If the European manual for the original MSX version of King's Valley is anything to go by, Konami had a strange idea where it was that notorious British archaeologists came from (Manchester, apparently). You control Vick, who has chosen to investigate the Valley of the Pharaohs and take his chances trying to raid some of the tombs for valuable treasure. Taking its cue from the seminal Lode Runner, guide Vick through fifteen levels, collecting jewels and avoiding the roaming mummies in the process.

Vick moves left and right, and climbs and descends stairs, but he can only perform one action at a time, depending on what he is holding. With nothing in his hands, he can jump, high enough to scale two blocks height or over any approaching mummy. Collecting a pickaxe means he can dig up to two blocks' worth either side of him, but each axe only has one use before another must be acquired. Holding a sword allows Vick to throw it and temporarily neutralise any mummy it touches. Holding something means he cannot jump, so careful thought is required to navigate each pyramid. Take care not to drop into holes you cannot get out of!

Each mummy has a particular behaviour pattern and can be tricked into falling down holes you've created or going in the wrong direction away from where you wish to proceed. Also helping - or at times hindering you - are one-way doors that only you can pass through, and certain sections of the tomb which close once navigated the first time. Falling foul of any hazard costs Vick one life, although you may find yourself in an unwinnable position and can thus restart the level instead by pressing RUN/STOP.

Collecting all the jewels reveals the switch to open the doorway for the next pyramid, and once through them all... maybe you'll finally escape and reap the fame and fortune that awaits? Or maybe you'll just go back to the start like so many games from that era?!

As a fan of the sequel on MSX, I was pleased to see the first game making it to the C64. It certainly looks better than the MSX original, and captures the feel of a Konami MSX game - they had a look, feel and charm of their own - but the sequel would have been my first choice with its better looks and sounds, while keeping the same gameplay.

That said, the C64 version is certainly better than the original, but oh mummy, is it hard! It forces you to think through your plan of attack for each level, so pausing the game to work out a route is your best option, given that the creatures pursue you relentlessly or hang around in the worst possible places.

Add to that the movement restrictions when carrying pickaxes and the critical need to get to the right location to use them first time, and you have a challenge that takes no prisoners. While it is a good conversion, it's let down by the source material's limited depth of gameplay.

What I like here is that this version has managed to keep its original MSX charm and improve on it with some C64-related tarting-up. The choice between jumping, digging and killing provides enough variety without overly complicating matters, and, like much good Japanese design, the level layouts take advantage of the need to switch abilities and treat it almost like an action-puzzler.

It's not completely faithful however: a couple of tricks don't seem possible, making certain levels more long-winded and troublesome, and occasionally a mummy changes direction while you are mid-air jumping over it, meaning you die anyhow. Not very fair.

Despite only having fifteen levels, it will take substantial play before reaching anywhere near the end, so there's plenty of mummy-killing and jewel-collecting action to get your teeth into. Most definitely a worthwhile port!

This feels like someone has gone exploring in a tomb and found a lost Konami relic. The pyramid map, the title screen, and the mummy sprites - they all add up to an old-fashioned atmosphere.

Sadly, the gameplay is very primitive too, with a 1980s difficulty curve. Swapping between using a pickaxe and jumping is cumbersome at times, and while later stages scroll to provide a larger layout, the Lode Runner-style action soon becomes repetitive. The lack of a continue option really hurt my desire to keep playing because I died a lot.

Unlike my colleagues I found it ultimately lacking in satisfying gameplay.

Presentation 76%
Nice title screen, high score retention and demo mode, but not much else.

Graphics 52%
Mostly appears just like the MSX graphics with a bit of polish.

Sound 58%
Egyptian-like theme music and occasional spot effects.

Hookability 78%
Initially difficult, the relatively easy mechanics encourage another go. And another go...

Lastability 63%
...but certain frustrations may curtail the desire to continue.

Overall 65%
A faithful conversion, but one that may divide players over its authentic old-school style.