The Final Word game review

Dragon's Lair -- ReadySoft

This arcade LaserDisc classic makes the jump to home gaming yet again in Dragon's Lair for the 3DO. Adventure as Dirk the Daring on a hazardous quest to save the beautiful princess Daphne from the evil dragon. Battle witches, demons, perils and pitfalls in this full-motion animated adventure.

Ferrari Man
Yet another incarnation of the eternally popular arcade hit. Only this one was definitely missing something... where the heck to go! There were no blinking yellow hints, no guides, no sounds, nothing. For the Dragon's Lair veteran this may not matter, but for the newcomers out there, this absolutely ruins the game in my book. I found it challenging just to remember what I was supposed to do, much less actually time it from the original incarnation of the game. However, the graphics were clean - and the sound perfect. For Dragon's Lair die-hards this is a great title, but for anyone new to the game I would just look for an old arcade.

Dr. Otto
What's to say? Dirk's back and as good as I can remember. I grew up with the original arcade version and was quite satisfied with the 3DO translation. Mind you, the visuals aren't as clear as the CD-i version, but on the other hand, the 3DO actually has games, so for my buck, this one's the last word for me as far as value is concerned. Sound sync is only off slightly in some spots and a few (well, o.k., two) levels are missing (why? who knows). But still a good representation of the original. A must buy for the two or three dozen of us who like FMV games (atleast they keep telling us nobody likes them... but if they weren't making money do you think they'd keep making them?? Somebody's turning a profit...).

R.I.P.
No question, this is Dragon's Lair, probably the best version to date, but then it should be based on system alone. If you need to own Dragon's Lair then this is the version to get.

Salamander
A perfect translation... provided you have the game memorized. Graphics, sound and gameplay are identical to the arcade classic, however, the absence of the yellow lamps can make the game a little too challenging at times. (There were moments when I knew exactly what to do, but when to do it was another story.) Otherwise an excellent conversion.

>>>>> 69.0/100 <<<<<		Ferrari Man	Dr.Otto	R.I.P.	Salamander
Graphics		4.0	4.5	4.0	4.5
Sound		4.5	4.5	4.0	4.0
Gameplay/Control		1.0	3.0	4.0	3.0
Longevity/Playability		1.0	3.0	3.0	3.0
Overall		3.0	4.0	4.0	3.0
Total		13.5	19.0	19.0	17.5

(04/95)