Wonder Boy III: Monster Lair (ARC, 1988)
Graphics-8 Sound-9 Control-7 Challenge-8* Story-5
Level Design-7 Frustration-8* Fun-7* Originality-5
Overall Score-7
*1-player
+ Good length, 2-player co-op, difficulty options, you can hurl yourself onto platforms by grabbing the edges, air glide/hover (hold up+jump), limited invincibility and food power ups, great art direction, some good bosses (dracula, final boss, ice man), three more levels than in the MD version, pretty fast paced and sometimes intense, some cool weapons (fire shield, ring/spread shot), speed up the scrolling by moving towards the edge of the screen (see Altered Beast)
+/- Short time limit on all weapons but the default one (kind of annoying when facing bosses), can't aim up- or downwards
- Credits don't work in the final level, repetitive (repeats 2 levels, shooter levels all have the same simple layout), some trial & error (cheap hits if you have the wrong weapon, fast flyers, bosses), the desert level and boss (too fast and frantic), some control problems (somewhat slippery movement, can't crouch, no jump height control), loose scrolling (you end up too close to the edge of the screen when running towards it), no speed adjustment in the shooter levels, sometimes you really need to be able to shoot backwards (you can only carry one weapon at a time)
Level Design-7 Frustration-8* Fun-7* Originality-5
Overall Score-7
*1-player
+ Good length, 2-player co-op, difficulty options, you can hurl yourself onto platforms by grabbing the edges, air glide/hover (hold up+jump), limited invincibility and food power ups, great art direction, some good bosses (dracula, final boss, ice man), three more levels than in the MD version, pretty fast paced and sometimes intense, some cool weapons (fire shield, ring/spread shot), speed up the scrolling by moving towards the edge of the screen (see Altered Beast)
+/- Short time limit on all weapons but the default one (kind of annoying when facing bosses), can't aim up- or downwards
- Credits don't work in the final level, repetitive (repeats 2 levels, shooter levels all have the same simple layout), some trial & error (cheap hits if you have the wrong weapon, fast flyers, bosses), the desert level and boss (too fast and frantic), some control problems (somewhat slippery movement, can't crouch, no jump height control), loose scrolling (you end up too close to the edge of the screen when running towards it), no speed adjustment in the shooter levels, sometimes you really need to be able to shoot backwards (you can only carry one weapon at a time)
