"Another obscure NES title that deserves a second look...or perhaps a first."

''Dr. Livingston, I presume?''
-Sir Henry M. Stanley

Certainly a famous quote... you've probably heard it a hundred times. Or something. But the point is not everybody knows the story behind it. Paraphrased from the Internet History Sourcebook:
David Livingstone (that is how it is really spelled) was a celebrated African explorer and missionary. After many years in Africa, he was lost sight of, and it was generally believed that he was dead. James Gordon Bennett, proprietor of the New York Herald, sent the young reporter, who was afterwards known as Sir Henry M. Stanley, with an open account in search of him. After two years of searching, during which Stanley's reports--printed in the Herald--served to energize public interest in the exploration and conquest of Africa... Sir Stanley succeeded in his endeavor.

Well, you might have known that, but did you know that there was actually a NES game based upon this. Yup, there was, and it was a pretty good game, too. And get this, its a side-scrolling platform jumper, based upon the famous adventure of Sir Henry M. Stanley. There is more to it than that, of course. You have to search the various villages and temples for the weapons, armor, and enchanted odds and ends necessary to complete your quest. Yes, I'll admit that it is a weird concept, but it is also made for an intriguing game.

You, of course, play the roll of Sir Stanley, the adventurous American reporter who sets off after the illusive British Doc. The game begins with your boat docking in a sea side colonial village on the coast of Africa, and off you go. Welcome to the jungle, man. (Though I doubt the real Henry Stanley had to deal with spiders the size of horses).

GRAPHICS -6- Not the best graphics I've ever seen by any means. The enemies, (tigers, snakes, giant spiders, and temperamental vegatation) are generally small, uninspired looking sprites rendered in only a couple of colors. Almost all enemies are red, and then turn blue for a moment before disappearing after you dispatch them.

Stanely himself, except during the intro and the ending, is this gawky looking red guy wearing a pith helmet. During the brief cinema scenes, you look kind of scruffy with a sea captain's beard. Strange and inconsistent. The backgrounds are grainy and muddled but appropriately dark and eerie looking. There are occaisional special effects like the giant zooming worms in the temple in level 6, but, for the most part, the graphics are not this games strength.

SOUND -5- Also not particularly impressive. Most of the back ground music is a kinda spooky jungle rhythm. It is very repetitive, but you never really notice it. On the map screen which displays itself between stages the game chimes out with a tinny ''Hail Britannia''. Odd because Henry Stanley was actually American. (Though the good Doc was British, so maybe it works) There are a few other forgettable tunes, but, overall, the sound is also not what makes this game.

GAMEPLAY -8- And here we have what makes this all worthwhile. The game plays out fairly interestingly. It is a variation on the ''item hunt'' theme of game. In this sort of game, your main objective is to find weapons, armor, and items to use to advance and find more. Eventually, this gathering of stuff will lead you to the end. While Stanley: The Search for Dr. Livingston is not quite as good as games such as Metroid and Battle of Olympus (which are among the best in the genre) it is still a satisfying experience.

Rather than being completely non-linear, however, this game is quite a bit more structured. Most ''item hunt'' action-adventure titles feel less constrained, and that is why they are better. BUT... this one is still good.

The game is divided into several sections, with each section divided into smaller stages. These can be explored in a non-linear manner, and you can somewhat choose the order you explore them in. In each section, you are searching for a specific item necessary for completion of that section. There are also several other items of interest, like the machete, which are not required to be found in order to complete the game, but will help you along your way. Be forewarned - if you miss an item before moving onto the next main section, you cannot return to pick up the ignored item! Make sure you don't hit level seven without those Lightning Stones!

There are passwords to save your progress, but they only save the items you have picked up in levels previous to the one you are in when you received the password. For example, lets say you are in level 5 and have snagged the blow gun, you cannot save it until you reach the next section and get the password. This isn't always necessarily true, though. I never did quite understand Exactly how the passwords worked, so I just wrote them down at the beginning of each section and worked my way through. The ending pretty cool, so it just might be worth you while to do just that.

CHALLENGE -7- The game is tough, but not ridiculous. If the password system had been designed better, it would have made the challenge nearly perfectly balanced. Oh well. As it stands, it still remains fairly balanced, once you get past the first few scenes, which can be discouraging at first.

OVERALL -7- Not a bad game at all. For fans of ''item hunt'' style games, this one should be checked out, if you can find it.

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 08/22/02, Updated 08/22/02