Review scoopings 3/5 · Feb 4, 2022
Atari Version Is Much Better Than The Apple II Version
Look: 8/10
GREAT animated title screen: 
EDIT: the Apple II version may look better, but the Atari version plays much better.
Play: 7/10 Apple II version: I really wanted to enjoy this. great concept, great graphics, but my goodness are the controls a joke. If you decide to try to tackle this beautiful but frustrating game, know that it is …
Look: 8/10
GREAT animated title screen:
EDIT: the Apple II version may look better, but the Atari version plays much better.
Play: 7/10 Apple II version: I really wanted to enjoy this. great concept, great graphics, but my goodness are the controls a joke. If you decide to try to tackle this beautiful but frustrating game, know that it is "i j k m" movement, but somehow otherwise not the same game as the manual I used for it? Lol far out.
3-10-22 EDIT: I finally got to play the Atari version--much more enjoyable controls indeed. Fast-paced, fun game. First it feels like Mario parts as you dodge fireballs in the first screen, then it feels like an Atari action-adventure game where you move super fast on a screen collecting all the treasures and dodging the dragons' attacks before exiting out the upper left. Pro-tip: you can jump while still ducking, so you can be very fast-paced: indeed, this game is very fast-paced.
Feel: 7/10 Peculiar/Special to me that the first time I saw this game title was in an Apple Floppy Disk compilation compiled for archive.org . Nevertheless, this was a definite disappointment in terms of actually accessible gameplay. Sucks when the microcomputer controls absurdities are what get in the way of an otherwise brilliant game full of potential. That may be more a testament to my faults than the games' faults, but I can't help but rate from myself heh.. EDIT: As much as I did love the Atari version, it eventually got so fast-paced (that Yellow Dragon is ridiculous! ha... luckily your character moves insanely fast too) and repetitive-feeling. Still, much better game than I first gave it credit for.
Attachment: 7/10 I want to give this another try, because the potential is there and the graphics are good and I love the Apple II, but it's unlikely I will have time/the mental energy to do so. Still, the fact remains that I have an odd urge to give this a proper try if I ever get back "fully" in my gaming mood, rather than just this early 80s arcade gaming mood I've been in. EDIT: Well, indeed, I did return to this ha, and the Atari version was much better. Still, not a game I will return to regularly, but this is a great game.
3-10-22 Completion: 2510 Score before giving up, not dying emphasized text Playtime: ~20 mins in total
