Previous Next

The king is dead. The Throne of Fire in the burning citadel stands empty and a power struggle as to who will occupy it is in operation.

The three contenders for the throne are the king's sons. The eldest, Alorn, is strong but stupid; Cordrin is fair and just, while the youngest, Karag, is devious and underhand. Each prince has a band of loyal supporters and there is also the palace guard throwing its weight around as it sees fit.

You can play any one of the princes with the computer taking control of the other two. Alternatively, a friend can take the part of a second prince.

The screen is divided into two - one half for you and one for your opponent. At the bottom of the display is a scrolling map of the citadel. Occupied rooms are shown as a coloured window, the colour representing a particular player. Flickering lights indicate combat. Above that is a close up of the room occupied by the person currently under your control. Although you command several men, you can only deal with them one at a time.

The game involves moving your men around the castle, protecting your prince and defeating the opposing forces. There are one or two little extras like reinforcements and potions. If you can make your way to the throne room unopposed, you can be crowned and take control of the king's guard, but you still have to defeat the others. Combat depends on your strength as shown by a throbbing heart. There are no set moves - e.g. joystick up = high thrust - rather it is *how* you move the joystick that counts, i.e. moving from joystick up to joystick left *might* trigger a thrusting movement.

There are some interesting ideas in Throne Of Fire, but they don't gel particularly well. On-screen action is confusing and the game itself, quite frankly, is tedious.