Copyright (c) 1994 Lee Perkins
Manufacturer: Capcom Console type: Four player, vertical cabinet Controls: Eight-way joystick, Buttons A, B, C, D
Dungeons and Dragons is a real blast from the past. The original D&D (1974) was the first successful role-playing game (RPG) to hit the scene, although an early Sixties play-by-mail game called Hyborian Age managed to pip D&D at the post. Somewhere along the line, RPGs got a little too complicated for some folks: Endless rule books, maps, figurines and dozens of funny-shaped dice were bog standard basics required for a halfway decent game. The magic system and combat phases of Classic D&D are still absolute dogs to understand in their entirety. This sad fact alone has sent many a fearless warrior scurrying for the nearest computer-based version of the game, almost every time!
Capcom have managed to strip away most of the fluff that surrounds D&D, mercifully without hurting either its sheer fantasy value, or the unpredictability typical in a full-on session of dice rolling. The console is able to support four players, who may choose to play as a Fighter, Cleric, Elf or Dwarf. D&D purists may cringe in horror, since Elves and Dwarves are actually "races" rather than "professions". This is all quite reasonable, since an arcade game does not allow for hanging around while a Thief or Ranger does their own special "thing"; the emphasis of Capcom's D&D is on ACTION!
Decisions, decisions... A Fighter is pure muscle and cold steel. Nothing subtle there, although he is able to use all of the magical rings and most artifacts discovered during the adventure. The Cleric cannot use edged weapons of any kind, which means that it's quite acceptable to pulp the internal organs of a critter with one's mace, but the Chaps Upstairs do not grant miraculous powers to anyone who sticks a blade between someone's ribs... Tough bikkies. Clerics can throw a few decent combat spells around: Sticks to Snakes, Striking, Hold Person, Cure Serious Wounds and Continual Light.
Some beneficial spell effects can be transferred to another player's character. If another player is near the Cleric when Striking is cast, that player's combat ability is also increased. Cure Serious Wounds works in a similar manner, although I believe that the number of hit points restored are spread evenly among all players in reach. The Cleric and Elf must "recharge" by picking up spellbooks along the way, although a Cleric has the special ability to cast Turn Undead at any time. This makes life a lot simpler when your party is hip-deep in Skeletal Warriors, since those particular boogers have a nasty habit of resurrecting themselves a couple of times.
The Elf is actually a Fighter/Mage. As a Fighter, an Elf is considerably more agile than the other characters, and is able to use a bow for attacking at range. Magic is used purely for its offensive value. An Elf can cast Magic Missile, Cloud Kill, Fireball, Lightning Bolt, Ice Storm, Polymorph and Invisibility during combat. Two spells have to be used with special care: Polymorph will turn a monster into a small, harmless critter all right, but this has to be done at short range. Invisibility works well too, but only as long as the Elf refrains from hitting anything. Great for pacifists, but when everyone else is backed against a wall and fighting for their lives, this spell has a somewhat dubious value.
If playing a Dwarf, your sole abilities are great strength and a hide like a rhino. Let the Fighter, Cleric and Elf cop all the lumps, then stroll in to pick up the goodies. The others may not see your heroic "rearguard action" in quite the same light, but they have all the super powers. Should anyone complain, merely say you were playing "in character"!
What we have here is something like Golden Axe, although there are a few twists to the gameplay. Button A activates an attack, Button B makes your character jump, Button C cycles through an inventory, and Button D selects the proper item for use. As far as I can determine, there are no cute little cheats activated by these buttons, so tough luck!
Each slot in the inventory can hold up to nine items of the same type. As play progresses, you may pick up treasure from defeated monsters. This is usually gold and jewels, although weapons, magical artifacts and spellbooks are left laying around. Magical rings have a number of effects, from improving a player's armour class and resistance to magical damage, up to the ability to unleash a number of offensive spells like Fireball or Lightning Bolt. Gauntlets of Ogre Power and Boots of Speed are scarcer than hen's teeth used to be, but there is no harm in grabbing them if and when they do turn up.
Beware when opening treasure chests, since some of them are trapped. It's quite easy to tell when a chest contains a trap... When it emits a hail of darts, a cloud of gas or fireballs, or whacking great boulders start falling from the ceiling, then it's a fair bet that it was a trap! I thought that there might be a subtle difference between jinxed and safe chests; but it must have been REALLY subtle, because I couldn't spot it at all!
If you are unlucky enough to catch a fireball or oil flask in combat, waggle the joystick rapidly left and right. This sometimes decreases the amount of damage to your character, but you still have a chance of being Rare, Medium or Well Done.
D&D: Tower of Doom is fairly unique, in that it offers a multiple choice of routes through the adventure, as well as a modest increase in total hit points upon completion of a level. Each successful encounter or action awards a number of "experience points" (XP). When a character amasses enough XP, he or she advances to the next skill level. Naturally, the higher the level, the harder the monsters are to defeat. The game itself is immensely enjoyable to play, since it contains some pretty hectic action, but without the added frustration of trying to remember an insane number of button combinations and joystick positions. If you enjoy fantasy RPGs or combat games, Dungeons and Dragons is just the game for a moderately skilled player in either genre to enjoy. Nothing complicated, but enough combat and variety to keep you coming back for more.
RATING: 8.5 out of 10.