Your Sinclair


Arnold The Adventurer

Publisher: Zenobi Software
Machine: Spectrum 48K

 
Published in Your Sinclair #80

Arnold The Adventurer

Arnold Tanglewood, the caped twerp originally seen in Arnold The Adventurer 1, is back! If you missed the first installment then you have two reasons to buy this, the sequel. First of all, you needn't have played the first Arnold to play this sequel, and secondly, you get Arnold 1 on the B-side anyway.

Arnold has a nickname which tells you all you need to know about the sort of super-hero guy he is... 'The pratt in a cape'. In Arnold 1, your mission was to retrieve the fabled Crystal of Conrad that had been nicked by the evil villain Schwartze who threatened to use it against your old pal, Winthorpe the Wizard.

Arnold 1 was an amusing little romp and Arnold 2 is quite a funny sequel. Amid darkening skies, a blighted land and tales of terror, it seems that the evil Schwartze has popped up once again. Winthorpe the Wizard disappears into thin air - taking with him the knowledge of what it is that's ruining the land yet again. By this time, Arnold has fallen from being a national hero to a washed-up no hoper with nothing but a crumpled cape in his shopping bag. Now's the time for that cape to be donned once more.

There's a fair selection of problems and most are of the fairly straightforward see-'em and solve-'em persuasion. As the game unfolds you encounter a few tougher problems though nothing to really put you out of your stride. You should find yourself collecting plenty of objects as you go... leave no stone unturned as there are times when something missed will be impossible to go back and look for.

When all is said and done, Arnold 2 won't be a lasting challenge for the experienced player, but it will give you a few laughs and 'tests' along the way. The free game on the B-side is a bonus that's most welcome. Overall, it's a nice game to play, and is especially good for less experienced adventurers. Great value for money, too!