Bloodwych Data Disk 1 - Imageworks/Mirrorsoft RRP œ14.99
            (Add-on to animated role-playing game)

I only started playing Bloodwych a few weeks ago and have found
it surprisingly enjoyable. Okay, the graphics are very small and
nowhere near as good as those in Dungeon Master or Chaos Strikes
Back, the animation is rudimentary, the monsters in it seeming to
move round with a jerky, both-feet-together hop but I've always
been a sucker for a game that needs a lot of mapping and there's
something about Bloodwych that appeals to me.

Having said that, I haven't had time to get far in it during
these few weeks and am still stumbling round level 1. But when I
saw the data disk for sale in our local video hire shop (which
often seems to have new software in before Silica Shop round the
corner - and no, I don't know why either) I couldn't resist.

In the package is a bonus book of hints for the original game,
which may well come in useful for those of us who haven't yet
finished it.

According to the blurb, when you thought you'd destroyed the Lord
of Entropy at the end of Bloodwych (oh, so that's what happens),
you had in fact just ejected him back into his own world. There,
he has set up a new, more testing dungeon where you must solve
the mazes and defeat the Crystal Guardians before you will be
victorious and know you've seen the last of him.

With over 25 more levels, a new class of spells (the magic of the
ancients), recruitable monsters, better graphics, communication
and gameplay etc etc, it sounded a lot of fun.  All you need is a
Bloodwych save disk and the original game, it said inside the
packaging.

Then I spotted a slight problem. It said that your characters
should be level 14. My "gang" are still a bunch of wimps but then
I noticed that it added that you shouldn't worry if you hadn't
got characters that strong because levels would be gained at an
accelerated rate so if you slept after each encounter, you'd
rapidly go up to level 14. Fair enough - load up the disk, gawp
at the loading screen (the same as for Bloodwych, but it never
fails to impress me) and up comes a prompt to load my saved
position from Bloodwych. You can load a one- or two-player game,
by the way.

Position loaded - the first room - check the characters. As
expected everyone is empty-handed but there are two adamant
swords lying there begging to be picked up so that equips the
front two members of the gang. Just a small room with one exit;
press the button, the door opens and there stands a human
character with one of those spider-like creatures from the
original game behind him.

Well, they said "features recruitable monsters" so let's try to
be friendly to this unsavoury-looking character.  "Greetings" I
said. "My name is ........

Pow!! In strides this character and with a few hefty thwacks,
kills the front two characters and, without pausing to say
"oops", bumps off the back two as well.

"Thou art dead" I am told. Oh really, dim of me not to
have noticed it. "Insert load disk and return". Right, in goes
the save disk. "Warning - disk error. Data may be corrupt".
Funny, it worked fine the first time and the disk is
write-protected. Try a few more times, get the same message.
Try game disk and Bloodwych disk too in desperation. No use, 
so boot up the game again.

Load saved game, no problem this time. Get the front two
characters tooled up, prepare the strongest offensive spells I
have, open door, "go on punk, make my day" ..... attack!!!!!

One .... two ..... everyone's dead again. And my save disk
doesn't work again. Curse in a lady-like fashion, and reload.

Several more goes later, give up. Decide to go back to Bloodwych,
finish it and THEN load up the data disk and FLATTEN that
monster.  Expect the results of this about 1992.


Summary - the data disk sounds like a much-improved Bloodwych,
and since I like the original, I'm sure I'll love it.

However, don't bother with it till you have strong characters on
your save disk. Believe me, weak ones won't live long enough to
survive any encounter, let alone get the chance to sleep and gain
levels.

                                            Sue