The Legend of Kyrandia (Book One)

This series was and still is a favourite out of all the games I have played in the classical adventure style. The game for the most part is pretty lighthearted with lots of gentle humour, the graphics for a 256 colour game are beautiful. The characters are also likable, from the gentle and kind Brynn, to the forgetful and scatter-brained Darm, to the helpful but slightly feisty and impatient Zanthia Brandon is a bit immature and can get whiny "why do I have to do everything", but then I guess not everyone would throw themselves into a quest to defeat an evil jester with the enthusiasm and zeal of King Graham (another series I enjoy) and unless you keep clicking on Brandon to make him comment it doesn't get too annoying, You can die in this game although its not as unforgiving as most of the Sierra games, Be warned though that there are one or two dead ends if you forget or lose/destroy certain objects, so save often and have more than one save at a time. Also the guide that GOG has supplied as a download, I recommend you do download. While most of the game can be solved without, it there are two mazes in this game. The second one can be navigated easily by trial and error and is nothing to worry about,, but the first (Serpents Grotto) is a nightmare unless you know where to go and the guide has a map which is vital for this area. On the whole this is a beautiful and fun fantasy adventure that fans of traditional point and click games should enjoy.

I LOVE this game! It was given to my kids for Christmas probably 20 years ago, but I am the one who became hooked on it. No other computer game has ever quite measured up. Its graphics and fairy tale quality appeal to me so much more than the "darkness" of most adventure games. Once you learn how to work the system and save the game every time you make progress, it's not too frustrating. I also made a map of the cave so I could get through it. Thanks for bringing back this game!

When released this was praised for its lavish production values, and the CD-Rom version here does not disappoint. The strength of the game is the vibrant fairy-tale world it portrays, but as most here note, the puzzles are more guesswork than anything else, and the maze in the middle of the game is a lot of busywork. Back in the day I bounced hard on the maze and abandoned the game. Going forward with the help of the strategy guide provided (which is nicely written), I am tempted to think that I did not miss much. I suggest a quick playthrough (around 4 hours) using the strategy guide, however I should note that the maze was a bit different in the game I played.

This Point-and-Click Adventure is very short, but it's is a game that I used to just dream about playing someday. It's hard to really nail it down, but there's something about the atmosphere, the environments, and the way it all unfolds that makes it something I've always wanted. The story, itself, isn't anything terribly out of the ordinary, but the way it takes you to the places that it does is what makes this really shine. Humor is sprinkled throughout, but sometimes, it's hard to tell whether or not it's intentional. The music is spectacular, if you like early '90s synth. The actual gameplay is good, what little is there. You'll collect gems and other ingredients for a variety of things, but primarily for mixing potions. The puzzles are pretty decent, with a few obtuse moments, but in this day and age, walkthroughs are common. so it's not really a problem. There are a few moments where I wish the game told you what certain things do, including one of the spells that you get. There's even a section where it would behoove you to draw your own map, if you're into that sort of thing. My biggest gripe with the gameplay is that there isn't enough of it. Mixing potions is fun, but very limited and the actual game is pretty short. Your mileage may vary, but this is a game that I wish I'd had back when it was new, though I'm still glad that GOG brought it to me now!

A huge disappointment. The game has serious flaws, crazy amounts of dead-ends and frustrating wandering around and trying this and that and hoping for a right combination. The puzzles are not adventure game puzzles that you're used to in Sierra's or Lucasarts' games. I bought the entire Kyrandia pack, but only managed to play the second game, as it's the only one with good gameplay and a fun lead character. Nr. 1 & 3 are just lame and I didn't bother finishing them.