Previous Next

There's no doubt about it, Avalon is a remarkable game, but it suffers from serious playability problems.

There is a very attractive screen border and the main playing area occupies the centre of the display. Coloured lines sketch out your current location, a room with one or more doors, and a small seated figure, Maroc the Wizard.

Maroc the Wizard can, with the help of a spot of magic and your joystick, float about the screen picking up objects (by passing over them) and avoiding contact with various malevolent sprites.

As you wander from location to location you collect spells and other useful items in your quest to destroy the Lord of Chaos. There are eight levels and 200 locations to explore, and this is where the playability problems arise.

To open a door you move Maroc up to the door knob and the door swings open. The trouble is that to close it, you do the same thing, so unless you're careful you may find yourself opening a door and then closing it again before you have managed to get through it!

The control problems are a pity because Avalon has a lot of novel features. There are a large number of spells to be found, allowing you to renew your energy supplies, attack your enemies, and even command a small wraith-like 'Servant'.

Unfortunately, even selecting spells requires almost superhuman dexterity if you're in a hurry. The spell names appear on a scrolling list at the bottom of the page which you flick through with the aid of your joystick, but the list scrolls so fast that selecting the spell you want is very hit-and-miss.

Avalon scores over its cousin, Ultimate's Atic Atac, in terms of size and complexity, but you'll need eleven fingers and a lot of patience if you're going to get the most from it.

If I bump into one more door, or get pursued by one more zombie-like soldier, I am going to scream so loud it will blow every semiconductor for miles.

That's the trouble with Avalon - it's desperately frustrating to play and gives little reward to the player in the form of treasure or killing.

The animation and rooms are pretty enough, and your character's actions and spells are certainly clevel. But boy, is this a tough game to settle into. Not that there aren't easy ways for Hewson to improve the playability. Less persistent enemies would be a blessing. Most of all, this program needs a smaller wizard or bigger doors...

It seems to me that the most important innovations in the Spectrum games field have come out of the adventure genre. Take, for example, The Hobbit and Atic Atac. Avalon seems to belong in the same vein.

Hewson have produced a potentially excellent game which falls down a bit on playability. Control is difficult, even with a joystick, and despite reams of instructions, it's a hard game to get into.