Reviews

1986 Domark Ltd (UK)
by Mike Green

I remember quite well all the hours spent playing this game. It's funny how it seemed a lot better in 1986, the movements looked a lot quicker and accurate than they actually are, and the game itself is a bit limited.
It has, nonetheless, some charming elements like the weapons choice at the start of each game, that may influence the outcome of the duel in the arena (but very little). My favorite weapon was the net, although it wasn't the best to use. Another interesting feature that all my friends talked about before I played it and which got even more curious, was the Emperor's thumbs up or down in the end of each fight. It now seems rubbish, but was a fun feature at the time.
I give it a 4 for memories sake but the game only deserves a 3.

Another potential great subject for a game - gladiator fighting in ancient Rome - is turned in a nondescript game with absolutely no remarkable features.

The game looks and plays bland - there is just no feeling of involvement while playing it.

Another piece of trash from Domark. The concept is sound but the execution belongs in the arena

I believe this may have been one of the first 128K games on the Spectrum, or certainly one of the first to be released with its own separate 128K version. I honestly wonder why this game was among the first, because it's a disaster! It was initially sent to Mikro-Gen who dismissed it as being to difficult to control, and they were right. Controlling this is an utter nightmare, it's so difficult to hit him and yet your opponent finds hitting you a breeze. This is like Barbarian which wasn't that great a game and only best known for chopping your opponent's head off, but that is a far, far, far, far, far better game than whatever this was supposed to be. No wonder Mikro-Gen rejected it, and when you come to think of it it's no wonder Domark accepted it, they'd accept anything regardless of quality, give them a wanking simulator and they'd still release it, especially after releasing this uncontrollable nonce.

For once I'm left Speechless!

I was gonna go on and on about how I didn't play this game til' I got it on a Crash! Covertape, and how even though it was years after release I'd have still thought it was shite back in 1986 due to my pretty good ability to retrospectively look at games I missed first time around.

Nah I don't need to YOR's declaration of this game as an unplayable nonce made me laugh so hard I literally spat alchoholic Root Beer all over my monitor and had to wipe it off....

He's right though ;)