Reasonable looking game with some fair graphics (by BBC text adventure standards) and with some reasonable descriptions to the locations - although it has the annoying bug of some of the longer descriptions disappearing up under the graphics, with no seeming way of scrolling up to read them.
The parser is fairly decent for what would be expected of a BBC text adventure game of this period. Nothing outstanding, but perfectly adequate.
The "atmosphere" of this one is a bit debatable - as the whole game continually seems to be hinting at things to come (the nearby village, etc.), but which never happen.
Other than the boggy swamp which you'll need to find a map for in order to safely cross, the cruelty level of this game is pretty low/fair, and the puzzles can be worked out by the amateur adventurer with minimal trial and error. There was only one puzzle (involving a dark room) that briefly flummoxed me, but which can soon be deduced.
Some reasonable puzzles, although due to the game's disappointingly short length they ultimately never really amount to much.
Bit of a hard one to rate overall. Presentation is nice, the graphics are extremely welcome (so many BBC text adventures lack them), and the game sets off with feeling that you're in for an enjoyable, fairly 'traditional' adventure. (All of which put me in mind of some of Epic Software's wonderful adventures.)
Sadly, it soon becomes apparent how disappointingly short the game is. Things that are continually hinted at, such as ancient cultures that were once on the land, and a nearby village, ultimately never come to anything at all, with the game being over far, far quicker than expected (beyond the boggy marsh maze, it's actually only a few screens). Which is a shame as the detailed descriptions, the graphics and overall presentation suggest that it would/could/should have been something far bigger and better. Almost enough to give a feeling that it was a larger project that was curtailed during development? The fact that it was never commercially released does many add to the feeling that it was a planned project that was cut short. (And as it was only ever public domain, I suppose I can't be too harsh on it's short length. But still a shame).