Producer: Virgin Games
Memory Required: 48K
Retail Price: £5.95
Language: Machine code
Author: Martin Wheeler

Sorcery is an adventure arcade game along reasonable similar lines to that of Alchemist. The earth has fallen into the Dark Ages and an evil Necromancer and his demonic servants have conquered the lands, enslaving the people. But there is still a ray of hope - You. As the last of the great sorcerers, you must travel from your homeland to Stonehenge, where three fellow sorcerers are held captive.

Sorcery is played out over many screens with trees, lakes and castles. Each screen contains one or more demonic monsters as well as useful and harmful objects such as keys, swords and cauldrons that sap your energy. There are also cauldrons which replenish energy.

Half the trick, as with a text adventure, is to discover what objects, collected on one screen, with do on another. Keys will sometimes open trapdoors on another, without which you cannot leave the screen. All the while you are pursued by the monsters which flit about all over the screen. The Sorcerer can fly and try to avoid them, for any contact will reduce his energy. One problem is that the exit doors on each screen have different characteristics: some must be walked into, some flown into. Falling into a lake means instant death.

COMMENTS

Control keys: Q/A left/right, 0 fly
Joystick: none
Keyboard play: responsive, but poorly positioned
Use of colour: good
Graphics: smooth, fast, detailed, good
Sound: fair
Skill levels: 1
Lives: energy drain, only one if you land in the drink

Like an adventure, in this game you must sort out what objects to take along with you. The problem is that collecting them means an almost certain encounter with the demonic monsters, whereas ignoring a key or a sword may mean you can get straight through .the screen without a problem, only to encounter a door that won't open for you, or a monster that could have been killed with a sword. The screens are all played through very fast, no danger of getting bored with one. Some even take as little as 10 seconds. Good, large graphics and an imaginative use of landscape in some screens make this one of the best and most original yet of Virgin's games.

Sorcery is a fast-moving arcade adventure game with quite an original plot, and it is carried out well. There isn't much going on in each screen but it is still difficult. The graphics are colourful and well drawn, smooth moving and fast. Unfortunately the responsive keys are rather poorly positioned with left/right positioned one above the other. A good game, and certainly one of Virgin's best.

Once you have sorted out what objects do what and on what screens, Sorcery loses some of its magic (groan). However, the arcade element still makes it enjoyable, and the amount of energy drain, when making contact with monsters, has been calculated very well, so that even a successful run through the screens will leave you on a knife edge in the last couple. Perhaps not very addictive after a few plays, but playable and nicely implemented with large, colourful graphics. The movement keys are a bit odd, but as there are only three, not too difficult.

You are the last of the great sorcerers and must travel to Stonehenge and rescue three fellow sorcerers from the evil necromancer. On your way you'll find objects that may or may not be of use. Only one of these will destroy the necromancer.

Richard: This is a really well thought-out game where you travel from screen to screen. Both graphics and colour are used well and the game responds well. HIT

George: It's not very often we see action mixed with adventure all in one game. But this is what Virgin has done, and the result is very good indeed. This is a chart-topper. HIT

Mark: This game reminds you of Imagine's Alchemist, and is very nearly as good. In fact, I couldn't stop playing it. HIT

Memory: 48K
Price: £5.95

Arcade action is combined with a scenario reminiscent of many adventure games in Sorcery from Virgin Games. Assuming the role of the last great sorcerer still at liberty, you are travelling to Stonehenge in an attempt to rescue three captive fellow sorcerers before the evil Necromancer turns them all to stone. Flying is among the sorcerer's magical skills and mastering his movement is one of the challenges.

Each screen represents a different section of the journey - woods, wastelands, castle, river and so on - and as the sorcerer exits from one scene it scrolls to the next. Various hazards pursue him; an encounter with any of those reduces the sorcerer's strength.

What with the time factor, encounters with demons, and the possibility of falling into the river and drowning, it is difficult to get anywhere near Stonehenge, a full 15 screens away, let alone arrive with the correct equipment to foil the wicked Necromancer. The attempt is addictive and lively graphics provide an appropriate atmosphere.

Sorcery is from Virgin Games, London.

MACHINE: Spectrum 48K
CONTROL: Keys
FROM: Virgin, £5.95

The evil Necromancer and his demonic servants have conquered the land. All the people of the Earth have been enslaved. All the great sorcerers are being held captive except for one - you.

Your mission is to rescue your fellow sorcerers and save the Earth before it is plunged into eternal darkness. You will have to be quick as time is running out.

Sorcery is a 15-screen arcade adventure. Your sorcerer starts somewhere on the right-hand edge of the screen and you must reach the gate on the left to get onto the next level. Demonic servants have been sent by the Necromancer to stop you so you must watch your energy when you go into battle with them: if it reaches zero you're dead.

A very good title screen sets the atmosphere. Old-fashioned lettering scrolls across the TV set, wishes you good luck and tells you the control keys. Unfortunately, the choice of keys is particularly silly. The left and right keys are one above the other and would have been easier to use if they had been on the same row of the keyboard. The scenes all have a title. You start in a forest and must pass through wastelands and castles before you reach your goal. Graphics are above average and the forest scenes have excellent trees. Neither the monsters nor yourself are animated, but everything does move smoothly.

All of the screens are easy to get through but the cumulative effects of battling with the monsters make it difficult to get beyond screen eight.

Sorcery will never become a cult game like Atic Atac. However, it will no doubt be taken out of the cassette box a fair few times.

This month we focus on the exploits of hero Willy after his mining experience and on some of the best and worst new Spectrum games.

Sorcery - 48K Spectrum £5.95 - has a very ambitious scenario. The Necromancer and his demonic servants have conquered the earth, causing it to fall into the dark ages. The player is the last of the great sorcerers and it is the player's task to cross the 15 screens between the sorcerer's homeland and Stonehenge to rescue fellow sorcerers and save the world from eternal darkness.

For those who enjoy arcade games, Sorcery is fast and furious. The sorcerer and his enemies are large sprite graphics, the course is a form of a maze, and objects to be found on the way are useful, although their uses can be found only by experiment. The major disadvantage of the game is the keys used for movement. Q and A move the sorcerer left and right and there is no chance to re-define keys. From Virgin Games, 61-63 Portobello Road, London W11.

Spectrum 48K
£5.95
Virgin Games

A one-dimensional Atic Atac - but no bad thing for all that. Virgin are, it must be said, producing a lot of good software now; they had a somewhat shaky start. This has attractive graphics, is a challenging test of your co-ordination, and is a fairly original idea. It might sound like an adventure game, but it has elements of, if not exactly shoot-'em-up, keep out of their way.

The earth has fallen into the Dark Ages. As is their wont, the evil Necromancer and his demonic servants have conquered the lands enslaving the people - which a lot of people would probably say was actually an improvement on three and a half million unemployed.

But being a naive idealist, you as the last of the great sorcerers feel obliged to travel outside the borders of your homeland to Stonehenge where your mates are locked up - a heavy number in fact, since the demonic servants are as opposed to you moving about as the police force is to flying pickets.

Can you free your friends before the earth is plunged into eternal darkness? By pressing Q to go left, A to go right - not the best choice of keys - and zero to fly, you can get past muscle-men rattling their chains and gruesome skull-like figures. You move through magic doors to get from screen to screen. On many of the screens you will find objects which may or may not be of use to you. Only one of the objects in the game will destroy the Necromancer. Stick the wrong one on the altar at Stonehenge and you will die. You could say this was a sorcery of endless fun.