Dragon’s Lair 20th Anniversary Special Edition Review

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Dragon’s Lair: 20th Anniversary Special Edition

Review by Old RoosterNovember 2002

“Dad, Can I Please Have Just One More Quarter?” —Honorable Son #2

Ah, how not-so-fondly I recall the days of Dragon’s Lair, the huge video machine, at Cedar Point Amusement Park and Aladdin’s Castle. Not only did I “loan” the change, but I was also expected to watch and even, heaven forbid, sometimes participate!  The memories bring a smile to this curmudgeonly face, though, as I recall the often hilarious plights of the well-intentioned, but very clumsy, Dirk the Daring.

Just about a year ago, I had the privilege of reviewing Dragon’s Lair 3D, an excellent updating of the classic story.  Now, Digital Leisure has released a magnificent package for the Lair’s twentieth anniversary containing the original Dragon’s Lair, Dragon’s Lair II: Time Warp, and even Space Ace. For collectors, and anyone interested in a look back, this is an essential purchase. And it even runs flawlessly in Windows XP! You won’t have to worry about DOS compatibility and “stuff like that” (to quote a governor).

“Tom, You Sometimes Can Go Back Again”

Coming on four CDs (PC version), and playing directly from your CD-ROM drive (full installation is an option), this Special Edition contains not only the three games, but also a wealth of historic and new information. Just to give you an idea, you will find:

  • Each of the three games, optimized to run with all versions of Windows, and playable in a window or full screen;
  • Biographies of the four responsible for these memorable moments in gaming history: Don Bluth, Gary Goldman, John Pomeroy, and Rick Dyer—also included are 1983 video interviews from their personal archives;
  • Conversations with the four creators filmed in 2002 at E3;
  • Press clippings from 1983, along with box art and posters over the years;
  • A special “Twenty Years of Dragon’s Lair” behind-the-scenes look at Dragon’s Lair 3D;
  • The final 22-minute 1983 episode of Starcade, TV’s first arcade game show, featuring Dragon’s Lair.

And there’s more. Clearly, these designers are justifiably proud of their work over the years. After playing, viewing and listening to all of the games and interviews, one can’t help but be enveloped and very much impressed by this series of achievements.

“Lead on, Brave Adventurer, Your Quest Awaits!”

In these days of ultra-3D video, Surround Sound, and super-powerful rigs, it gives one pause to visit a time of “ancient history”—ancient, that is, in video gaming terms. Yet I defy anyone not to laugh, or at least smile, when viewing and playing as the bumbling Dirk.  Valiant knight, indeed! Much like many of the cartoon characters of the 1980s (cf. Wile E. Coyote), Dirk is inclined to fall into just about any trap that comes his way. The games give you the option to play (all you need are arrow and space bar keys) or watch. The fun of more passive observation is largely to see Dirk “die,” in hilarious ways, but always returning, of course.  He is persistent, our Dirk. If you’re a bit on the squeamish side, you can watch the game without “deaths.” Furthermore, new scenes, multiple difficulty levels, and even a two-player game option are available.

The video quality is surprisingly good, even though the native screen resolution is 352×240 pixels. Yet the colors are so vibrant and the action moves so fast that I soon became accustomed to it on my 19-inch monitor, playing full screen. The voices, music and sound effects are reproduced very well.

Valiant Knight and Fair Princess

Glancing at my desk gaming shelf, I notice Hitman 2, a very nasty, gruesome, richly detailed action thriller. Shooters and platformers have evolved greatly in the past 20 years. As a retired psychologist, I’m not at all sure that some of what that evolution reflects is good for kids specifically or society in general. The Valiant Knight saving the Fair Princess in particular, and often the world in general, is still an enjoyable, and frequently seen, theme for a game. Yet it sometimes seems we destroy the innocence of quests by making them about hit men or gangsters. Maybe it’s being old, but I do breathe a sigh of regret for the lost simple pleasures of gaming just twenty years ago. I’m sure that twenty years from now, we won’t be doing a remembrance of Hitman 2. Thankfully, there does seem to be a resurgence this fall of more fanciful titles (cf.  Prince of Persia: Sands of Time).

Dragon’s Lair 20th Anniversary Special Edition honors the gifted creators of a classic series. This almost priceless set of CDs not only allows you to get to know them and their activity through interviews, but also gives you, with modern PC rigs, the opportunity to fully play and enjoy three of the most wonderful games ever made.  Thank you, Digital Leisure, for giving us a retrospective done with care, expertise, even love. The End

The Verdict

The Lowdown

Developer: Digital Leisure Publisher: Digital Leisure Release Date: December 1, 2003

Available for: Windows CD; DVD version available that also plays on Xbox and PlayStation 2

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Screenshots

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System Requirements

Windows 95/98/ME/2000/XP 200 MHz processor 4X CD-ROM drive

Where to Find It

Links provided for informational purposes only.  FFC makes no warranty with regard to any transaction entered into by any party(ies).

      Copyright © Electric Eye Productions.  All rights reserved.  No reproduction in whole or in part without express written permission.

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14 Responses to Fear Factor

  • Fear Factor | Tap-Repeatedly.com | Reality Topics Blog

    […] nobody@flickr.com (graftedno1) wrote a very interesting post today.   Here’s a quick excerpt:My greatest fear is to be trapped alone in a confined space with a blind human, in total darkness. They have a heightened sense of smell and hearing, and. […]

  • Matt "Steerpike" Sakey

    Lewis, you made me think of the scariest moments I’ve experienced in gaming, and we’re very similar people.

    Bioshock had two moments – the dentist and the flooded room filled with mannequins.

    Thief had Return to the Cathedral, which was terrifying to me. Thief 3 had Shalebridge Cradle, which is so scary it ought to be fined.

    System Shock 2 kept me on the edge of my seat, but it was more lonely panic than true fear.

    Korsakovia was so scary that I uninstalled it.

    And STALKER. Oh, god, the haunted labs in STALKER. The latter two games don’t have scares like that. Few games do.

    It’s especially rare for a game to have more than mere “moments” – for a game to be scary from beginning to end, that’s a triumph.

    Wonderful article. As if Gregg’s review wasn’t enough to convince me that Penumbra is not something I have the courage to play!

  • DPenn

    I’m with you Lewis … I’m a bit of a puss. I just have a hard time wrapping my head around the idea of dread as entertainment.

    Still, I’m drawn to dark stories when they have something interesting to say, whether it’s a game like Thief or a film like, say, Gaspar Noe’s Irreversible. So I’ll push through, sometimes peering through my fingers.

    The trouble with games, though, is that if you look through your fingers, you’re probably just going to have to play through the scenario again. :~)

  • Mike "Scout" Gust

    I wanted to play this game. I downloaded the demo but the controls were just too wonky for me to get my head around. I liked the atmospheric vibe a lot. I think I’m a bit desensitized from an overdose of horror movies in my youth so I don’t so much get the dread thing from these games as a nice creepy vibration. If only the controls were better…

  • Lewis B

    @ Mike, what’s wrong with the controls bud? As someone who despises poor control schemes, Penumbra’s is just like any other FPS, except to examine things you right click on them.  To use things you left click.  I’m not sure that can be considered difficult 🙂

  • Gregg B

    @Steerpike: Yeah my greatest shit-scared moments were with those games too. A few spoilers below people, so beware.

    Bioshock – Haha, I remember the dentist. I didn’t really find the game that scary overall but the bit where you go into the wine cellar and notice a mannequin facing the wall and after upgrading your weapon it’s stood directly behind you motionless and quiet just for a moment before attacking you. I shat a brick. I also missed that bit originally until Lew told me about it.

    System Shock 2 – same as you really, more unremitting tension all the way through rather than specific terrifying moments. Oh actually, theres a bit where you call a lift and it breaks then you realise a service droid is coming to fix it… I do remember having sleep issues after my first encounter with the cyborg ninjas though.

    Thief: The Dark Project – The Sword and Return to the Cathedral and Down in the Bonehoard and well, loads of them. The Sword made me break out into goosebumps though because there was a bit where you could hear this creepy giggling which seemed like it was following me about then it suddenly changed to this horrible throaty noise. What made matters worse was that the EAX (bless you Creative) made my foot steps sound like somebody else was there with me. That level was incredible, a bit too incredible as it seems I missed great chunks of it because I was so eager to leave.

    Thief II: The Metal Age – Trail of Blood where you end up in that opening with those damn tree beasts. God the first time I saw one of those hurtling towards me I actually died shortly afterward. Do you remember that Mechanist child walking around on one of the levels? That was a little creepy.

    Then there’s Penumbra: Overture – quite a few bits but I’m not mentioning them here.

    Oh and S.T.A.L.K.E.R. – The brain scorcher lab just because it was so damn quiet. My imagination seriously got the better of me there. Those stuffed animals and heads I’d seen in various buildings led me to believe that those creatures were lurking somewhere in the Zone, specifically that lab.

    @Mike: My control setup was perfect after some tweaking (as well as the simple weapon swing fix). If you ever fancy giving it another go, give me a shout and I’ll let you know my setup.

  • Lewis B

    I’m not sure why guys, but one of my starting paragraphs had gone missing, even though I copied it straight from the original source, and It was fine earlier. 

    Incase you missed it due to some technical issue you might want to re-read just after “Well no she wouldn’t in truth, but in Penumbra: Overture you don’t want to move anyway.” at the very start for those who’ve already read the article. Apologies 🙂

  • Mike "Scout" Gust

    Lewis, it was the weapon swing. It had this terrible, unresponsive feel to it, like trying to hit through molasses. I couldn’t stand using it. I tried the .ini fix as mentioned in the review but it didn’t seem to help. Of course this was the demo…but that shouldn’t have made any difference. I might try the second game instead as I guess they did away with the weapons thing.

    I’m see your first paragraph just fine. It’s the dialogue, right?

  • jdeuel

    I like the argument that weapons can remove fear, but even loaded to the teeth with ammo in AVP’99 the Marine missions were frightful because the enemy was anywhere at any time.

    As for Penumbra Overture, if the controls are anything like the original Penumbra they need to hack in some Wii-Remote 3d controls. I did not like using my mouse for 3d movements.

  • Gregg B

    @Mike: I’ve read that many people avoided conflict altogether in Overture which incidentally is something forced upon you in Black Plague. As somebody who has been renovating a house over the last 6 months with no DIY experience I can safely say that swinging a hammer is significantly easier in real life than it is in Overture without the fix. The fix balanced that for me.

    I’d highly recommend completing the first Penumbra because it’s one big build up to Black Plague which spoils the ending to Overture in the intro. And it’s a great ending too. Just so you know!

  • Lewis B

    @ Steerpike, those moments you mention are all my worst too!!  Do you remember the Robot labs in SS2? Absolutely terrifying, waiting for robots to burst out on you! 🙁 oh and have you ever player Condemned?

    @ Mike, The use of weapons in Penumbra is different to say HL2, where the player is physically holding the weapon, as in Penumbra it floats slightly infront of you.  However, if you change the control method to normal weapon swing, it’s no different!  Speak to Greggi and he’ll tell you what to do 🙂

    @ jdeuel, AVP the original and its sequal were scary however what type of fear do you think it is? I don’t think it’s anything more than sheer tension.  Having a Smart Gun makes you feel incredibly powerful.  I can honestly say in Penumbra the fear is sheer unrivalled terror, where you actually have to force yourself to play on.  It genuinly is that scary! 🙂

  • Jason Dobry

    It’s so true, an arsenal of weapons and ammo rapidly deflates any sense of horror or uneasiness in any game for reasons you already mentioned. Sakey, I thought Bioshock was more “lonely panic,” while I was pretty much always terrified in System Shock 2. I really, really, REALLY did not want to enter The Many’s nursery, and my weapons were so unreliable and ammo so scarce that I never felt safe.

    Silent Hill was terrifying for the same reasons. Ammo was rare and I frequently had to rely on my pipe for self-defense.  Even when I had ammo, the game mechanics prevented my character from being anything other than marginal with any firearm.

    Fear had one moment for me: I was climbing up a ladder, and as I reached the upper platform, my guy briefly looked down as he climbed off. As my perspective looked up again, that Ring-esque little girl was RIGHT THERE, reaching for me. I screamed and she was gone.

    What else…the original Aliens vs. Predator sent me into a locker room and I could only hear the facehuggers scurrying about somewhere within. I had to go in there. I advanced about three steps before the damn thing screamed and filled up my screen with its repulsive underside as it implanted me with its spawn. My roommate made fun of me for weeks for screaming like a girl child.

    Korsakovia–meh.  I was too annoyed and frustrated by the box rearrangement/jumping puzzles to be scared. I uninstalled it after an hour of play, I think. Maybe the scary parts were later, but I doubt it.

    As for Penumbra, I did play through about half of it before other games distracted me. I remember unease and creepiness, but no sweaty fear. I think I’m to blame here, or, more precisely, my daughter, who was still an infant at the time and generally allowed me only to play during the day for 45 minutes at a time. I was denied total immersion and the fear effect suffered. Maybe I should give it another go after I finish Call of Pripyat since she sleeps through the night now. With any luck, Penumbra will keep me from doing the same.

  • Gregg B

    I played the demo of F.E.A.R. but that ladder scare is the only bit I remember. Christ, that made me jump. I’m not too good with cat scares.

    Also I felt exactly the same about Korsakovia. It was creepy at first but then it began to irritate me far too much and it just soured the experience. I stopped playing as a result. Not to mention, when I realised I could bash those smoke-things with my crowbar they didn’t bother me nearly as much.

  • Online Up

    Great article. I look forward to reading more in the future.

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