An evil magician has stolen the Enchanted Chalice in this great classic. This title proves graphics don't make the game.
There are three different versions that can be played. All of them consist of the same quest.Players begin the Golden Castle where An evil magician has stolen the Enchanted Chalice and hid it somewhere in the Kingdom. Players must obtain the Chalice and return it inside. Once that is done, the game is over. No score.
Accomplishing this quest is easy in the first game. As a little square dot, players guide their hero through the labyrinth maze, whose corridors don't seem to connect as they should, finding objects and killing dragons that look like ducks. There isn't too much to accomplish, but this gives players an idea of what to expect from the other two.
The second quest adds a horrible area called the Catacombs which will
drive most players crazy. You can't see where you're going because the
screen moves with the hero and there's only limited area of visibility around him. The Black Castle also has an area completely identical to this and they can take quite awhile to get through for non-veterans of the game. Another annoyance comes in the form of a new beastie. This one's a giant black bat that steals items, redistributes them throughout the kingdom, and cannot be killed by any means. After the first few times, players'll wish they had the ability to blast him to dust.
The final quest is essentially the same as the second, other than the items are randomly scattered about instead of loaded at fixed positions. This certainly adds to the replay value making each game a unique experience. Trouble only starts when the gold key spawns inside the castle.
Play is fairly simple. The hero cannot carry more than one item, so players will be trekking around to grab what they need. It might seem a little annoying, but this doesn't detract from the game's value.
The only sounds in the game are a few blips when picking up items, slaying dragons, returning the chalice, and when dragons try to eat the hero. The graphics are fairly poor, compared to other titles available. The bat looks odd, and the dragons look like ducks, but having been done by the programmers, you really can't complain. The color cycling on the Enchanted Chalice is also a nice touch.
Despite it's primitive presentation, this game is very enjoyable to play and a big player Atari's history, featuring the very first easter egg in a video game. No self-respecting Atari owner should let this game go and new collectors should definitely give this game some playtime. It deserves it.