There are a few versions of the original Crowther & Woods mainframe adventures floating around; and I have so far played two: this one and another by Level 9. The one by Level 9 is by far the better. Duckworth's has a few 'let-downs': no instructions; a ludicrous 'QUIT' routine and overall slow execution. Duckworth assumes that everybody has played one of their adventures. In all the adventures I have played before, 'QUIT' meant halting the current game and letting you try again from the beginning. But, Duckworth's 'QUIT' actually clears the memory completely and you are dumped with an empty computer, and if you were intending to play again then you have to wait ten minutes or so while the adventure is re-loaded. It's a typical adventure, with dwarves, trolls, dragons magic spells and and many caverns full of objects and treasures. Sometimes it makes you feel like jumping for joy when you complete a previously impossible section, other times it makes you feel like picking up the computer and lobbing it through the nearest window. Pete Gerrard (the author) has written a fairly intelligent book on how to write adventures for yourself, but in his own games he misses the finer points. ACU #8508 | 
