Dark Tower (CGE 1983) D

Dark Tower is one of the few adventure games for the Vectrex. You view the action from just behind your warrior, who looks somewhat like Marvin the Martian. As you walk through the forest, different types of trees scale smoothly as you approach them. Hidden in the woods are chests, keys, and bags of gold. The goal is to collect all four keys and attempt to solve the puzzle of the Dark Tower. Initially I was really drawn in by the smooth scaling scenery, excellent sound effects, and the whole treasure hunting aspect. There's really nothing else like this on the Vectrex. But the weakest part of the game is the action, or lack of it. There's really only one action sequence, which repeats over and over until you can't bear it anymore. In it, your warrior is looking down a corridor, with Minotaur warriors peeking around corners and throwing fireballs your way. You need to shoot a certain number of Minotaur to escape. It's kind of fun the first few times you play it, but you'll be thrown into this stage literally dozens of times. The rest of the game involves wandering aimlessly trying to gain objects and extra lives. Then there's the matter of this "plague" business, which randomly kills you dead in your tracks. I haven't made it to the Dark Tower yet, and I'm not convinced it's worth the effort. This game had potential, but it needs more variety.
1 player