Sinclair User


The Sceptre Of Bagdad
By Atlantis
Spectrum 48K/128K

 
Published in Sinclair User #62

Sceptre Of Bagdad

Remember that old favourite Everyone's A Wally from Mikro Gen? it spawned quite a few arcade adventures using large animated figures that went about the various screens collecting the odd object or two, solving the puzzles and traps, and generally providing an entertaining game. As is the way with all good ideas, they are played to death, till in the end you're just plain tired of them.

What makes this game so pleasant, is that lo and behold, the arcade adventure has returned in the classic sense. It's fresh because we haven't seen one in a while, and it's cheap, so if the puzzles are good, you can rest assured that you have an entertaining game.

The plot concerns the quest for a lost sceptre which has the power to keep you as Caliph of Bagdad. You wake up one morning to find that you have shrunk, your sceptre has gone, and you have until noon to find it and show it to your people otherwise an evil wizard will be crowned Caliph in your place.

You can walk or jump as per norm and collect objects by walking over them. The large colourful characters are very cleverly designed without any attribute clash. A nice touch is the Genie in the Lamp who gives you the odd clue to help (only if you hold the hankie to rub it with). The Eastern flavour is all there with even a magic carpet to whisk you off the MFI, via Bagdad Airways. There are 48 screens to explore, and some include a few very unsavory customers, like a cyclops and a Medusa along with a burning desert a shark-infested river (sharks in Bagdad'??) and a bedroom with very slippery bedpoles! Get this one, a fun game at a fun price.

Overall Summary

Old big sprite arcade adventure format rejuvenated and transformed by inventive touches. Cheap too!

Andy Moss

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