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Nothing has been heard of Mordamir the Grand Wizard for many months. The famed wizard of the Crimson Keep was last seen entering a newly-discovered set of evil, mystical caves. Thinking that he could locate some new magical spells and techniques within these dungeons, Mordamir went exploring. As his apprentice, you're worried about his disappearance. There's only one thing for it. Enter the caves and rescue your mentor. Who knows? Maybe you might pick up some of the mystical knowledge your master was after. There's only one problem. The word is that a massive dragon jealously guards the secrets of the dungeon. Only by defeating this massive foe will you emerge from the cave system victorious.

Your view of the action is depicted in sprite-based isometric 3D. The playing area scrolls in eight directions, but is limited by the size of the room. When using a door the screen flicks to take you to a new location. The maps make perfect logical sense, so making your own map of the surroundings could be the key to success.

Your progress is impeded by various cunning traps contained in the dungeons. For example, at one point a massive chasm has to be traversed. It can't be jumped, but it can be moved! A beam of light controls the chasm mechanism and only by reflecting the light with a shiny amulet will the thousand-year-old mechanism creak into action.

Sounds difficult? That's only level one!

Whenever a hostile beastie attacks you, the screen shifts to a close-up one-on-one battle between your wizard and the evil assailant. A variety of hacks and slashes are available, along with a number of highly amusing death sequences. Apparently there's around sixteen different gruesome death scenes, including one hilarious sequence where a hapless goblin is cut in half by our hero's sharpened stick!

All manner of interesting items are located around the dungeons, which are stashed for future use in your capacious robe. Selecting an item can either yield a description of it, or you can choose to use it.

Depending on your situation, different choices are open to you. For example, if you're carrying a key, you may be asked whether you want to use it on a chest or a door.

This is practically identical to the Amiga version with the added benefit of close-up combat. Thankfully, the Amiga version was pretty super, featuring superb 3D graphics and some perfectly logical puzzles.

The Megadrive game is equally as good and the superb method of utilising objects remains the same. The Immortal's greatest strength lies in the vast nature of the game.

Even completing level one (which is supposed to be an easy-peasy training level) takes a good deal of lateral thought and cunning. Later levels see the quality of the game remaining very high.

The spider-infested level boasts superbly gruesome graphics and yet more cunning puzzles. We've seen some pretty awful Megadrive RPGs in your time, but The Immortal ranks as the best yet (shame about the forty-five quid price tag though).

With its unusual viewpoint, gory fight sequences (watch those purple entrails flow!) and stunning animated graphics, The Immortal is a truly superb arcade adventure.

There are some fiendish puzzles, but they're not completely illogical. Instead they're of the lateral thinking type where the answer is usually starting at you right in the face!

Because of this, you never get completely stuck and while progress might occasionally be slow when you reach a particularly tricky situation (and there are plenty of those), the feeling of satisfaction you get when you overcome a problem makes all the hard work worthwhile.

The game is huge, and it's not one you'll crack overnight, so if you're after a highly rewarding arcade adventure that combines great looks and a tough challenge, look no further than this.

Being a magician, you'd expect our elderly chum to have plenty of magical tricks up the sleeves of his ancient robe. Indeed he has, but since his memory is a bit dodgy, he needs the actual spell scroll to attempt any casting.

Most spells can be used five times before they eventually fade. Included in the spell line-up are the likes of fireball spells (blast those goblins!) and partial invisibility spells.

Presentation 91%
The game is very well presented. The control method in particular is superbly executed.

Graphics 93%
Finely detailed backdrops and sprites make The Immortal look like something really special.

Sound 87%
Tunes and effects that enhance the already considerable atmosphere.

Playability 90%
The great control method and the balance between action and adventure makes The Immortal very appealing.

Lastability 90%
The dungeon you explore has months of shocks, horrors and problems in store!

Overall 90%
The greatest arcade adventure yet seen on the Megadrive - and yet another classic game from Electronic Arts!