Gauntlet

"It's action all the way!"

Gauntlet has appeared on virtually every home computer and console on the earth, and I'm glad to say that this master system version just about tops the list for sheer addictive playability. The game is played at a hyper speed, and each dungeon is packed with literally hundreds of vile and gruesome creatures all out to get you - as you would imagine they would be.

It's action all the way! As well as being very playable, the graphics and sound are also excellent. The sprites are small, but they are superbly detailed and the backdrops are very polished, giving the game a true arcade look. With 100 different levels to challenge you, gauntlet won't lose its appeal in a hurry. If you have a master system do your self a favour plug this into it.

Classic Characters

Big, tough Thor the Barbarian is great for hand to hand combat, most bad guys hardly scratch him. His shots are powerful too, but he is a bit slow and magic powers are almost zero

Thyra the Valkyrie is tough, fires strong shots and can use magic well - a good character for solo play, but not quite as the wizard.

Merlin the Wizard is the best character to choose when playing solo, his shots and magic powers are very powerful, and are quite capable of destroying the monster generators scattered around. His lack of armour and poor hand to hand skills mean that it's best to dodge foes whenever possible.

Questor the Elf is very puny and hand to hand combat causes him much damage. His shots aren't really all that powerful, but he can use magic almost as well as the wizard and can run faster than all the other characters.

Presentation

Nothing too flashy, but you'd rather be getting on with the game anyway.

8 / 10

Graphics

The screens are large and clear, and the sprites are well defined. What more could you ask for on your master system?

8 / 10

Sound

Acceptable through out the game

7 / 10

Playability

There is no beating this game for its sheer enjoyment factor

10 / 10

Lastability

With a hundred levels and a password system you have almost the longest game in the world, almost.

9 / 10

Best Bits

+ One of the most addictive games of all time
+ Classic coin op conversion
+ The four players are all unique

Worst Bits

- Only two players max on the Master System
- The graphics haven't aged all that well

Alternatively

Don't really know, perhaps a newer version, apart from that I have no idea.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 01/11/02, Updated 01/11/02