"A great action/adventure game based on the movie!"

This was one of my favorite 2600 games. It combined many types of action with a little bit of adventure, something not common in Atari games. It also captures the essence of the movie very well. Even if you haven't seen the movie, it's a great 2600 game.

Story: 7
The places the adventure takes you have depth, but the the goal is still a save the princess type goal, which was done to death even back then.

Gameplay: 9
You have to do a lot of things in this game. First, you have to defend the princess from as many soldiers as you can (they jump you at your wedding no less!). When she gets kidnapped (the soldiers never stop coming), you take a journey with your friends through the desert to the Spider Queen's Web. This won't be the only time you journey through the desert. In fact, there are items you find in the desert that help you win the game. One of these items is a huge shuriken type weapon called a ''Glaive.'' You can also find 1UPs in the desert.

When you get to the Web, you must get to the cocoon. Inside the cocoon, you will find the location of the Beast's lair, where your bride is being kept (yeah, really creative name for a villain, eh?). When you get to the lair, you must free the princess and defeat the beast.

It's hard to tell you about the gameplay without giving away how to beat the game, but this is a quite involving game for such a weak system. The way the game is set up makes it seem like you're journeying through a small world. Each action scene you're in has you do something different. You will have to accomplish many small goals before you accomplish the main goal of saving the princess. It's a very fun game.

Graphics: 8
Good for the Atari. The coolest looking scenes are the desert scene and the web scene. Character animation is also decent.

Sound/Music: 7
Standard Atari 2600 fare. The only thing that sounds funny is that it sounds like you're riding horses through the desert when you're really riding camels.

Control: 10
The actions you are able to perform change with the scene you are in. As long as you know what to do and do it at the right time, control is not difficult at all.

Replay Value: 7
There are many levels of difficulty. Some scenes change dramatically when you up the level and you will have to use different strategy to accomplish a goal. It's fun to try beating the game at each level. The hardest one is sickeningly challenging, so brace yourself.

Bottom Line?
I personally think that no 2600 collection should be without this. This game combines action and adventure very well, plus no matter how skilled you are you will find a challenge, which is why I give it a 9.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 07/17/01, Updated 04/24/04