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ADEPT
(ARCHON II)
Electronic Arts
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Archon
was a minor hit, but those who own it all agree that
it is one of the best strategic games available on the
64. Archon can be described as a sort of chess
game with interactive pieces. The game is played on
a standard chess board and the pieces are laid out very
similarly, with 'pawn' pieces taking the second rank,
'rooks' the four corners etc. The pieces move similarly
to chess, but taking a piece is where Archon comes
into its own. Move into the square occupied by the piece
you want to take and a battle will ensue. You take control
of your piece and the computer, or a friend takes control
of the other. You then fight a battle using the two
pieces. The pawns have to come into close contact and
hit their opponents with a club, but pieces of a higher
value can throw fire, form power rings about themselves,
etc. To defeat your opponent you have to hit it repeatedly
until its energy reaches zero. If it does, then you
are judged to have won the fight. If you are beaten,
then your piece is removed from play.
Using
this type of play, it is possible to defeat your opponent's
queen with a pawn, although the job is extremely difficult
with the odds stacked against you.
Archon
II is slightly different since it is played on a
bone-shaped board, the outer board containing four inner
boards. (Confused? You should try explaining it)! You
control four adepts, which represent each of the four
elements, ie fire, air, water and earth. The game is
played in a similar way to the original, with the same
sort of fights between pieces. Movement is different,
though, with you being allowed to 'warp' around the
board. The game is very easy to get into and highly
enjoyable to play. It may well convert some shoot-em-up
fans to strategy due to its frenetic battles, but as
it stands, it's a wonderful mixture of think and arcade.
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