Warlock

The Good
Warlock’s Quest reminds me a bit of Ghosts ‘n’ Goblins. The whole game is set in a cemetery filled with graves and crypts. There are even zombies rising out from the ground. The only difference here is that you play a warlock, not a knight. Your task is to seek out the Dark Lord who has stolen the Karna, the legendary jewel who grants infinite powers to whoever is in possession of it. Before you do that, though, eight items must be collected that will help you seek his whereabouts.

The first thing I noticed upon starting a new game is how small the sprites are. This is because each of the game’s twenty screens is split into two, with the upper section reserved for the outdoor scenes. While it would be nice to just stay outdoors, eventually you have to venture downstairs so that you can gather each item. You can switch between the upper and lower sections by standing on a grey tile and pushing the joystick down.

Speaking of controls, Warlock’s Quest is one of the few games to let you switch control methods during the game. You can switch between keyboard and the joystick in one of the two Amiga game ports. This neat feature is quite helpful for me. One minute I was walking through the cemetery at the start of the game, the next I found myself jumping for no reason. I found out that I switched to the keyboard by accident, and all I needed to do to fix that is change it back to “Joystick 1”. I can’t think of any other game I have played that lets you switch controls like this.

The items you collect appear in a bookcase in the huge grey status area, alongside the ‘clairvoyant’ box that shows the type of monster you are approaching (upper sections only). The items are guarded by traps; if you are caught by one, your quest is over. Ways to die include drowning in water, stepping onto spikes, being trapped in a flask, and trying to get the Karna without getting all eight items.

The atmosphere is great. As well as the aforementioned cemetery, there is thunder and lightning, and owls occasionally make noise. I felt that I was actually there. The game boasts good animations; I enjoyed watching the warlock climbing the ladder to one of the upper sections. Sound-wise, I found the sonics amusing; the way the thunder produces the same sound and the retrieval of an item.

The Bad
There is nothing bad about the game.

The Bottom Line
Warlock's Quest is brought to you by the same French company that created the rather raunchy Teenage Queen. It is a flick-screen action game that has good graphics and sound, and a great atmosphere. Unlike other games I have played and reviewed, it just didn't hold my attention for very long. It also looks like the kind of game that should have been played on a ZX Spectrum.