Archon: The Light and the Dark

The Good
This game is loads of fun. A great combination of action and strategy with a pile of unique characters. If that's not enough, let's throw in some magic!

The Bad
To really enjoy this game you need to play with a second player. The AI is limited and an experienced player will beat it with absolute ease every time.

The Bottom Line
Archon is an easy-to-learn and not-too-difficult-to-master action/strategy game that's as fun now as it was 25 years ago. If I could only find someone to play against.

The game is played out on a 9x9 board similar to a chess board. One player plays Light and the other plays Dark, which have their own unique army of mythological creatures. Among others, Light has a phoenix, golems, and unicorns whereas the Dark has a dragon, trolls, and basilisks. Unlike chess, pieces are not captured. If two pieces occupy the same space, they battle. Terrain, choice and placement of units, and time all have strategic significance. As the rounds cycle, certain parts of the board cause Light and Dark units to become weaker or more powerful, so choosing when and where to do battle is important. When it comes down to it, however, the player who's more skilled in battle is likely to have the edge.

I can't recommend this game enough. Most definitely my favourite Commodore 64 game ever.

The Good
Great concept and direction. Archon delivers not only great fun, but great strategy.

The Bad
Gameplay a little rough, even for the 80's.

The Bottom Line
Take chess and add in battles between great players with different strengths. That is what you get with Archon. This game nicely blends fierce battles with strategy and keeps the player entertained. You start off much like chess with your strong players on the back of the board and the "pawns" in the front. You must go through battles for spaces with the opposing color to gain your ground on the board. This is one of the top 5 games that C64 ever came out with. A must-try.