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Thankee the stars, brave knight, that you do not live in the days of medieval yore. When a privy was but a hole in the castle wall, and more than likely there was an assassin lurking there with a rusty petard. It was also the time when adventurers swung mighty blades and had nae Savlon nor elastoplast to cover their wounds. But it was nonetheless, an atmospheric age.

That same atmosphere of stench and decay is found in Blades Of Vengeance, a scrolling slash-'em-up, where three adventurers explore the caverns castles and culverts of Ye Olde game concept. There are spells, demons, privy passages and the occasional toothless old hag. Hey nonny nonny.

Swordplay (or magic shenanigans) is the basis of Blades Of Vengeance. Each of the platform levels holds a host of bloodlusty creatures who only understand the pointy bit of a sword; your sword. As the levels progress, the amount of hits needed to kill a creature increases, and their tactics become more devious. There's also the threat of enemies ambushing you from nowhere.

Here are some types:

1. Fire Demon
2. Harpy
3. Hellhound
4. Skeleton

Oh looky here, it's Risky Woods, that rather sad Amiga jaunt converted onto the Megadrive last year. Oh no, it's not, it's not, it's Blades Of Vengeance... and it's even worse!

I really can't understand why software companies put games like this out - they're not, and never will be, worth the £40+ asking price.

Horrible, flat Amiga-esque graphics combine with totally inappropriate music, crap sound effects and utterly dull bash 'n slash gameplay which only marginally improves as you progress.

But let's face it, who'd want to progress? Or even start? Not me, that's for sure, and neither will anyone else if they've got any sense.

In some ways, Blades Of Vengeance could have been quite successful. But it seems to miss the mark, and quite badly. The hack 'n slash action is no more advanced than that of Rastan, and the game suffers from being too much like Shadow Of The Beast and Risky Woods.

The magical element is almost negated because the spells last for such a short time. But the main weakness is not originality. It's the complete lack of excitement experienced when playing this game. All the enemies work on the most basic of attack patterns.

By parrying at the right moment, you can kill any creature. It's predictable from sprite one to the end boss. The graphics are bland, the sound effects notably poor, and the gameplay archaic. I'd rather have a session on the rack.

An unlicensed game title, using elements of games like Rastan and Risky Woods.

Walk from level beginning to end. Slash and slash again.

Presentation 61%
P. Swirling raster shift effects introduce each level. A choice of characters.
N. No skill levels, or options and the presentation is mostly hackneyed.

Graphics 67%
P. Some nice use of colour for some background elements, and the characters look okay.
N. Sparse and repetitive and wildly unexciting enemies to face.

Sound 53%
N. Really weak, even bizarre sound FX. Screeching fireballs and unlikely battle sounds. And the music is utterly inappropriate.

Playability 60%
P. Playing through the levels is initially fine, as you work out the spells and secret rooms.
N. In a short while the predictable nature of the game becomes patently obvious.

Lastability 52%
N. Blades Of Vengeance shouldn't take too long to complete, despite having no continues. It will become tedious even before that day.

Overall 53%
A poor hack and slash, let down by its lack of original ideas and attention to gameplay. The programmers were willing, but the result is weak.