Review of Dragon`s Lair

Introduction

Way back in the early 80`s when arcades where just beginning to mature away from the simple sprites of Pacman to more complicated games such as Tron, a machine turned up which left an imprint in the minds of everyone who saw it. This was an arcade classic called Dragons Lair, based entirely around the concept of playing full motion footage off a laserdisc player. It was also rather expensive and frustrating to play.

From there, this game and its sequels did the rounds in a number of variations on everything from cheap computers such as the Amiga to more expensive PC`s. Long loading times adding to the fact you loose all the pretty full motion cartoon imagery and the fun quickly disappeared. This just goes to show, conversions and rehashes are all well and good, but nothing beats the original.

Digital Leisure have clearly noticed how the DVD spec could allow this old classic to exist in peoples homes for somewhat cheaper than the price of a 2nd hand arcade machine, exactly as it was, rather than a cutdown home computer copy. After all, it allows limited interactivity and the playback of full motion video, something that sounds familiar to everyone who ever played Dragons Lair.

The question is, how does it stand up?

Conclusion

I liked Dragons Lair, even played it all the way through. Some sections are incredibly frustrating, but what kept me going was the desire to see the next animated section. Don Bluth`s studio have really injected a lot of fun into their work, even if the resulting editing has removed things such as continuity a tad.

This isn`t going to be everybody`s cup of tea however, if you`ve owned a console recently or have a decent games PC, the whole thing is going to be too constrictive and frustrating. But if your an old nostalgic git like me, the rules are somewhat different. I`m a bit of an emulator freak, I still enjoy playing Space Invaders, Bomb Jack and Pacland.

I downloaded a version of this game off the net only the other week to try it on my Amiga emulator, it ran like a dog, made it totally unclear what I was doing and generally shows off how pointless it is converting a laserdisc arcade machine to something without a laserdisc. The drive to see the next section was missing. The DVD however doesn`t fail here, it really feels like your playing the original right there in your living room.

The icons that appear indicating you need to react are a useful and necessary touch, but the nice addition is their immediate feedback when you make a selection as to whether it was the right one. At least it means you can concentrate on watching poor Dirk die instead of dithering as to whether you actually touched anything.

It might also be good fun for someone other than ancient arcade addicts, for instance the kids. There isn`t any real violence in the animation to worry parents and its not exactly the most complicated game in the world. Most parents will need their kids to teach them how to use the remote anyway.

So all in all, a must have for emulator fans and those who love arcade nostalgia. Also might keep the kids busy for half an hour every now and again, but others will very much suffer frustration from its lack real interactivity and repetitive play.