Dungeon Master

Review by MD Pontiac

Dungeon Master is THE Computer RPG which originally defined the words. When it appeared back in the early 80s it set the standard by which all Role Playing Games were judged. What may seem tired and dated now was ground-breaking material back then. Previously, no-one had ever heard of 3D Combat CRPGs set in real-time, but Dungeon Master changed all that.

In Dungeon Master you assume the role of Theron, an assistant of the Grey Lord, a powerful wizard. To cut a long story short, the Grey Lords nemesis, Chaos, has inhabited his dungeon and he wants it back! Giving you a choice of 4 players imprisoned in mirrors in the Hall Of Champions, the Grey Lord sends you on your quest to bring order back to your masters dungeon. Choosing 4 players isn't easy. You have a choice of of many classes: male or female, human or alien, speed or strength and of power of mind or sword. Or you could make the obvious choice and go for a balanced team, which seems to be the preferred choice of the majority of CRPG-ers. You also have to choose whether to ressurect or reincarnate your team members, another important decision which has both advantages and disadvantages. Once you've made your choice you've made one of the hardest and most important decisions in the game - and you haven't even got off the first level yet! That's an indication of just how complicated the game is.

Fourteen levels of hack-and-slash dungeon bashing await you, with some complex puzzles thrown in for good measure. The "Riddle Room" level contains some of the best puzzles in the CRPG world. The graphics may seem dated now but were ground-breaking at the time of release in the early eighties, and rightly so. They're more realistic in my opinion than Eye Of The Beholder and the early Might & Magic games. The sound is excellent, plain and simple. The intro music at the start, as you enter the Hall Of Champions, is one of the best scores I've ever heard in a video game. And that's saying something, having played many SNES RPGs with award-winning music such as Secret Of Mana, Soul Blazer and Zelda III: A Link To The Past. This game is quite possibly THE best I have ever played. The cumbersome speed and below-par graphics simply cannot take away from what is a truly excellent, timeless game.

Graphics: 70

Gameplay: 93

Sound: 90

Lifespan: 97

Overall Score: 98