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One of the world's most successful coin-ops has had a whole new dimension added by Mancunian wizards, Software Creations. Barbarian Stuart Wynne goes adventuring!

The island of Capra used to be the most peaceful place on earth. A spell was cast centuries ago which stated that if war ever broke out between any of Capra's eight kingdoms the gates of hell would be opened. Since that day, no-one has been daft enough to even start an argument with his neighbour... until now. A race of evil creatures called Velcrons have managed to trick the people into war, breaking the law with apocalyptic consequences. Worse, the original spellcaster - Magnus the Wizard-Eternal - has been kidnapped.

The island's only hope is for one or two champions to embark on an incredibly dangerous quest to drive the evil hordes back beyond the gates. Each of Capra's eight realms offers their bravest hero to take part in the fearsome quest. From the original Gauntlet there's Thor the Warrior, Questor the Elf, Merlin the Wizard and Thyra the Valkyrie. They're joined by Petras the Rockman, Blizzard the Iceman, Neptune the Merman and Dracolis the Lizard Man.

Each has individual ratings for armour, shot-power, hand-to-hand combat, magic and shot-speed, plus their own unique weapon.

The chosen champions must travel through each of the eight realms: the Tree, Mountain, Swamp, Volcanic, Sea, Lost City, Ice and Magic Knigdoms. These are all quite brilliant drawn, packed with detail and imagination. Amazingly, each also incorporates five sub-levels. But obviously the most impressive aspect is the isometric 3D. Not only do the graphics look good but the program works out graphic priorities so precisely that if you go behind a tree you can still see your character between gaps in the leaves! Quite simply, this is the best isometric 3D we've ever seen. Sprites do flicker a bit, but Software Creations' ambition is incredible and for the most past it comes off brilliantly.

There's still lots of hackin' 'n slashin' though. Tumbling out from the generators come sixteen different monsters, ranging from the familiar Death to new ones like plague dogs, crabs, jellyfish and mud monsters. There's also some fearsome dragons with icy breath.

A large part of the game involves criss-crossing the large kingdoms in search of keys and other items vital in completing the quest. Energy is lost by enemy hits, but can be restored by picking up food and drink. Also lying around are magic potions to improve a character's various ratings. Even more valuable are amulets bestowing powers such as invisibility. Besides the normal treasure chests there's special locked ones containing treasure, potions, food or even traps - but opening them requires the same keys as doors!

To be honest, I was never a bit fan of the Gauntlet games with their simplistic graphics and repetitive gameplay. Gauntlet III is a huge advance though. The endless battling may still be a bit repetitive, but the quest element works well while the graphical brilliance makes progress utterly compulsive. For disk owners at least, Gauntlet III is unmissable.

Note: So far we've only seen the superb disk version and a cassette version is still a way off. Frequent, if brief multi-loading and a measure of backtracking mean a cassette version will need some imagination to work. Possibly a more fixed game structure with less exits. In any case, Zzap! will bring you a full update on the cassette version as soon as possible.

The quest element may be simple - just find a couple of objects per level and use them in the right places - but finding them takes a good search pattern. And, of course, all the time the great range of monsters are attacking.

Combat isn't as frenetic as on the old Gauntlet, but the new monsters are great and you're often confined in small areas where fighting is intensive.

I also love the way the boring old Gauntlet walls have been replaced by barriers such as rivers, lava flows and so on.

The graphics are simply gorgeous, mindblowing for the C64, and everything moves quickly (faster than the Amiga, in fact!). Software Creations have been working on this for well over a year and it really shows.

The realms are all dramatically different and even the sub-levels have some new touches. As much an exploration and mapping game as a combat game perhaps, but still great stuff!

A 1985 Atari coin-op, Gauntlet was a massive hit due to its innovative four-player facility. The actual gameplay was simplistic, a cross between maze-game and shoot-'em-up with a few magic potions thrown in for good measure.

A graphically spot-on two-player conversion was released by US Gold in 1987, including all 512 levels (lots of fast multi-loading) and earning 93% in Issue 22. Amazingly another 512 levels (The Deeper Dungeons) were promptly offered as a £6.99 add-on. Could anyone really need 1,024 levels?

Atari's own sequel, Gauntlet II, boosted the total to 1,124 and added a couple of new features including a dragon, but wasn't a dramatic improvement. US Gold's conversion boasted improved graphics, 'no bugs' and got 81% in Issue 35. Both I and II are currently available from Kixx.

Needless to say, there have been numerous clones of the game style, one of the most recent being Time Quests And Treasure Chests, developed by Epyx for their handheld Lynx machine.

When Atari bought the Lynx, they retitled the game Gauntlet: The Third Encounter, but until now no-one has produced a dramatically new Gauntlet suitable for the '90s.

Software Creations' bold 3D system and imaginative game design have certainly done this. In fact, Atari are currently considering a coin-op version!

Presentation 90%
Nice title page, excellent character selection screen, simultaneous two-player mode, map screen and disk access for every sub-level (thankfully fast).

Graphics 97%
The eight realms are incredibly varied, beautifully drawn and the isometric 3D is excellent. Probably the best backdrops ever seen on the C64. Sprites are obviously rather small, but they work well and are nicely varied.

Sound 90%
Typically stylish intro tracks by the Follin brothers and good in-game FX.

Hookability 91%
Couldn't be easier to get into, instantly addictive with lots of treasure and potions to collect.

Lastability 93%
Gameplay is a little repetitive, but varied levels keep you coming back. A huge challenge which won't let go until you finish it!

Overall 92%
If only coin-ops were this ambitious! State-of-the-art 3D, masterpiece backdrops and good gameplay make this a true classic.