In a text-only adventure, Malnor the Demonlord of Darkness has returned to the Tower of Despair with the powerful and malicious Ring of Skulls.

[1] Roger Kean previewed Tower of Despair in Crash #9 (October 1984), saying it has "one of the most beautiful specially generated character sets yet seen on the Spectrum" noting that "the location descriptions and set pieces are atmospheric and designed to drag you screaming into the adventure".

[1] Kevin Westbury reviewed Tower of Despair for White Dwarf #60, giving it an overall rating of 9 out of 10, and stated that "you will find yourself smiling knowingly when you finally get a particularly tricky section right – only to loose it again when you get stuck in the next bit!

"[2] Home Computing Weekly described the game as "Different and challenging, though not perhaps an adventure for first timers.

"[3] Personal Computer Games remarked: "Tower of Despair is a gripping adventure, deserving a place in any fantasy fan's collection".