Also supports :
- All Major Graphics Cards
- All Major Joysticks
Deathtrap Dungeon
is the computer game version of Ian Livingstone's
classic role-playing game book. In paper form the Fighting Fantasy Gamebooks
were an instant hit in the mid-late 1980's kicking off as a joint collaboration
between Ian Livingstone and Steve Jackson with The Warlock of Firetop
Mountain.
A total of 51 books have been released in this series including The Citadel
Of Chaos, The Forest Of Doom and Starship Traveller as well as a
number of spinoffs and novels. Deathtrap Dungeon was the sixth in the
Fighting Fantasy Gamebook series and it makes you wonder why the series hasn't
been brought to the computer screen before.
Deathtrap Dungeon - The Beginning
Fang, the Town Of Lost Souls, once known as the Town Of Plenty is ruled with
an iron fist by the tyrant Byron Sukumvit. Deep in the hillside overlooking
Fang, he built a labyrinth of trap-filled passageways and rooms populated by
stomach-churning creatures of evil. He named it Deathtrap Dungeon.
All those who opposed him were despatched to the dungeon. None came out alive.
Yet the Baron was a gambling man at heart and loved notoriety. He let it be
known that anybody in the lands beyond Fang would be welcome to enter the
dungeon of their own free will. If they killed the supreme beast - Melkor The
Red Dragon - and came out alive he would offer a purse of 10,000 gold pieces
and the freedom of the town of Fang.
The first year, seventeen brave warriors attempted "The Walk" as it later came
to be known. Not one reappeared. Now you have decided that you will attempt
"The Walk".
Deathtrap Dungeon - The Quest
Your quest is to slay Melkor The Red Dragon and get out of the dungeon alive!
As you progress deeper into the dungeon, you will need to collect all the
weapons and magics you can to aid you.
You begin the game at the start of the first level, The Spire. As you complete
each level you will be given a summary of your performance and a short missing
briefing on what you need to do to finish the next level. You have the choice
of one of two characters to help you complete your quest - the heroine, Red
Lotus (pictured above), or the hero, Chaindog.
Put simply, you'll come across three doors in each level which require keys:
one red, one silver and one gold. Get the keys, open the doors and exit to the
next level. Sounds easy, but if you think it is then you clearly have played
the game yet.
Installing and Running the Game
Installation is simple. When in Windows 95, inserting the CD will autorun the
installation process. If you do not have autoplay set up for CDs, then run
the 'setup.exe' file.
You will then be able to select the various graphics and sound set-up options.
If you have a 3Dfx card it will be automatically selected as all major cards
are supported. If it isn't supported, or you install a new card after installing
the game, it can be selected from the Deathtrap Dungeon Configuration option
via the Windows 95 start menu. The game will take up approximately 120 Mb of
hard drive space but you will need to keep the CD in CD-ROM drive while playing
the game.
Playing the Game
In-game Controls
The four cursor keys control the main characters with the rest consisting of
keys to attack, action, cast spells, run or slow down. All are redefinable
though and I set mine close to the controls I use for Quake II/Unreal/Tomb
Raider II. Keys F1-F4 bring up menus for Close Combat and Ranged Weapons,
Spells and Potions.
Main Menu
Restore Game
Returns you to the game in progress.
New Game
Allows a choice of New Game, which either starts a new one-player game or
allows to you re-play any of the levels already completed; or a Multiplayer
Game which can accommodate up to eight players.
Load Game
Loads any of the previously-saved games.
Save Game
This saves your position at certain points in the game when you come across a
save-game portal. There are two types - white and red. You can save at any
white portal, but saving at a red one is going to cost you a number of gold
coins!
Setup
Options available for configuring the graphics and sound to your specifications
as well as sorting out the keyboard/joystick/mouse control and any specific
hardware configurations, all done in a very humourous way.
Graphics, Sound and Playability
The graphics look very good, especially if you have a 3Dfx card which is fast
becoming a necessity these days to bring out the crisp graphics and detailed
locations. However, the graphics engine used appears to be the same used by
Die By The Sword which results in the game appearing to move in a
slightly jerky fashion, rather than the fluid movement of another, well-known,
third-person arcade adventure, Tomb Raider II. On the plus side, the
game runs very quickly with no slow-down at all in terms of the frame rate,
but if, like me, you're too used to the smooth style of the Lara Croft game
you'll feel there's something not quite right.
Also, the third-person perspective sometimes views battles a number of positions
including behind your character, behind the enemy or to the side of both, so
you can't always see the enemy you're fighting. This, too, is reminiscent of
Die By The Sword. On the plus side, at times there's a hint of
Resident Evil II about it as the viewpoint switches to a camera
positioned high above, although in this game the camera follows you about,
unlike the fixed viewpoint of the aforementioned zombie-blaster.
The music and sound effects set the ambience very well and there's some nice
bone-crunching sounds as you hack away at your opponents, or - as I found out
once - when a portcullis falls on your head when you don't quite get through
in time. This is, naturally, followed by a blood-curdling scream!
The playability is also similar to Die By The Sword with the extra
camera movement being a bit off-putting at first. You do get more used to it
as you play on but it remains slightly annoying. It's a shame there isn't a
first-person perspective option as this is really needed for combat moments.
But I want more !!
Then you can have more! Deathtrap Dungeon comes in the form of a Limited
Edition boxset which not only contains this game and a graphically-elaborate
manual (The Bestiary) describing the quest and detailing the heroes and every
enemy, but also the Fighting Fantasy Gamebook from which the game originated as
well as a Deathtrap Dungeon card game for 4 to 8 players.
Overall
Overall this is a fairly entertaining game, which will allow many gamers to
bring back an element of their teenage years. The game is also very
well-packaged since it contains the aforementioned extra book and card game.
I'd certainly like to see a sequel to Deathtrap Dungeon. After all,
there's at least another 50 possibilities so far! However, I'd like to see
the game engine re-written to appear more like Tomb Raider II, if it's
a third-person game, or Quake II / Unreal if a first-person perspective
is chosen.
If you're wondering who the girl on the right is, it's supermodel Kelly
Brook, used to promote the game in the guise of "Red Lotus". She features
in FHM's 1998 Top Supermodel list at No. 29, as well as appearing in the
current "Sure" adverts alongside Jonathon Ross as "Nicky, with the ticky!"
If you're after some more info on Eidos Interactive's games, you can check
out their official Website at
www.eidosinteractive.com or
www.deathtrapdungeon.com
GRAPHICS : ***
SOUND EFFECTS AND MUSIC : ***½
PLAYABILITY : ***
ORIGINALITY : ***
ENJOYMENT : ***
-------------------------------
OVERALL : ***
Review copyright © Dominic Robinson, 1998.
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DVDs reviewed by the editor are watched on a Panasonic TXW32R4 32" widescreen TV
connected to either a Creative Dxr2 DVD-ROM player or Microsoft Xbox and
played through a Sony STR-DB930 amplifier.
PC games reviewed by the editor are on:
