Indiana Jones' Greatest Adventures

"A great representation of a marveous movie trilogy"

Indiana Jones. The very mention of the name exudes images of adventure and manliness. Harrison Ford whipped, shot, and punched his way through three very successful action/adventure movies in the ‘80s, with a fourth planned for release. As is the case with successful movies, games were made out of the franchise. Each movie had at least one game made in its image, and several spinoff titles featuring Indy were released as well. It was in 1994, however, that the people who made the hit Super Star Wars series set their sights on Indy. The result was Indiana Jones' Greatest Adventures, a game that spans all three movies, while retaining the excitement.


The story closely follows all three movies, albeit in an abridged form. You start by playing “Raiders of The Lost Ark”, where you control Indy as he tries to stop the Nazis from obtaining the sacred Ark of The Covenant, an object possessing supernatural power. Succeeding in that mission, you move onto “Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom”, and travel to India to stop an evil cult which performs human sacrifices from finding five mystical stones. Finally, in “Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade”, you team up with your father in a race against the Nazis once more to obtain the legendary Holy Grail.

The gameplay is wildly similar to Castlevania. You control Indy as he runs and jumps through the levels, all the while breaking orbs to find gems (100 of these equal a 1-Up) or weapons. You can either use the trusty whip or, if you find it, a pistol to defeat your enemies, which range from bats to wolves to Nazis to crazed cultists. Occasionally, you enter Mode 7 stages, like the raft scene from Temple of Doom or the airplane escape from Last Crusade. Many other fan favorite scenes from the trilogy are present, including the infamous boulder chase. The control is solid, and making Indy go where you want him to is easily done. A password system allows you to resume your progress at key points in the adventure.

The sound and music are marvelous. The main theme from the films plays prominently on most levels. One complaint, though, is that the music isn't varied enough. It may seem like it as you play through the Raiders portion of the game, but once you get to Temple of Doom, the music doesn't change that much. You get a few new tunes, but that's it. Quick little snippets of dialogue from the films are present, which is an added plus.


This game is a blast to play. It's Castlevania meets Super Star Wars, and whipping Nazis before latching onto a hook and swinging across a pit doesn't get old very fast. The game is a bit more forgiving than the Super Star Wars series, but not by much. Often times, especially in the Last Crusade levels, you'll find enemies next to pits throwing things at you. One hit knocks you back, into the pit, costing you a life. Once you learn to stay back and play patiently, though, this becomes less of an issue.

Indiana Jones' Greatest Adventures is a marvelous representation of some of the greatest movies ever released. While it could have benefited from a few extra stages, it's still a fun game for Indy fans everywhere. If you can, obtain it, and whip those Nazis into shape.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 09/26/07

Game Release: Indiana Jones' Greatest Adventures (US, October 1994)