Once upon a time there was a sword called Excalibur that lived in a rock. It may seem an odd place for a sword to live, but some stupid idiot shoved it in there for a bet. There was a rumour going around that the person that could pull the sword out of its rocky scabbard would be a really nice guy and an ideal candidate for king. Needless to say there were many people willing to suffer the awesome responsibility of being king (the great wealth and possession of a kingdom being even more important). Eventually a wimpy guy called Arthur dragged the sword out and said Where's me castle then?' And so the legend of King Arthur was horn. Artura is based on this legend and set in the kingdom of Albion (doing ever so well since Atkinson left, by the way -ed.). Albion is in a bit of trouble at the moment and to get it out of it the sacred treasures of Albion must be collected and only Merdyn the Mage knows where they are Merdyn has mysteriously vanished and his apprentice. Nimue, is being held prisoner in the castle of Artura's half sister, Morgause.  
The screen is split into two bits: a flick screen playing area in which Artura wanders around and a panel at the bottom that shows you energy score and runes carried Energy decreases every time you come into contact with one of Morgause's many minions. Morgause's castle is marie up of many rooms that are usually split into two levels of floor Movement off either side of the screen is possible and doorways lead into and out of it Strewn around the castle are runes and health restoring objects to aid you in your rescue mission. Rats, ghouls, spiders, soldiers and cute little birdy tilings all want to stop you from finding runes and treeing Nimue. Fortunately they don't like you throwing things at them, in fact it cun be very fatal for them, and it doesn't hinder your score either. On the title screen there's a nice tune that has a certain Arthurian sound to it, but there are none in the game itself Sound effects are limited just the impact of your weapon on enemy flesh and the sound of them dying after several hits. Although lacking in colour the graphics are detailed and animation of them is good if not mindblowingly superb. (Gargoyle still hold the title for the best animation of big characters, but at least Gremlin tried.) Theres a large playing area to explore and plenty of foes to kill, though it's a pity they're so thick. It's a game that demands mapping and people will be grabbing for sketch pads before they get anywhere in the game. FIRST DAY TARGET: 1,000 points GBH, AA#40
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