Shadowgate

Extra kul blir det första gången du spelar. Det är då du kan fnissa åt vissa missar i den svenska översättningen; SLÅ blir SLÄ osv. Men inte skall man hacka på sådana småsaker när det äntligen dyker upp ett spel på vårt modersmål, utan istället hoppas att det kommer fler bra spel på svenska framöver. Spelet har backup, så att du har möjlighet att spara upp till tre spelomgångar samtidigt. Mycket praktiskt, eftersom det är lätt att få på nöten (läs: dö) i mötena med borgens invånare. Köp!

Lack of replay value aside, I honestly believe this to be one of the greatest titles ever released on the NES. It's definitely worth a try. Just don't say I didn't warn you if, for a few days, everything else in your life is secondary to your trip through that spooky castle.

Shadowgate is enthralling, exciting, interesting and extremely frustrating. In one location, with several closed coffins, the atmosphere is so strong that opening each coffin becomes literally a test of nerves - you know that death may lurk inside any of the caskets. An adventure which can evoke that kind of emotion within the player has to be a winner, regardless of how many instant deaths one meets.

What Shadowgate does offer is a pretty decent challenge and over a couple dozen rooms to explore. Fans of older adventure games will not be disappointed with Shadowgate as it has the classic elements- lots of items, lots of creatures, and lots of ways to die. Again, remember to save early and save often. It’s time to roll up your sleeves, thrash the Warlock Lord, and claim your crown.

All of this, the atmosphere, clues, story, exploration, danger, and interlocking puzzles, builds toward the climactic final confrontation with the Warlock Lord and his menacing Behemoth. Upon entering his chamber, the dialogue proclaims that your stomach knots up as you lay eyes on this spectacle. Indeed, mine felt like it did.

I don't mind RPGs or adventures if they're any good, but Shadowgate is just plain boring and very, very, very frustrating. It takes an age just to move the pointer anywhere! Also the interaction with the game is limited to the commands at the bottom of the screen, which makes some of the solutions to the puzzles rather obscure and a tad bizarre too, like opening a skull to find a key (????). Open doors? Yes I can see that. Opening a skull, I don't think so, somehow. The graphics and sound are pretty dull too - in fact some of the music is hopelessly out of tune! Also, the amount of times the player kicks the bucket in a sudden death situation makes frustration set in almost immediately. Deranged adventure buffs may get some satisfaction out of this product, but after a few minutes of play, and about seventeen different kinds of gross and hideous deaths I didn't want to touch the cart again.