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Now where was I? Ah yes, sorry I have not been with you for a while, but as things have been a little quiet around the Dungeon, the Dragon and I went for a stroll over the far mountains. It was only the news that Robico had released a new adventure that brought us scurrying back. This Welsh software house has produced a long line of successful games including my personal favourite, Enthar Seven.

Reports indicate that, as some software houses are no longer writing new adventures for the BBC Micro, Robico's products are becoming more widely known and gaining in popularity. In addition to their own adventures, Robico have now decided to market one of last year's releases from the Magus company.

The Village Of The Lost Souls was acclaimed by reviewers, but largely ignored by the paying public. Robico have made alterations to the game and added their more powerful parser.

As mentioned in my previous review, the game centres around a deserted village which has been the site of black magic rites. There are workshops, windmills and a large church to search. Dead bodies and a vampire are to be found and run away from! The game contains a surprising number of puzzles, most of which are quite neat and some of which are pretty awkward.

However, the main problem is the drawing of the map. The gameplay area is surprisingly large, and the text does not always make it clear what the various exits are. In one notable case the text categorically states that there is only one possible exit where there are in fact two! This means you must test all possible avenues within the village, which can be a very large task. Bearing this in mind, the game has many hours of puzzles contained within it.

Fun but tricky!