The Black Cauldron

The Good
This was the first game I ever got for my PC - I was 11 at the time and had been fascinated by the Disney movie of the same name. For an 11 year old boy, this game was awesome - great cartoon graphics with cool animation, loads of fantastic screens to explore, mazes, arcade sequences, sword fights, a great storyline and intuitive, simple controls. I spent the first couple of days not knowing what to do, so I just went around and explored, and it was great - a superb introduction into the adventure gaming world.

The best parts of the game are trying to get into the marshes of Morva (via the swamp), swimming through the alligator infested castle moats, the colourful characters and the secret passages in the castle. Once I finished this game I replayed it about 5 times, just exploring every nook and cranny, and trying to find all the hidden extras that I missed the first time.

There are multiple solutions to most problems also, which deviate from the movie storyline, but reward the player with more points for thinking for themselves. This gives the game a great replay value, much more than most other Sierra adventures of the time and makes up for its length somewhat.

The user interface was ahead of its time, predating the point and click interfaces used in modern adventures by 4-5 years. After enjoying this game so much I got all 5 books in the Chronicles of Prydain series (the movie/game was based on these) and have read them all at least 6 times since then (I'm 26 now).

The Bad
I only had CGA graphics at the time and had to put up with the nasty colours while drooling at all the 16 colour shots all over the box. I couldn't understand why California Games and Moonbugs could make my PC look like it had an EGA card while my favorite game had only 4 nasty colours. OK so there's not much wrong with it - even playing it now I get all nostalgic and it takes me right back.......The only real issue is that once you get into it you can finish it in a couple of hours. But this game was intended for younger audiences, so the length isn't too bad.

The Bottom Line
A great, colourful game that is absolutely brilliant for kids to get a taste of adventure gaming. It has the essence that all the great adventure games have had, and that is that if you want to, you can just wander around lush environments exploring and enjoying the sights, while meeting other game characters who are actually interesting and likeable. You're not really restricted that much either. The non-linear paths through the game make it that much better, rewarding people for trying out different things. A very under-rated game!