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When someone hears the name Gauntlet, they expect a fun enduring 200+ level game. Gauntlet was one of the most popular multiplayer arcade role-playing game's of all time, and is still in all kinds of locations (movie theatres, pizza parlors and the like). Epyx's Gauntlet: The Third Encounter is not that game by any means -- although it may be a limitation of being a portable game -- it only boasts 40 pretty short levels and limited play. When ever an enemy touches you it disappears instantly making for quite an easy experience, just stand still and press fire and you will beat any level in no time. When Atari bought the rights for the Lynx they needed to have a hard hitting title, and Time Quest and Treasure Chests seemed to be close enough to slap the Gauntlet name on it.

Being one of the first Lynx titles, it offers quite a few unique features and capabilities, such as ComLynx -- where three other players can hook into the same game with their Lynx to play multiplayer. It also shows off the Lynx's 3D capabilities with the Zoom Window, which will show enemies and items close to you in a 3D view, allowing you to see more detailed monsters. Another unique aspect of this game is the 90 degree viewing angle, requiring you to turn your lynx on its side in order to play, giving the game a more arcade feel. But with all these cool features comes consequences, such as very limited viewing on the small portable screen.

Characters come in a wide variety, such as the original Wizard and Valkyrie. New characters consist of Samurai, Gunfighter, Pirate, Android, Punk Rocker, and ... Nerd! Each character has their own strengths and weaknesses in terms of speed and ammo (even the nerd). While playing through the levels you will encounter Spiders, Ghosts, Scorpions, and even Huge Frogs (oh my). They all pretty much act and die in the same manor and cause little to no damage to your character. In the case that you need to heal you will have to collect food, which will be required even if you avoid all contact with enemies as your life will naturally decrease as time runs out.

Just as the NES Metal Gear 2: Snakes Revenge has nothing to do with the MSX2 Metal Gear 2, Gauntlet III: Third Encounter has nothing to do with its counterpart on the PC. Once you get bored of the same repetitive action and finish off the game, you will quickly realize that this game has no replay value what so ever. A random monster generator or anything random exists in this game. Everything is the same as the first time you went through it, and will all ways be that way. RPG's before this have had the monster generator capabilities, so there is no excuse why this game is way to easy.

Yep, the mazes, dungeons, treasures and (most importantly) food are back. Forty treacherous new levels await you and up to three friends (Comlynxed) in Gauntlet: The Third Encounter by Epyx. Epyx? Originally, the game was to be called Time Quests And Treasure Chests, but when Atari took a look at it and realized how similar it was to the coin-op Gauntlet, the company decided to change the title to the more visible name. This game was also one of the first Lynx titles to feature a 90 degree game view to take advantage of the full length of the screen (like most arcade games.) To play the game, you simply flip the Lynx on end and hold it upright. Although it may seem a bit awkward at first, you'll get used to it in no time.

# This game puts you on a quest to find the magical Star Gem that's located somewhere in the depths of a monster-infested castl. You'll venture through winding (and seemingly endless) passages using one of eight selectable characters in order to find the hidden doorway to the next level. To prevent you from attaining your goal, hordes of freaky creatures, including spiders, scorpions, ghosts and giant frogs will try to make your life miserable.

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# To help things a little, there are quite a few useful items scattered about the mazes. Apples will restore some of your damaged life. Keys open the many doors that block your way. And an assortment of scrolls do various things when picked up, such as making you invisible or increase your life ratings, among other things. You'll also periodically come across computer terminals, of all things! As unfitting as it may seem, these terminals enable you to purchase items and receive vital messages.

# Players expecting a virtual carbon copy of the coin-op original might be in for a letdown. The action is quite a bit slower on the Lynx, and the new adventure elements such as inventory management make this less of a true sequel. However, this game wasn't designed to be a quarter gobbler, and Epyx felt the need to embellish this version with extras to keep people playing.

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# As a one-player contest, it's a decent - if not satisfying - adventure game with enough frills to make things interesting for a while. Unfortunately, once you're done, you're done. After starting over, you'll notice that all the doors and hidden items are exactly where you saw them before. Apparently, the concept of randomness pioneered by classics such as 2600 Adventure didn't occur to the designers at Epyx. Still, given that not many adventure titles were made for the Lynx, it's worth a try. And if you've got friends with Lynxes, get ready for a wild rush to the precious food!


Title Gauntlet: The Third Encounter
Publisher Atari
System Atari Lynx
Graphics 7
Sound 6
Gameplay 6
Overall 6
Reviewer Keita Iida