Amiga

Rings of Medusa

A worthy attempt to combine true strategy with adventure through perhaps the need for financial acumen and military skill deny the pure adventurer much scope for success.

Noch ein bißchen Technik: Ein Zweitlaufwerk wird nicht unterstützt; auf der Datendisk lassen sich beliebig viele Spielstände speichern (echt notwendig!), Kopierschutz gibt es keinen, dafür eine Textabfrage. Unser Testmuster wies einige Merkwürdigkeiten auf, so feuerten z.B. bei Seeschlachten gegnerische Schiffe munter weiter, obwohl sie eigentlich längst versenkt waren, und auch Freund Guru hielt gelegentlich eine Meditationsübung ab. Die Bugs sollen aber in der endgültigen (und nochmals überarbeiteten) Verkaufsversion nicht mehr enthalten sein. Fazit: Wenn Rings of Medusa auch nicht in absolut jeder Hinsicht perfekt ist, so ist es trotzdem ein unbedingtes Muss für alle Strategie-Begeisterten!

Professionally produced, the only real negative aspect of Rings of Medusa is lastability: it's not exactly exciting to play and isn't suitable for long sessions. But if you tackle it in short bursts – taking it off the shelf every now and then to give it another go (it features a save game option) – your pointer shouldn't click on the Quit icon through boredom and you'll get more pleasure out of your battle with Medusa.

The game's simplicity really put me off the game to start with. Simple controls are fine if put to such good effect as, say, Times of Lore. Unfortunately, the controls are only set for the most basic functions, and this makes the gameplay primitive. And it is really this complete lack of ingenuity which has spoiled R.O.M. for me. What could have been a highly enjoyable and involving RPG has turned to be nothing more than a superficial trading game with some strategy elements. Yes, the graphics are very nice, but that will never be the saving grace of any RPG. If there is one thing products of this genre cannot afford to be, it is superficial.