C&VG


Arabian Nights

Publisher: Interceptor Micros
Machine: Commodore 64

 
Published in Computer & Video Games #36

Arabian Nights

This is the story of Imrahil, the Kalendar prince, and his quest to free the beautiful Princess Anitra from the clutches of the evil Sultan Saladin!

Tales Of The Arabian Nights, from Interceptor Micros, is based on those age-old stories reputedly told by Scheherazade, an extremely famous story-teller. Famous among Bedouin tribesmen in the deserts of Arabia anyway! These tales were written down in a book, called Tales Of The Arabian Nights - which you should read if you haven't already.

Interceptor's computerised version of these tales is great fun to play. You have to guide Imrahil through the many hazards he encounters in his quest to save the princess. There are some baffling climbing-style screens and some all action shoot-'em-up sections which take place on a flying carpet. And it talks! More of that later.

Tales Of The Arabian Nights

The game is decidedly Jeff Minteresque in execution, with some original-looking graphics, like those flying carpets.

Imrahil's quest begins aboard Sinbad's ship where he has to swing around in the rigging, climb masts and avoid nasties like the giant octopus and the vulture, while collecting a series of golden jars.

Each har has one letter of the word "ARABIAN" engraved on the side. Imrahil has to collect these jars in the right order to spell out the word in order to move onto the next screen.

Tales Of The Arabian Nights

After the perilous sea voyage, Imrahil finds himself in the delta of the river Ahnil. He is swept upstream - but must avoid the giant boulders raining down into the river until he reaches the bewitched cavern of Al-Khemizd which is full of horrible genies out to do our hero a mischief and stop him reaching the princess.

The cavern is another climbing screen - and those golden jars set him another spelling test.

Escaping from the cavern on a magic carpet after solving the mystery of those jars, Imrahil finds himself en route to Baghdad and the Sultan's palace.

Tales Of The Arabian Nights

But the Sultan's squadron of flying carpeteers are out to stop him - and there are archers firing lethal arrows at him from the ground!

Survive this and it's on to the Sultan's palace where the beautiful princess awaits.

More climbing-style screens and, you guessed it, those golden jars again and then Imrahil finally gets to rescue the princess and whisk her away into the sunset on his flying carpet.

Tales Of The Arabian Nights

Interceptor has come up with an interesting combination of a Manic Miner-type climbing game with a dash of scrolling shoot out to add spice, and produced a real winner.

And to make the game even more interesting, it speaks to you! Yes, you'll believe a Commodore can talk after you've played Arabian Nights! A gruff Arab-sounding voice introduces each screen and describes the next part of Imrahil's quest. Great music too from the keyboard of Chris Cox.

Arabian Nights will take you some time to master and you'll have fun attempting to reach that elusive next screen. One minor criticism is that you lose all the letters of the word "ARABIAN" if you lose a life - I'd prefer it if you could retain them and not have to start a screen from scratch.

Get Arabian Nights and you'll be playing happily ever after.