You are Halpo, a young Patryn who just escaped the Labyrinth with the help of Lord Xar. Your mission is to retrieve the five parts of the world seal on each world. This will enable Lord Xar to reshape the world and take revenge upon the Sartans. To do so you must travel from realm to realm through the deathgate.
You must learn the secret of each realm by asking questions to the right mensch and mastering many spells. You will have to face numerous problems while solving those of others before they give you that bit of information that was lacking.
The first thing you see is a beautiful SVGA introduction. The game is quite easy to play. You have a choice of verbs like "take" and "open" which are activated by clicking on them. For special objects or persons, you have other choices like "activate", "use" and "talk to". For example, "look at Xar", "talk to Xar", etc... simple. There is a compass on the bottom of your screen which indicates (in green) the possible directions. One option allows you to switch between map and screen, so you do not need wonder brains or tons of flying sheets of paper on which to draw usable maps. Besides, help is always available. An important part of the game is based on magic. When you cast a spell, you must draw the rune in the air. These runes are made by the gathering of different magic stones which are very beautifully animated. Do not worry, there are no magic points, so you can cast as often as you like. In order to find clues regarding what to do or where to go next, you must inquire of people and listen to them attentively.
You have a vast choice of possible questions, even silly ones. The answers are full of variety and good humor. The sound card is a must for playing this game. With all the different voices recorded by the cast, it is very pleasant to hear them speak rather than have to read the dialogue. The puzzles you are going to face are not that simple, so play when you are calm, relaxed and try to avoid rushing into it without carefully examining each room or screen. If difficulties persist, perhaps after a good nights sleep, you will be more successful. In this game, one is rewarded points (of the available 1500) for proper execution of various tasks in any given situation. I personally ran into some difficulty during the game when I was challenged to answer three questions in a row without a single clue... Be sure to ask all the questions possible to ensure that you do not miss anything! Collecting clues shall require patience, particularly from a two hundred year old grumbling dwarf.
The animations are a must-see! Flying about through the Death Gate in a dragon-winged ship, all enhanced by 3D Studio, is quite an experience. One thing I must admit about this game is that it is extremely captivating. It offers delightful images coupled with the confrontation of genuinely mind-challenging puzzles. You will simply not want quit until they have all been solved. When you finally overcome in one area, you will consequently feel so confident that you will decide to proceed to the next enigma. You may end up witnessing the crack of dawn ritualistically due to DEATH GATE!
Legend
GRAPHICS -------------- 92% P.O. BOX 10810,
SOUND -------------- 90% 14200 Park Meadow Drive,
MUSIC -------------- 90% Chantilly, VA 22021-0810
GAMEPLAY -------------- 90% Tel: 703-222-8500
INTEREST -------------- 92%
Legend is distributed worldwide by
Accolade.
OVERALL -------------- 91% Accolade:
Europe: +44-(0)81-788-0200
North America: 408-985-1700
