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Darkness has fallen across the lands. Demons and other vile creatures have infested the countryside. And you are the only one who can save it. Blah blah - you get the picture here. Age Of Heroes is a fantasy scrolling hack 'n slash arcade game very much in the Rastan Saga mould, but with a few notable differences. Choose from male or female protagonist and battle across fifteen levels to banish the evil in question.

To begin, you are armed solely with your trusty sword, but swiping at the gravestones in each level produces an orb, and collecting five orbs rewards your warrior with a smart bomb. Use it wisely! Blocking your way are a variety of nasties, including snakes, giant wasps, lizards, warriors, ghosts, flying dragons and many more. Your journey is made all the more difficult by also having to navigate chasms, spikes, flames and the bane of all noble blood and shirtless warriors, the dreaded hanging ropes.

Killing the various enemies you encounter increases your score, important because your score also acts as your Experience Meter. As per traditional RPG mechanics, levelling up grants you an increase to your maximum health and refills your Health Meter at the same time. Once empty, that's game over and back to the start. There are a few boss demons lurking about, needing to be defeated, and being successful rewards you with an upgrade to your main weapon, making it more powerful.

You can replay any unlocked level at any time, meaning you can return with a better weapon to an earlier level to grind more points and, hopefully, boost your level, but there's no requirement to do so; it may merely make your journey to the end a little easier in the process. Once the regular game is completed, challenge mode is unlocked. You can then play every level in order straight through with no going back to replay or grind as before.

Age Of Heroes has its quirks, but once you get used to the mechanics and rules you will be happily jumping and slashing your way through the levels. What works is that enemy positions are not set, so you must learn how to deal with each as they appear, with a few twists to keep you on your toes along the way!

The energy bar means one mistake is usually not fatal, and the amount of grinding required repeating old levels does not outstay its welcome. This immediacy is possible because they've managed to cram the entire game into a single load. Very impressive.

Once you reach Challenge Mode, it plays more like its Rastan inspiration, but it isn't necessarily that challenging. According to the developers, feedback from Sizzler was it was far too hard, and the balance here adjusted in response. For this old hand however it was all just a little bit too easy.

Combining Rastan and Barbarian II's character choice results in a decent game. The hack 'n slash action draws you in, and the background graphics give a distinctive feel to each section. The changing enemy types get stronger, and the progression system lets the player get stronger.

The music is fantastic, giving a strong atmosphere. Being able to replay areas and grind to a higher level works well, and the giant boss 'heads' are great to defeat - but the areas are quite short. It kept me playing until I had seen both endings, and has some replay value. Fun while it lasts.

I've been dying for a good Rastan game since... ooh, Rastan. Let's face it, that didn't turn out as well as it should have, so I had high hopes for Age Of Heroes. Initial impressions are very good... it definitely looks and feels like a Rastan game. In fact, it could almost be Rastan II.

It's more enjoyable to play though and the fact you can choose the order in which you tackle levels adds much appeal. The only real issue I have is that levels are very short, which makes the game feel somehow less epic than it should do. Still, I enjoyed it and I'd recommend it to fans of the classic arcade game, or anyone in the mood for a bit of hack 'n slashery.

Presentation 76%
Choice of male or female main character, two endings and no multiload... but nothing in the way of options.

Graphics 78%
Nice, varied backgrounds and sprites, but the main characters are a little indistinct.

Sound 75%
Varied and interesting music though not as stirring or atmospheric as Rastan's.

Hookability 84%
Straightforward slashing action is enjoyable and very easy to get into.

Lastability 68%
Short levels, but a decent quest. And the Challenge Run to attempt once you've completed it.

Overall 78%
A very good Rastan clone, with only its relative simplicity really counting against it.