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What's bigger than a big thing with a particularly big reason for being big? Richard Longhurst tried to find the answer to this pertinent question and comes up with a very big answer.

What a monster. No, not the acid slug, the corpser, the scorpion or any of the other horrendous creatures that populate Britannia. We're talking about the game itself, Ultima VI. A gargantuan role-playing feast to satisfy the voracious adventure-lust of even the most hardened role-playing game (RPG) addict. But what has it got to offer the rest of us? Well, for a start it's an easy game to learn how to play. The control system is icon-based and only takes two minutes to learn - click on the appropriate action icon, then click on the person or object you want to perform the action on. Simple.

This leaves you with plenty of time to find out what you are supposed to be doing in this vast land. The only guidance you get is that the place has been overrun by an army of gargoyles and only a band of heroes can do something to sort it out.

At the start it's not clear what that something is, but after a few days' solid adventuring, you learn that a vortex cube has to be filled with a rune from each of the eight Shrines of Virtue. All this weird stuff isn't so bad but because you are not told about it on the back of the box or in the manual, you have to work it all out yourself and it makes a hard game even harder.

Initial explorations aren't helped by the signposts or the map supplied with the game. Because Britannia is such an advanced game world, it has its own alphabet that makes a wall of hieroglyphics look like a Letraset. Admittedly, it provides a very cosy atmosphere for experienced gamers, who appreciate the challenge that deciphering signposts provides, but it's baffling for novice adventurers who want to get on with the serious business of mauling monsters. Walking around is slow enough in itself, but travelling is even more of a chore when you're not exactly sure where you are or where you're going.

Some games, notably MicroProse's Flames Of Freedom fall into the trap of creating a huge world and then filling it with absolutely nothing. Not so in Ultima VI. Britannia is stuffed full with cities, dungeons and islands, all of which have to be visited at various stages during the quest. But most importantly there are people. Lots of them.

Mages, merchants, mayors, pirates, healers. You name it, they live in Britannia. By and large they're friendly, but they're also a mercenary bunch and refuse to do anything for you unless you do something for them first. So, alongside the broad theme of saving Britannia, your party has to run errands and perform quests for a variety of unsavoury characters.

Ultima VI is a fine role-playing game, but for the novice adventurer, every part of it is a daunting challenge. Take the magic system for example - not only does each spell need a certain number of ingredients, which you have to find or buy, but the spells have to be bought from one of Britannia's five mages. And where do they live? Surprise, surprise, you have to find them yourself. It's all an uphill struggle.

In fact, playing Ultima VI is a very much like starting to climb a monstrous mountain. The view is great when you reach the top, it might even be good when you're halfway up. It's fun walking on the flat parts and exciting clambering up the steep bits. But when you're standing at the bottom the whole thing looks too tough for words. And anyway, if you haven't climbed a hill before, you want to do some small ones first.

The overbearing impression that Ultima VI gives is one of complete and utter hugeness. It's a monstrous adventure that could keep you going for months, if not years. There's a vast game world to be explored, plenty of challenging sub-quests, and more than enough characters to interrogate. You encounter a wide range of monsters and there are also over 70 spells to learn. But the game's enormity is also its main problem.

Moving around is so slow and tedious that you can't help feeling there must be better ways to spend the rest of your life than walking around Britannia. Sure, there's lots to do, but it simply takes too long to get from one place to another.

The game isn't the friendliest RPG around, the magic system is too complicated and when travelling you're hindered by Britannia's alphabet. If you're a newcomer to role-playing, your best bet is to choose Legend of Shadowlands, though if you're after some seriously heavy-duty adventuring, Ultima VI is an ideal choice.

1. Enormous adventure to keep you going for hours and hours, but the task might be too daunting for new adventurers.