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A veritable monster of a game which I only scratched the surface of when I played it. There is a vast map to explore, blighted by evil monsters for you to do battle with. Apparently the original came with a hefty set of instructions which provided vital background information. Perhaps this is why I fared so poorly. Frustrating, but thoroughly addictive.

Adventure innovation
THE BLACK CRYSTAL is one of the first graphic adventures for the 48K Spectrum and 16K ZX-81. The plot of the adventure, which is played in six parts, is to destroy the evil Black Crystal with its malign intelligence before you are destroyed by the Lords of Chaos.

To do so you must get through six maps on which you can move your little player, using the cursor keys. On the first map you must find some rings of power to enter the castles on that map. When you find the rings you may go through the door of the Castle of Shadows or into the dark domain of Shaggoth's Lair.

You must struggle around hidden mazes, fight dragons, and avoid deadly mists. The final
conflict is between you and the Lords of Chaos. If you win you will destroy the Black Crystal and peace will reign in the land. If you fail, you and the inhabitants of the land will be doomed to eternal torment.

The Black Crystal is an excellent graphics adventure and a well-though-out package. There are two cassettes in the box and an introductory booklet giving the history of the Black Crystal, as well as instructions and hints on play.

The game has good quality graphics. The Black Crystal is available from Carnell Software, Berkshire. The package is reasonably priced at £7.50.