Talisman is Games Workshop's version for the 48K Spectrum of the boardgame of the same name. Whilst many of the readers of White Dwarf will be familiar with the original, most of the purchasers will not, so it is with them in mind that this review is being written.

The game is for one to four players, each of which can either be a human player or controlled independently by the computer. The characters can be one of ten types, including Warrior, Wizard, Ghoul, etc. These vary in their initial requisites: these are Strength (physical fighting power), Craft (magical fighting power), Lives, and Gold. It is also possible to obtain various spells (of which there are 14), some of which can be cast on other players, some on creatures and some on yourself. The game can be played at one of three speeds, appropriately called 'Laid Back', 'Moderate' and 'Speedy'.

It's at this point that the major flaw with Talisman shows itself - the instructions. Up to this stage they are clearly laid out and take you through the initial process very well. But from here on they are skimpy in the extreme and it is up to the player to find out what to do rather than be told in the instructions: you are not even told explicitly the objective of the game. There are some narrative-style comments about a hidden source of power which you need the Talisman to reach, so one presumes the objective is to be the first to do so. Once the game commences, the players take turns to move their character about between various locations on the playing board. A picture of the location is drawn at the top of the screen and underneath are shown the objects and characters also present. These are very well drawn and make the game very pleasurable simply to sit back and watch.

Each player has a certain amount of time - indicated graphically by an hourglass - in which to wander around exploring the locations. At the end of this time he must stop and have an 'encounter' in the area he occupies. This encounter may be a random event - either pleasant or otherwise (!) - or a fight with a creature.

Fights may either take place with Strength or Craft. Against another player, you may choose which of these to use, but against a creature you have no option. If the player loses, he loses one of his lives - when these are all gone he is out of the game. If he wins, the creature is removed from the game and he may pick up any items and followers in the area.

Although objects and followers are mentioned and the possible variation listed, their actual function is not explained. Most add to Strength or Craft, which can be ascertained from the screen display, but some of the other effects are less obvious. Also it is not always obvious what some of the graphics represent. The instruction book contains pretty pictures of Pixies, Crowns, etc, but these bear no relation to the graphics used in the program. It might have been better to use the space to show the items in the manner which they appear on the screen.

The 'board' has two main sections, and movement from one to the other is usually possible only when you have sufficient Strength, Craft or Money. It is the possible to embark on a series of 'tests', which again require lots of followers and items for you to pass through alive. If you do succeed, you obtain The Crown of Creation and win the game.

Overall, the presentation of Talisman is excellent and the graphics make it a pleasure to play. It will certainly appeal to Talisman fans lacking opponents, as the computer makes a very reasonable job of this.