfire Services, set deep in loyalist Dragon country of Wales, where the machine was raised and it seems is now being nurtured in its old age. Dragonfire have however been running a Dragon magazine for a couple of years, and also have other software such as Underbeings of Croth in their range, which if my memory and a quick flick through some back issues of DU serves me right, used to be marketed by a firm called Maridan.

Your task in the game is to explore the pyramid in which the tomb of Amenophis III, the father of Tutankhamun is located. Once in the tomb you must obtain his gold and silver and the Death Mask of Amenophis himself.

After a graphics screen loader and scene setting instructions you find yourself in a small shop where there are various items to buy, but alas you don't have any money (at least one aspect is true to life anyway). Undeterred by having none of your allowable five items on your inventory list you can venture outside and make your way to the pyramid, although to get in there you will need light. First task therefore is the original adventure guideline of examining everything in sight.

Having solved the first problem you've more or less free to wander at will, although there is a collapsing floor if you're not careful and the vicious cobra to get past. There is plenty of time to think of how to solve your problem though as the game is not played in real time contrary to the popular trend.

The usual verb-noun situation applies with directions shortened to one letter, i.e. 'N', although 'go' has to be prefixed to the direction. Vocabulary is limited but it you can't find the right words for the task you're either doing something unnecessary or are suffering from a serious case of verbal delinquency.

Trimmings to the game include the freeze/unfreeze command which allows you to save a position in the computer's memory and return to it if necessary, a useful help when trying to find out which room to blast to smithereens with the dynamite. There's also a save/load command to use if you can't bear to tear yourself away but drastic events interfere like the need to make a living, or a herd of stampeding elephants about to plough through your front door.

I like this game, but, and this is a but I don't often use in reviews, it's one that is too easy. Even at my leisurely pace of playing, I completed it quickly and although there's always the satisfaction of succeeding, I feel a touch more intrigue, even the stampeding elephants I just mentioned, would test the brain to a greater degree.

Drawing to a close though, this is a logical adventure where problems are solved by doing what you'd do in real life, not by obscure phrases and by chance. It may not be vast, doesn't have redefined text, but it is interesting to play (and also on the cassette inlay it says "real speech"; but despite completing the game my television hasn't talked yet - apologies to Dragonfire it it's just my Dragon that's mute!).

This certainly leaves me looking forward to seeing more from this firm, and they promise more titles. I'm only sorry I can't give this more than three Dragons. But their description of it being a 'humdinger' is a bit of an exaggeration.