Rick Dangerous

The Good
Another one of those stereotypical puzzle-solving platform games, don't you think? Not exactly. Rick Dangerous is not as dumb as he looks.
While the rules of the game are simple and the player doesn't have many ways of action, a thrilling atmosphere is created by top-notch level design. There are new surprises on almost each screen farther down the labyrinth of caves you are exploring, all of them constructed from a basic set of traps and enemies. The higher levels contain more enemies and less traps, but you have to cope with a limited ammo supply, leaving you to think of new ways to get rid of the deadly foes.
The game is driven by a solid engine, the animations are neat and the movements predictable, with a bit of skill and practice it is possible to solve every situation.
There is not much of a story going on, but this kind of game can well do without. Between the levels, little intro screens are presented (featuring rather lame alliterations). Nothing special, but they do add to the experience.

The Bad
Here comes the sour bit: This game is WAY too difficult. When Rick dies for the sixth time, that's it. No checkpoints, no continues or extra lives, no way to save the game, no difficulty settings, The keyboard mapping (Z,X,O,K, Space) is kind of awkward and can not be changed. If you get frustrated easily, don't try this one without cheating ;-)
The graphics show another drawback: This game suffers from the standard IBM 16-color palette, which makes the graphics look rather dull in comparison with the versions for other systems (Atari ST, Amiga). In CGA mode you can't even make out some of the traps, this is a major disadvantage. The conversion could have been better, even within the tight limits of contemporary PC hardware.
As for the sound, there is nothing to write home about. Don't expect more than the occasional bleep from the PC speaker.

The Bottom Line
Despite Core Design's repeated efforts to swamp the gaming community with mind-numbing mainstream productions featuring a certain well-built heroine, Rick Dangerous still manages to be a remarkable character.
If you care about presentation, play the home computer versions for better graphics and sound. If it turns out too frustrating, try the easier follow-up game, Rick Dangerous II.