This was the second Lone Wolf game developed by Five Ways software. The pack I bought consisted of the Lone Wolf game book, the tape and a keyboard overlay. Good if you had a 48K rubber keyed jobbie (which I do). Rubbish if you have any other Speccy or are emulating the game (which I also do).

The Lone Wolf game books are perfect for computer conversion. They contain action, fighting, puzzle solving and even mysticism. If the developers had thought about it for a while they could have created a good Lone Wolf game in any one of a number of those game styles. And instead, they came up with a rather basic beat em up. WoS lists LW as an Illustrated Adventure but it isn't. It's a rather basic beat em up. It's also painfully slow and tedious but hey, we can't have everything.

Once the game has loaded, there's a practice element whereby you can fight one of the guards to increase your fighting capability. Do well in this and you've got an advantage for when you start the game properly.

The game itself involves you (as Lone Wolf) walking onto the screen, occasionally watching an animation in the uppermost portion of the level then reading some text. If it's evident that you're going to fight someone, a BEEPy 'scene setting' tune plays and then you can start fighting.

At least with the fighting sequences there's been a little thought put into it. At the beginning (after the practice level) you get to choose a weapon from a selection. The differences with the weapons is their 'reach'. It's best to choose the spear as that's the longest weapon.

You can also perform one of three different fighting manoeuvres, although only one of them is any use. However there is a different animation for each fighting manoeuvre, so it's not all bad news. You can also use one of your Kai powers to increase your fighting ability. This at least ties in the Lone Wolf license with the game. Only just, mind you.

Unfortunately, the fighting sequences are dull, tedious and played out in exactly the same way, regardless of which villain or monster you're fighting. You do get an option with some of the encounters to run away however once you're actually fighting, you're fighting to the death so choose carefully.

I realise that LW:FotW is over twenty years old and perhaps I should temper my criticism. However there are many games of that age which are great. Lone Wolf just isn't. The graphics are passable. They could've been a lot worse. The screens are colourful if a little plain. The sprites move across the screen excruciatingly slowly. They animate reasonably well, if that's any consolation.

The biggest flaw is that the game book which accompanies the special pack is more fun than the game. The on-screen text descriptions are short and lack atmosphere. The options available to you are limited, meaning that the game as a short repeat-play factor. The 'look and feel' of Lone Wolf isn't reflected in this game. If you didn't see the loading screen this could have been any fantasy-based adventure.

Given the technology available at the time, I'm not sure if a better version of LW:FotW could have been created. I do know that on the Speccy a far better Lone Wolf game was created by Audiogenic, called Lone Wolf: the Mirror of Death. I'd recommend you play that rather than this for all your Kai Warrior needs.

Above all, this game just isn't any fun to play.