SLAINE

SLAINE

Console: Sinclair ZX Spectrum
TV Standard: PAL
Release Date: 1987-01-01
Players: 1
Co-op: No
ESRB: E - Everyone
Type: Action

The last of the evil Drune Wizards who have been ruling Lyonesse is dead. Don't get the champagne out yet though, because his evil power lives on until his name (which, as with all the Drunes, is a closely-guarded secret) is said. The only person who knows it is his daughter, who is trapped in Small Sky Tower. This, coupled with the fact that she's reputedly beautiful, is all the incentive Slaine needs to track her down.

The game system is unusual - known as REFLEX, it is menu-based, but these menus appear and disappear in real-time, meaning that the game has a constant aspect of pressure and time-sensitivity. You must collect and examine objects, map your way through Lyonesse, and use your mighty sword where needed. Slaine must keep an eye on his Warp rating, which drops in unsuccessful combat but is replenished either by physical (eating food) or mental (the high of winning a battle, or having a run of time without one) factors, and has a big effect on his performance.