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Stuart Collier impressed with his first ever C64 game, The Sky Is Falling (which was based on Ovine's mobile app of the same name). Now he teams up with Trevor Storey for a very different style of game, inspired by a certain archaeologist.

Many people have searched for the lost city of Atlantis, famed for its wealth. Raiding a tomb in Mexico, explorer Rocky Memphis uncovers a clue that leads him to a ruined temple in the North African desert. Could this be the key to finding the mysterious city? An impressive animated introductory sequence sets the story, followed by the loading screen. Starting the game leaves Rocky in a single screen with his way forward blocked by a wall. He can search for objects by pressing down and fire, scroll through his inventory by pressing up and fire, and use an object by pressing the fire button on its own. Pressing up will jump or climb up a ladder, down will crouch or climb down. The first puzzle simply requires careful studying of the screen, a tactic that will serve the player well. Getting past the first wall reveals the temple is filled with traps - some of them set off by pressure pads. There are also stone tablets to be read, but first Rocky must find the Book of Atlantis that will allow him to translate the symbols. Climbing up to the next screen reveals a couple of useful objects (one on the plinth, the other hidden in a pile of rubble) that can be used to move forward. The next screen after that reveals a trick to help overcome the pressure pads and disable many of the traps that lie ahead. Further exploration shows that Rocky is not alone in the tomb - deadly scorpions and bats kill on contact. Trap doors, switches and even illusions all stand in the way of Rocky discovering the truth about Atlantis.

The puzzles themselves are really well constructed, drawing on many familiar ideas. An object found in room A needs to be carried to room B to unlock room C, for example. Needing the Book to translate the tablets adds to the atmosphere created; the tablets give vital clues on the puzzles ahead and can help steer the player in the right direction.

The beautiful single screens are drawn in high-resolution mode, giving just two colours but allowing plenty of detail. Rocky himself is an impressive character made with overlaid sprites, closely resembling a very famous adventurer with a fedora and whip. He is surprisingly agile, jumping across gaps and traversing chasms with the help of ropes. The enemies are drawn in hi-res too, with animation of the whole game beautifully executed. It is important to be observant, as there are many small details that can be missed such as the small pressure pads, they can be hard to see but are so important in the way the game is played. Music by Saul Cross is excellent, an Egyptian-style tune really fits the bill. A few carefully made sound effects can be heard alongside the tune, most notably a "click" or "rumble" as a puzzle is solved to open the way ahead.

As with previous Psytronik games, the packaging of the Collector's Box is superb (with old titles having new boxes issued so that they match the new range). The stickers and art card are great, and the printed map is cleverly designed not to give away too much about the game and how to solve it. The download files include a disk image designed for use with the C64 Mini. In many ways, Legend of Atlantis can be seen as an heir to classic games including Montezuma's Revenge and Rick Dangerous, although the pace here is much slower and the challenges more thought-provoking than action-oriented.

One frustration is the random movement patterns of the bats and scorpions, which make certain screens very tricky to complete. It is also easy to miss an item or a clue, leaving the player stuck in a room. There is no save function, unless using an emulator or freeze cartridge. Controls in general are good and responsive, but scrolling through the inventory sometimes means the player misses the item they wanted and has to go around again. It also might have been nice to have the option to turn off the music as it may get on your nerves when playing for a long spell.

Graphically the sprites are huge, it looks terrific and in perspective throughout the entire game. Opening movie sequence sets the scene of exploration, adventure and danger (which it has plenty of) and also leaves you intrigued as to what is about to unfold. There is a bit of backwards and forwards about it traversing over the same areas a bit, however this is a stylish and well made exploration platform game - the key term is on 'exploration'. It will be the challenge of solving all the puzzles that draws the player back, and that draw is pretty strong. Hopefully we will be treated to more of Rocky's adventures in the future with wonderful exploration adventures like this one.