diff --git a/io.c b/io.c
index 592aa1d..b1c8b0a 100755
--- a/io.c
+++ b/io.c
@@ -15382,7 +15382,11 @@ void tombstone(lifeform_t *lf) {
 		limit(&maxrank, NA, 100);
 	}
 
-	centre(mainwin, C_GREY, y, "High Scores"); y++;
+	wattron(mainwin, A_BOLD);
+	wattron(mainwin, A_UNDERLINE);
+	centre(mainwin, C_CYAN, y, "High Scores"); y++;
+	wattroff(mainwin, A_UNDERLINE);
+	wattroff(mainwin, A_BOLD);
 	wattron(mainwin, A_BOLD);
 	mvwprintw(mainwin, y, 0, HISCOREFORMAT, "Pos", "Score", "Name", "Job");
 	wprintw(mainwin, "Method of death"); y++;
diff --git a/nexus.c b/nexus.c
index 4d63ebd..160afaf 100755
--- a/nexus.c
+++ b/nexus.c
@@ -1627,8 +1627,6 @@ int init(void) {
 				CC_ISROOM, B_TRUE, NA,
 				CC_NONE);
 
-	
-
 	// precalc sin/cos
 	for (i = 0; i < 360; i++) {
 		double rads;
@@ -1644,6 +1642,8 @@ int init(void) {
 	tempglyph.ch = '@';
 	tempglyph.colour = C_GREY;
 
+        inithiscores();
+
 	// load npc names 
 	loadnpcnames();
 	
diff --git a/save.c b/save.c
index 9ed283f..0f77ad6 100755
--- a/save.c
+++ b/save.c
@@ -34,6 +34,46 @@ extern long curtime, gamedays, gamesecs;
 
 extern enum GAMEMODE gamemode;
 
+void inithiscores() {
+    char filename[BUFLEN];
+    int ok = B_FALSE;
+
+    // open database
+    snprintf(filename, BUFLEN, "%s/hiscores.db", DATADIR);
+    if (access(filename, F_OK ) == -1 ) {
+        char *cmd, *errmsg = NULL;
+        int rc;
+	sqlite3 *db;
+        // create a new hiscores db
+        rc = sqlite3_open(filename, &db);
+        if (rc) {
+            msg("failed to open hiscore file %s!\n", filename);
+            dblog("failed to open hiscore file %s!\n", filename);
+            exit(1);
+        }
+
+	asprintf(&cmd, "create table hiscores(id int primary key, score longint, name varchar, job varchar, killedby varchar);");
+	rc = sqlite3_exec(db, cmd, NULL, NULL, &errmsg);
+	if (rc == SQLITE_OK) {
+            ok = B_TRUE;
+        } else {
+            msg("failed to create hiscore table in %s! %s\n", filename, errmsg);
+            dblog("failed to create hiscore table in %s! %s\n", filename, errmsg);
+            sqlite3_free(errmsg);
+	}
+	free(cmd);
+	sqlite3_close(db);
+    } else {
+        ok = B_TRUE;
+    }
+    
+    if (ok != B_TRUE) {
+        exit(1);
+    }
+
+}
+
+
 // returns TRUE if we successfully loaded a save file
 int loadall(void) {
 	//int db = B_FALSE;
@@ -1323,9 +1363,9 @@ int showhiscores(lifeform_t *lf, int min, int max) {
 	snprintf(hilitescoretext, BUFLEN, "%ld",hilitescore);
 	rc = sqlite3_exec(db, cmd, showhiscoreline, hilitescoretext, &errmsg);
 	if (rc != SQLITE_OK) {
-		msg("error readin hiscores: '%s'", errmsg);
+		msg("error %d reading hiscores: '%s'", rc, errmsg);
 		dblog("query was: '%s'", cmd);
-		dblog("error readin hiscores: '%s'\n   sql command: [%s]", errmsg, cmd);
+		dblog("error %d reading hiscores: '%s'\n   sql command: [%s]", rc, errmsg, cmd);
 		sqlite3_free(errmsg);
 	}
 	free(cmd);
@@ -1334,6 +1374,7 @@ int showhiscores(lifeform_t *lf, int min, int max) {
 	return B_FALSE;
 }
 
+
 // returns player's rank in 'rank'
 int writehiscore(lifeform_t *lf, int *rank) {
 	sqlite3 *db;
@@ -1352,12 +1393,14 @@ int writehiscore(lifeform_t *lf, int *rank) {
 
 	score = calcscore(lf);
 
+
+
 	// open database
 	snprintf(filename, BUFLEN, "%s/hiscores.db", DATADIR);
 	rc = sqlite3_open(filename, &db);
 	if (rc) {
-		msg("error opening hiscore file '%s'.\n",filename);
-		dblog("error opening hiscore file '%s'.\n",filename);
+		msg("error %d opening hiscore file '%s'.\n",rc, filename);
+		dblog("error %d opening hiscore file '%s'.\n",rc, filename);
 		return B_TRUE;
 	}
 
diff --git a/save.h b/save.h
index 342e408..a252649 100755
--- a/save.h
+++ b/save.h
@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 #include "defs.h"
 
+void inithiscores();
 int loadall(void);
 int loadflagpile(FILE *f, flagpile_t *fp);
 int loadknowledge(FILE *f);