FIRE KING

 FIRE KING is a strategy/arcade/role-playing game written by Micro Forte,
published by Strategic Studies Group, and distributed by Electronic Arts. FIRE
KING is more or less a clone of DEMON STALKERS (also from Micro Forte), and
features excellent graphics, animation, sound, a two-player mode, a save-game
option, lots of magic and monsters, keyboard and joystick control, and no copy
protection.

 The major difference between FIRE KING and DEMON STALKERS lies in the story In
DEMON STALKERS, we knew we were headed to a Level 100 confrontation with the
demon Calvrak; in FIRE KING, there is a mystery to be solved. A minor difference
is that FIRE KING does not proceed from level to level; rather, it moves through
mini-adventures. True, each adventure has multi-layered areas to explore and
conquer. But once you've completed a section, you'll be given your next
assignment, which is actually another part of the overall mystery. The basic
implementation of the game has been lifted from DEMON STALKERS. As we'l see,
this was a good idea.

 Four powerful mages maintain the harmony of an unnamed land by controlling the
elemental forces of Earth, Air, Fire, and Water (the Fire Mage being the
undisputed King). During a meeting of the mages, violence erupts and the Fire
Mage is killed by a Death Beast.

 The Beast itself is destroyed, but as the remains of the Fire King are being
sealed in the catacombs, another Beast appears and takes control of the land.
Monsters overrun the town and surrounding area, the Wind Mage is under attack in
his tower, and the Earth and Water Mages have disappeared. Your goal is to
descend into the catacombs beneath the Town, find a pair of artifacts, destroy
the Death Beast, and restore peace and harmony. However, destroying the Death
Beast reveals a tantalizing mystery -- one that will take you to many strange,
interesting, and deadly places.

 From the Character screen, you can select any of six adventurers: Brodric,
Hubert, Sally, Mungo, Emily, or The Shadow. Each is rated for Strength, Armor,
and Magic; each is equipped with a crossbow that never runs out of arrows; and
each has seven "pockets," inside of which as many as nine of the same kind of
items can be carried, used, or dropped.

 Along the way to solving the mystery, you'll find -- in addition to gold and
food -- many useful items: keys, books, bombs, scrolls (not all of them good),
magical boots for speed and walking through walls and fire, and magical rings of
heroism and invisibility. Jewels and mirrors are needed to destroy the Death
Beasts; helm, belt, and wand relics increase Strength, Armor, and Magic
attributes; "supershots" are special 5-shot, armor-piercing arrows; and death
spells destroy monsters and vortexes.

 The monsters include rats, wraiths, guards, mages, boulders, spiders, and
slimes. They drain your health points on contact, and are produced by bubbling
pits called vortexes. Some monsters (such as the green slimes) are
indestructible, and most all attack in groups.

 FIRE KING is a big game with much to explore: The Town has upper-level parapets
and several lower-level catacombs. There is the Fire King's Palace, the Water
Mage's Underwater Fortress, the Wind Mage's Tower, the Earth Mage's Hall, Mount
Deception, the Blistering Sands, the Fields of Fire, and the Molten Hills. The
inside of the game package has a map of the land and an overhead view of the
Town.

 The C64 screen displays these areas, and scrolls as you guide your adventurer.
Entering stairways will take you up or down to other levels, as will pushing
against the edge the level you're on. Other levels can be reached by shooting
away crumbling walls, or you can swim in sewer slime, pull on levers, jump into
pits, be controlled by a magic eddy, or get sucked into a whirlpool. You must
explore the Town, descend into the catacombs, and destroy the Death Beast before
going further. Although this first part of the adventure is not particularly
difficult, there is a walkthru in the instruction manual.

 FIRE KING is controlled with a joystick and the keyboard. The joystick moves
your adventurer in eight directions; the button fires your crossbow. The "S" key
accesses the Main Menu, where games can be saved and restored, a level can be
restarted, all doors can be opened, sound can be toggled, and (in dire
emergencies) you can be returned to your lodgings.

 The "Commodore" key is the Pocket Select key, and it brings up a small menu
that lets you use the joystick to cycle through the pockets, after which items
can be prepared for use or dropped. A double press of the Pocket Select key will
automatically use an item -- a death spell for example; other items (such as a
supershot) must be set first and can be used once you've returned to the action
screen.

 FIRE KING, which is the first SSG publication of a game from another compan
comes on two disks, both of which can be copied. Anti-piracy protection consists
of "The Oracle's Mystical Cypher," a codewheel that you'll need on completing
each mini-adventure.

 Other than minor differences in implementation, as well as those demanded by
the story and setting, FIRE KING looks and plays the same as DEMON STALKERS
(although it is in no sense a sequel). DS was a blast to play, held my interest
through 101 levels, and featured one of the wildest and most frantic action
screens in 8-bit gaming history. FIRE KING does not slight arcade action, and it
expands on the DS idea by way of an intricate and involved mystery. Graphics,
animation, sound, and gameplay are excellent. If you liked DEMON STALKERS,
you'll like FIRE KING. And even if you've never heard of DEMON STALKERS, you'll
still like FIRE KING.

 FIRE KING is published by Strategic Studies Group and distributed by Electronic
Arts.

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