Times of Lore

Graphically the game is very nice with its massive play area, tiny (but clearly defined) sprites, smooth scrolling, and nice little touches (like the roofs of buildings disappearing as you enter them). It would take weeks - perhaps longer - of pretty intensive playing to complete it, which puts me in the rather weird position of having to review a game when I've only really scratched the surface. What I can say is that what I've seen has been fascinating, and lacks much of the aimlessness that I've felt about some similar games. It's still possible to walk off into nowhere, get lost and simply run out of energy, but if you keep whatever subquest you're involved in at the front of your mind you shouldn't go too far wrong. Not a cheap game, but if you've the time and the inclination, I doubt you'll be disappointed.

There is only one word to describe Times of Lore: enchanting. You get so involved in the game, thanks to the strong atmosphere and the excitement of achievement, that you really feel as if you've gone back in time. The all round presentation (both on screen and in the literature) is excellent, with a super, illustrated title sequence telling the story of the High King of Aralan. The game itself is set out in Gauntlet-style with ample colour in the towns, forest and bridges that make up the landscape. However, due to the control method, it's all too easy to pop off some kind of serf with whom you were conversing. That aside, Times Of Lore is simply brilliant, buy it to believe it.

If this was intended as a sort of halfway house between arcade action and RPG, it must have got lost somewhere in between. The arcade action is incredibly repetitive and involves very little skill; not only that, it takes so long to get to any of the roleplaying parts that just isn't enough happening at first to drive you wild with animal enthusiasm for any later aspect of the game. Shame really, because the icon-system works smoothly, the conversation mode is excellently presented and all the different magic objects could have made for lots of variety. If only there wasn't so much aimless wandering around...

Endlich erschienen: Die Umsetzung des Action-Adventures "Times of Lore" (Test der C 64-Version POWER-PLAY 1/89). Spielerisch bietet das Programm genau den gleichen Rollenspiel-Action-Mix wie auf dem C 64.

Just because Times of Lore is entirely joystick controlled, don't let that put you off. The game does not require you to be really good with a joystick and the gameplay is much more in-depth than a lot of other RPG games that I've played in my time. The storyline keeps going non stop, giving you plenty of different missions to complete. Some people will find this game a touch on the easy side, but even so, it's very enjoyable.

Jede Menge Scrolls, Potions, Waffen, Dungeons, Gegner und ein riesiges Spielfeld machen das Joystickgesteuerte Action-Rollenspiel zum Vergnügen. Wenn nur der klappernde Sound nicht so schrecklich nerven würde...

Like other role-playing games that were originally designed as PC games, the pace of this game may be slower than that of most adventures designed for the NES. If you're a fan of long, involving quests, though, this one's for you.

All in all, Times of Lore can be a pretty entertaining game, depending on what you expect. It is comparable to Ultima, although it somehow lacks Ultima’s depth and specialties. The overall elements on which this game is based on are nicely done, but probably won’t manage to impress experienced RPG fans too much. Bearing in mind, that it is quite old, and thus a classic indeed, Times of Lore is a perfect opportunity for RPG newbies to get into the materia of this genre. From the view of a dedicated RPG player, I rate this a high 3. Anyhow, I’d strongly encourage people, who are searching for an enjoyable introduction to the world of fantasy games, to give this one a try - you won’t be disappointed!