"A darn good Solomon's Key clone"

Fire 'N Ice is basically a lot like Solomon's Key, one of the best puzzle games on NES. In Fire 'N Ice you make ice blocks with your wand, and each screen is basically a big puzzle in which you must create/destroy blocks, defeat enemies, and put out little flames. In fact, I would say I like this one better than Solomon's Key--even though it is basically a copy the improvements make it more fun.

Graphics: 9. This game came out towards the end of NES's lifetime, so the graphics take advantage of all the system can do. They are a lot more colorful, and the game is pleasant to look at all around.

Music/Sound: 5. Not bad, but not that good either. I really liked the opening theme. The music that plays during the actual game is decent, but repetitive. The SFX are about average--they're functional and not annoying, but they don't do much to pull you into the game either. In general when I play this game I usually play my own music in the background.

Story: 7. Ehh, I don't remember much about the plot. Something about defeating an evil wizard. At least you're not saving a princess. Anyway, the plot doesn't really come into play during the game, since you're basically just figuring out each screen as it comes. So it's not a really good plot, but you probably won't care.

Gameplay: 9. Maybe even a 10! This game is so much fun to play. The original Solomon's Key was fun, but this one has a lot more depth. And the puzzles have just the right level of challenge--you'll really find yourself racking your brain on the later levels, but none of them seemed excessively difficult when I played it through. Also it includes a way to save your process and come back later, something the Solomon's Key desperately needed.

Replay Value: 8. Sadly, this game does not have as many secrets as Solomon's Key so you probably won't want to go through the game once you beat it. However, the gamers were nice enough to give us what is perhaps perhaps the best feature on the game: a level creating utility. Very few NES games let you make your own levels, so the ability to do this was a huge plus. After beating the game, I had a lot of fun creating my own levels.

Fire 'N Ice was a great game that probably would have done better if it hadn't come out in the twilight of the NES system. I wouldn't put it in the same league as Zelda or SMB3, but it was hella fun for any fan of puzzle games. It's somewhat rare, but I definitely recommend buying this game if you can get your hands on it.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 12/06/00, Updated 12/06/00