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"This was the best RPG game I played back then."

I played this the first time on an apple computer many years ago. Even though I really didn't know what I was doing, I still remember having a great time with this game, until then, someone sabotaged my file by messing my progress, and I was not very happy about that. Years later I came across this game again, was spent hours and hours on the C64 version of this game. It was my another positive childhood memory coming back to life for me.

Graphics 9/10

Great graphics for an old school system. The grasslands, deserts, mountains, forest, and water are realistic for its time. The main character is a white sprite while the foes outside the dungeons look like fossils. The interior of the dungeons are blue or green, and the monster inside of it have actual designs that are drawn very well.

Sound and music 8/10

There is really no music in this game except the intro theme that grows on you. There are a few short themes for when you die, and when you get something good. The beeps and sound effects are not too bad as well. The only problem I found was that there is that ring sound that gets annoying when your about to run into monsters outside.

Story 9/10

Your a poor man, and you find a dead corpse on the road with a scroll called the Wizard's Compendium, that holds great power along with a bracelet that grants you access to a museum that plays a big role in the plot. This scroll created by wizards long ago, holds evil power, and if that power lands in the wrong hands, it would mean the possible destruction of Tarmalon. The goal is to find a way to destroy the compendium while at the same time, avoid those that will try to use it for their own ends. This is a rather interesting plot even though it sounds simple. I find it enjoyable for a game like this for its time because there is a bit more to it than what I'm explaining since I want to avoid the few spoilers that do exist for it.

Gameplay 9/10

One of the best RPGs I ever played. You will spend most of your time traveling out in the fields and towns. Outside in the fields you can walk around in all kinds of terrain when fighting and traveling. While in towns you can buy food, armor, haggle old weapons for money, gamble, buy healing herbs, and magic. When you gamble in this game you can't win too much money or the guards will try to kill you. This is stupid because they set there games up to where you can win so much money. There are 3 dungeons in this game excluding the castle raids. These dungeons are 3D mazes that you have to navigate outside the 2D world. Sadly these dungeons can get annoying and maybe tedious due to the length and the size of the mazes in there. The manual did state 15x15, but its very easy to get lost in higher levels since there is entrances to the next floor that lead to dead ends causing you to find another entrance to the next floor that does not have a dead end. Its very annoying sometimes, and because of that, your forced to draw your own map or find one online which is the best bet, and it would take hours to beat a single dungeon if you don't have a map to get through it. On the good side you can find money, and weapons in there, and its really not that bad since it gives you that sense of survival in a dark, lonely, and dangerous place which I like.

Last comments

The dungeons might tedious sometimes, but this does not ruin the factor to a great game if you try to remember its a game of survival in a world were there is people out to get you. Buy this game if you have an commodore 64 or whatever means to play it. Its worth a try, especially if you like D&D type games that are challenging.


Reviewer's Score: 9/10 | Originally Posted: 01/01/04, Updated 04/13/10

Game Release: Legacy of the Ancients (US, 1987)