"Oh No, it's Dracula and the Mummy! They're coming to....."

I always wanted to play a horror game on the Atari 2600. The closest thing I could come to was Crypts of Chaos which wasn't really in the horror vein, so to speak. However, with its creepy sound effects and music and its skulls, blobs, giant disembodied eyes and snakes it was close enough. Then I found this game which kind of reminds me of those old horror movies of the 30's. The ones with Bela Lugosi and Boris Karloff that are so much fun to watch.

Story/Concept 8: You play a boy or girl(depending on what the TV type switch is set to) who must brave ghosts, bats, scorpions, the evil chopping Mummy and Dracula himself in order to save your friend hidden in Dracula's castle, before time runs out. First, you must play tag with a ghost or skeleton(depending on skill level), in a graveyard, who will give spears to fight the Mummy and his minions. If you manage to get past them then you must find crosses hidden in coffins in the castle to use against the evil one himself.

Graphics 6: As the game begins you see gravestones in the forefront and the castle in the background; both rising out of the ground. The effect is creepy and the flashing in the background, around the castle, adds to it. You see a close up view of your character and a ghost or skeleton in the graveyard. The rainbow ghost you have to get the spears from looks like a giant version of one of the ghosts from Pac-man. The skeleton looks slightly better by contrast but both hop around the screen like frogs. The boy looks like an alien with a huge head, baseball cap and big belly. The girl looks like one of the Fembots from the Bionic Woman. For those who say this show is before your time then how about Liz Hurley's Fembot in Austen Powers 2. Okay, not quite that shapely, unfortunately, but you get the idea - a woman with her face missing. At least they don't look like monocolored stick figures.
Above the game screen you see an hour glass that shows you how much time you have left. You also see a spear icon on the top left for every 10 spears you actually have. On the right you'll see a picture of a lantern(actually it looks more like the end of a golf club) if you have one to use in the castle. If having all these icons on top of the screen sounds confusing and cluttered; they are. Not to mention the score and cross icons you see if you find those. Once you get past the graveyard scene you'll find yourself outside a grand castle that looks pretty eerie. You'll see your small character at the bottom and looming above him or her will be the Mummy with his chopping axe and above him are two scorpions and two goblin faces hovering back and forth. Above them will be a mysterious black-clad figure roaming the parapets on top of the castle and two bats fly to and fro above the structure. You have to try and destroy these creatures with your spears while trying not to be cut into pieces by the Mummy who can only be killed last. The whole scene, complete with eerie lightning effects, looks great especially the Mummy who is the only character graphic in an Atari game with a facial expression. If you manage to kill the Mummy in the end then you find yourself inside the castle.
This part would have benefitted from a first person perspective ala Crypts of Chaos. Unfortunately you'll simply see yet another maze(actually two) ala Pac-man with little blocks that are supposed to be coffins, of which some contain crosses, tucked in corners. A wall goes back and forth that tries to chop off your head. By the way, if you get cut apart by either the Mummy or one of the walls, death will be neither gratuitous nor bloody. Also, if you don't have the lantern(depending on what the difficulty switches are set to) you won't see the inside of the castle except for brief lightning flashes.
If you do manage to get past these floors then you will see the top floor of the castle. On this floor you'll see two cells: one empty and one containing your friend. You'll also see a black-clad, caped and top hatted individual who creeps along, shadowing your every move. That, of course, would be Dracula who, if you've seen the 1931 film starring Lugosi, will seem to be trying to imitate his crouched stance with arms extended that he used when just about to bite someone. Of course the top hat and cape are also a pretty good nod to him as well as the fact that just as he is about to bite you the game cuts to the final scene that we'll get to in a second. Each time you use the crosses on him he turns a ghostly hue. If you do manage to trap him then your friend will be freed but he or she will also look ghostly and creep along just like Drac did. If you both meet up and head to the stairs you'll find yourselves outside as the headstones and the castle sink back into the ground. Of course, if you don't make it you both disappear into the ground along with everything else. The effect is pretty creepy and just right for this game.

Music/Audio 5: This cart is chock full of music and sound effects. Some of which is good and some are incredibly annoying. The game starts with ominous music usually played on an organ that will sound familiar to anyone who's seen an old horror movie. More ominous music is heard periodically throughout the game including taps if you die. The only music that seems out of place is the irritatingly cheery little song you hear if you complete the game.
The sound effects can be really irritating. There are so many beeps and whistles in this game that you yourself might be driven to murder. However the chopping axe sound heard as the Mummy tries to split you in two is pretty good. Even better is the bloodcurdling sound you hear if a wall manages to catch you. The high-pitched sound effects you hear if you open a coffin while trying to find a cross and especially if you manage to corner Dracula add to the experience.

Gameplay 7: The first part of this game should have been better. Playing tag with anything, ghost or skeleton does not exactly have me running for the covers. Couldn't they have found a scarier or more interesting way for you to find spears in a graveyard?
Trying to kill the Mummy and his minions while standing outside the enormous castle is, without a doubt, the best part of this game. Not being able to kill the Mummy till you've destroyed the other creatures and having to dodge his frantic axe-wielding, especially when the difficulty switches are in expert mode, while you're doing it is great.
The rest of this game could have been better. As I stated earlier, a first person perspective inside the castle would have made this game almost perfect. Alas, we get to see our character running around another maze from above instead. It just isn't as exciting as seeing something coming right at you. There's not much to do in the first two levels anyway except time your movements to get the crosses from the coffins so you don't get caught by the roving wall. By the way, getting the crosses from the coffins isn't easy because it's sometimes hard to position your character correctly in order to touch the coffin just so. Control can be slightly frustrating because if your player touches a wall he or she seems to get stuck at times.
Finding out how to trap Dracula by using the crosses may take some thought since there's a certain way you have to do it which may not seem obvious right away. There are different difficulty levels to choose from by using the difficulty switches so gameplay can be varied.

Replay Value 7: This game is quick and pretty exciting, especially against the Mummy. Even losing, especially to the Mummy or a wall can be interesting in and of itself except that you have to start over again because you get only one life. Which may be frustrating at times as you keep having to go back to the beginning. Yet, there's enough thrills here for any Atari/horror fan.
This game was part of a double-ender cartridge. The other game was labeled Spike's Peak but actually turned out to be Chuck Norris Superkicks.

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 02/02/02, Updated 10/10/02