OK … I tallied up the total of all the money I would have right now if I kept all of my allowances that I earned back when I was about ages 8 – 12, and it came out to about $4,000. Where did all of this money go back in the day? Why … to arcade games of course! Granted, we had an Intellivision back then (and I am still a proud owner of two working ones today … but back to the point), but when you got around all of the chirping, whooshing, and zipping of such stand up titles as Tempest, Galaxian, Pac-man, and an untold number of others, you just couldn’t help pushing that big total $10.00 weekly into the change machine and blowing it all on a game with no real ending. Well, I remember one day I walked into the local arcade, and there stood one of the coolest stand-up titles I had ever seen … Dragon’s Lair. When I look back, the gameplay was basically a video version of a choose your own adventure book, but many people, like myself, just couldn’t resist playing an interactive cartoon. Years later, Dragon’s Lair is still floating around and has popped up in many different forms, the most recent of which is a high definition version of the classic title.

Dragon’s Lair HD is, in fact, the classic game presented in high-def format, and it comes complete with all of the classic pinging sounds of the arcade version and the same concept … guide Dirk the Daring through various levels of an evil magician’s castle by hitting up, down, left, right, or the sword button at just the right time, or die in some crazy fashion if you hit the wrong thing and watch a cinematic presentation of his demise. In addition, the original scoring is included in this version as well, so for each right move you make and level you clear, you will also rack up points accordingly. Honestly, I didn’t really understand how the scoring system actually worked, since I would get 90 points sometimes just for starting a level, then 0 the next time, but for any of you who understand it it’s back in there.

In this version, you also have the option of simply watching the game play out level by level instead of sitting down and playing it, so for those of you who maybe never got to see all of the game or beat it, you can go in and watch it run from start to finish. In addition, it also comes in handy to watch each scene individually if you happen to get stuck on one, since it can help you figure out what you are pressing wrong or what needs to be hit at what time.

Overall, there’s not a whole lot more I can really say about it. The new added watch mode was kind of neat, and it’s always fun for me to take a walk down memory lane by playing a classic game … and save all of my allowance (I’m married now so, yes, I still get a weekly allowance). Kids will probably have some fun with the game since it’s in a neat cartoon format, and older gamers like me who tossed an untold number of quarters into one of the stand-up machines trying to beat the Lizard King or get by the disintegrating room level will get some fun out of it, but in the end it is classic Dragon’s Lair … so be prepared to simply use timed button presses and probably do-overs over some bad timing now and then.    

Gameplay: 5.0
The game is simply timed button presses in a cartoon story, and nothing more than that. I had a couple of issues with thinking I pressed a button when I was supposed to but died anyways, but that may be just me (but I’m tossing it in there since it may be the game, too). The added feature of watching the game from start to finish, including all the ways Dirk can die was neat, and it can help get you through a stuck point if needed.   

Graphics: 8.5 
The game is an animated cartoon by Don Bluth, and it looks great in the high-definition format. Even if you don’t have high def it is still an animated Don Bluth cartoon, so it still looks decent.  

Sound: 7.8
The game features all of the classic sounds from the arcade, which were written for an animated cartoon rather than just another video game.     

Difficulty: Hard
The game is obviously easy to figure out, but trying to remember or find which button to press at what time can be difficult, and for first time players it will take a while to get all of the patterns down.  

Concept: 6.5 
It was neat to have a high-def version of the game, and to have the added option of just watching, but there’s not really anything else to it than that … and the game does show its age. This would have been a great opportunity to maybe bundle in Space Ace or add other versions of the game that were released to give it a little more.

Overall: 6.0
This is a good purchase for the Dragon’s Lair fan, especially if you have a high-def monitor or have your PC hooked to the HDTV, but it is what it is … the classic version of Dragon’s Lair, which may or may provide a lot of fun for you, depending on how big a fan you are. Kids will probably get a kick out of it for the cartoons, but it may be too frustrating to play or may not provide enough entertainment due to the simplistic gameplay.