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A fascinating puzzle of magic spells and rolling balls. Create a path to get your sphere to the next level against ever higher odds.

Once upon a time, a long, long time ago, the Nvorld was beset by a terrible evil which smouldered in a hidden valley, growing until it threatened the earth with an eternity of darkness and which would have succeeded had it not been for the selfless and heroic actions of two unlikely companions. While dwarf and mankind shed each other's blood in senseless warfare, only Putgram the elven warrior and Wuron, his dwarf magician friend, realised the raw terror which lurked behind the swamps of darkness in the land of Khorndal.

Using only their bare courage and the Starball, an extra-terrestrial legacy of an earlier battle against evil, our two heroes arrived footsore but fearless in Khorndal, ready to take the battle to the source of the evil - the wakening dragon Mirgal.

Did they make it? Did they slay the beast in time to save us mere mortals? I guess the very fact that I am here writing about their epic adventure proves that they did. And where do you come in? Well, you lucky blighters get the chance to re-enact Wuron's journey through the ante-rooms of Mirgal's castle and fight for survival in the room of the Dragon.

Spherical is the name of the game and a pretty daunting one it is too. Armed with the power to conjure stone blocks into thin air, your task is to set a path which vvill allow the Starball to reach the entrance portal to the next in a secure position between two of your own magic blocks. This releases you to pick up the various gems and magic spells scattered around the chamber, before returning to path-building.

If you should get the Starball stuck however, there are four time doors which you can use to bring you back to the start of the level and try again. There are also a fair amount of different spells you can pick up to boost your energy and increase your chances of survival.

Although the CPC version lacks some of the gadgetry included in the larger formats of the game, Spherical is a real gem. Its combination of strategy and skill throws down the gauntlet to the boldest of gamesters and will keep you coming back again and again to find the evil dragon. There is not a lot to listen to, to be fair, but the graphics more than compensate and while you are concentrating on steering the Starball, you won't really notice.

So, Mirgal has thrown down the challenge. You have twenty seconds at the start of each level to secure the Starball, and remember, our fate depends upon the success of the mission. Fail at your peril: the stormclouds are gathering in the west, dark rumour is spreading on the wind. The evil awakens once more.