Conan: The Mysteries of Time

In the dark mists of time in a land known as Nemedia, a warrior with jet-black hair sat before his campfire and listened to a sorcerer tell him the Legend of the Four Urns. The burial urns of the first four kings of Aquilonia had disappeared from the Crypt of Cahalla, and it was said that the one who returned them to their rightful resting place must be the heir to the throne. The warrior listened closely - he, Conan the Barbarian, knew it was his destiny to rule Aquilonia.

As Conan, you must fight your way to the tombs of Zamboula, where the urns are hidden, and recover them. It's a dangerous journey because the way is guarded by hordes of skeletons, wraiths, dragons, and the like. Except for the boss monsters, though, most of these enemies are more like pests than real threats. You're knocked backwards when hit, so moving forward is sometimes a problem - but most of the enemies don't really do much damage. Unless, of course, you get killed instantly: If you're jumping when hit, you'll get knocked out of the air, which can mean dropping into a bottomless pit.

The game's structure is somewhat interesting - it's a kind of combat puzzle. Somewhere on each level is a special item you'll need to overcome the boss monster, and the main objective is to find and/or figure out how to get that item. For this, you'll have to pay close attention to the legend told by sorcerer Nemonios in the game's instruction booklet. It will tell you some of the items you'll need to find, although it won't be a lot of help in telling you where they are or how to get them.

Actually, Conan is a lot more difficult than it needs to be. There's plenty of extra life energy to be found, but it's not much help if you're dropped into a pit, and there are no passwords or continues. The game's controls are strangely laid out: Pressing down doesn't make Conan duck - instead, he jumps in the direction he's facing. While some of the backgrounds are nice, the graphics generally aren't quite up to par. The idea behind the game is somewhat unique, but the idea, unfortunately, isn't carried out very well.