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| Welcome
to Game of the Week! Each week there will be a
new featured game on this page. The game may be good,
average or diabolically bad, it really doesn't matter!
Just look at the pics, read the text and enjoy the nostalgia!
:-) Game of the Week! is open to contributions so if you
would like to contribute
a game article for this page you're more than welcome
to! Every article we receive will be considered! |
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Conan
1984 Datasoft
Programmed
by Ron Fortier & John Butrovich
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text of the present article comes from the review published
in the fifteenth issue of the British C64 magazine ZZAP!64
(street date: June 12th, 1986). |
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CONAN
Americana,
£2.99 cass, joystick
only
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Originally released to coincide with the Conan films
of a couple of years ago, this old Datasoft game is
the latest title to be repackaged in budget format.
It's an arcade adventure in which the player controls
Conan and attempts to take him through the deadly route
to Volta's lair where Volta himself must be defeated.
To succeed, you must negotiate progressively more difficult
levels or screens, each populated by creatures and traps.
At
the base of the screen, an information panel keeps the
score, number of power swords possessed (Conan's only
weapon) and the number of lives left with which to complete
the mission. At the start of the game, Conan has ten
power swords which can be thrown by pressing fire --
in certain circumstances, they return -- and two spare
lives.
Each
of the screens is very different from the last and the
problems contained have to be solved before access can
be gained to the next screen. Many of the creatures
are unique to certain screens. Some of them can be destroyed
by an attack with a power sword, others have to be avoided.
One creature in particular is an ally. There is a bird
which turns up at random on a couple of screens. If
Conan touches the bird, he receives an extra life.
There
are only seven screens, but they increase in complexity
very quickly. In the first, for instance, a bat has
to be either destroyed or avoided to get any further.
The third screen plays host to a couple of quick-footed
insectoid beasties along with a giant scorpion and an
immense lava pit. Patience is a valuable aide whilst
figuring out the puzzles. For the most part, the way
to get from one screen to the next is to obtain one
or more gems (either on the current screen or the one
before) and place them in special folders to trigger
the exit. In the spirit of true adventuring, there is
no turning back.
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.
This
game has nothing on its predecessor, Bruce
Lee. The graphics are fairly dull and simplistic.
The sprites are tiny and flicker horribly. The
animation is passable. Also the screens are far
too complex too soon. Either they are so easy
as to be monotonous or require several games to
figure out. There is nothing in-between. In this
respect I found the game sadly lacking. However,
some of the puzzles are actually quite clever
and I got some satisfaction from solving them
after so much initial frustration. The music isn't
bad either. It's not exactly Hubbard or Galway
but it could be worse. When this game first came
out, I had my doubts. At budget price though,
it's not a bad buy.
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Presentation
70%
Good instructions and demo sequence at the beginning
of the game, but individual loading of screens
is a pain.
Graphics
29%
Very much below par.
Sound
40%
Limited effects and reasonable
music.
Hookability
35%
There's very little to keep anyone
other than the insanely curious interested.
Lastability
27%
There's very little to keep anyone
other than the curiously insane interested.
Value
For Money 33%
More attractive than its initial
price, but not much.
Overall
28%
Although considerably flawed, the
game contains some interesting ideas and puzzles
-- it's just a shame that they weren't put together
any better.
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Htmlized
by Dimitris
Kiminas (2 Mar 2006)
Other
"Games of the Week!"
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