<s>
Ranarama	B-Application
(	O
also	O
Rana	B-Application
Rama	I-Application
)	O
is	O
a	O
top-down	O
Gauntlet-like	O
action	B-Application
game	I-Application
developed	O
by	O
Graftgold	O
and	O
published	O
by	O
Hewson	O
Consultants	O
in	O
1987	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
released	O
for	O
the	O
Amstrad	B-Device
CPC	I-Device
,	O
Atari	B-Device
ST	I-Device
,	O
Commodore	O
64	O
and	O
ZX	B-Operating_System
Spectrum	I-Operating_System
home	O
computers	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
title	O
appears	O
to	O
be	O
a	O
pun	O
on	O
rana	O
,	O
a	O
genus	O
of	O
frogs	B-Algorithm
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
concept	O
is	O
similar	O
to	O
a	O
previous	O
game	O
by	O
Steve	O
Turner	O
for	O
the	O
ZX	B-Operating_System
Spectrum	I-Operating_System
called	O
Quazatron	B-Application
,	O
which	O
was	O
itself	O
inspired	O
by	O
Paradroid	B-Application
,	O
created	O
by	O
Turner	O
's	O
Graftgold	O
colleague	O
Andrew	O
Braybrook	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2004	O
it	O
was	O
featured	O
as	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
games	O
on	O
the	O
C64	B-Device
Direct-to-TV	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
main	O
character	O
is	O
Mervyn	O
,	O
a	O
sorcerer	O
's	O
apprentice	O
whose	O
botched	O
spell	O
turns	O
him	O
into	O
a	O
frog	B-Algorithm
just	O
in	O
time	O
to	O
save	O
him	O
from	O
an	O
invasion	O
of	O
evil	O
magic-users	O
who	O
slay	O
his	O
mentors	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
is	O
set	O
in	O
a	O
dungeon	B-Application
split	O
into	O
eight	O
levels	O
that	O
are	O
freely	O
traversable	O
(	O
but	O
not	O
necessarily	O
immediately	O
survivable	O
)	O
,	O
each	O
of	O
which	O
is	O
split	O
into	O
a	O
labyrinthine	O
network	O
of	O
rooms	O
and	O
houses	O
some	O
benevolent	O
glyphs	O
,	O
12	O
hostile	O
wizards	O
,	O
hordes	O
of	O
monsters	B-Application
and	O
monster	B-Application
generators	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Monsters	B-Application
cause	O
damage	O
by	O
contact	O
,	O
attack	O
en	O
masse	O
and	O
fall	O
easily	O
,	O
while	O
wizards	O
are	O
much	O
tougher	O
and	O
use	O
attack	O
spells	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
latter	O
can	O
be	O
defeated	O
by	O
attacks	O
,	O
but	O
contact	O
with	O
them	O
triggers	O
a	O
sub-game	O
of	O
unscrambling	O
the	O
mixed	O
up	O
word	O
"	O
RANARAMA	B-Application
"	O
within	O
a	O
strict	O
time	O
limit	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Failure	O
expires	O
the	O
current	O
power	O
spell	O
,	O
but	O
victory	O
destroys	O
the	O
wizard	O
and	O
scatters	O
four	O
runes	B-Application
that	O
can	O
be	O
used	O
at	O
Glyphs	O
of	O
Sorcery	O
to	O
change	O
spells	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Crash	O
gave	O
the	O
Spectrum	O
version	O
an	O
overall	O
score	O
of	O
90%	O
,	O
calling	O
it	O
an	O
"	O
innovative	O
"	O
Gauntlet	B-Device
clone	O
.	O
</s>
