Heimdall - Core Design RRP œ34.99 (Special Reserve œ11.99-œ17.99)
              (RPG for PC, ST and Amiga)

           Reviewed on Amiga by Steve McLaren

I am not very keen on RPG adventures. I have tried a few and not
really got on with them but I still bought Heimdall as I am very
interested in Vikings and such.

Well, what do you get for your money? First a very nice box with 5
disks and a booklet. The booklet is very well written and laid
out, so you can get to grips with the game straight away. Once
read, you soon get to know what Heimdall is all about. There is a
very good introduction to the game in the booklet. Here is some of
the intro.

In ages past, Odin, the God King of all Valhalla and Asgard,
created from nothing the Viking people, shaped in the form of the
Gods (a bit smaller though). He found pleasure in their
appearance. But looking around he saw that there wasn't enough
room for them in all Valhalla, so ...

If you want to read the rest you will have to buy the game. Right,
once you have seen and read the introduction to the game which is
very good and colourful then it's on to the game. It is best to do
the three sub-games before going into the main game as this gives
you a better choice of men and the attributes you get to go with
your men. They are good. The first one is an axe-throwing contest
for which Heimdall has had too many lagers. He has been given ten
axes to throw at Helga to try and cut her pigtails. You need to
cut all or as many pigtails as possible. This is not easily done
since the cross-hair is a bit shaky because you have drunk too
much.

The second sub-game is a bit more tricky. You are taken down to
the local pig farm and you have to catch a rather smelly pig and
to make your task even harder the pig has been greased, so you
need to grab the pig and hold him. You have very little time to do
this so time is of the essence here. You need to be very quick and
nimble, the time is indicated at the bottom of the screen by a
spinning axe.

The third and final sub-game is a boat fighting contest. You are
taken down to the harbour where all the Viking longboats are and
on one of them is a sack of coins. You have to fight your way past
three guards, grab the bag and head back to your boat. The time is
very important here. Again, the spinning axe determines your time
and if you get knocked overboard by one of the guards the game is
over or if you get the bag and take it back to your starting
point.

After you have done all that then it is time to choose your men.
Careful planning is needed here. You need fighters and a wizard
plus a navigator who is very useful when travelling on the high
seas.

You have three worlds to complete and each has its own quest. On
World One, your first quest is to recover Thor's Hammer. Once
again careful planning for which islands to go to first is very
important. Once you have been to a few the ideas come very easy.
I found the fighting sequences not too hard at all. Once you have
some good weapons the fighting is quickly over. I found the silver
daggers the best bet and some very good spells to use to overcome
your opponent. Some of your opponents carry some useful items and
some carry none at all.  In the other two quests you need to find
Frey's Spear and Odin's Sword. The graphics are very good indeed
and colourful and the scrolling up and down and across is very
good indeed. The music is rather good at first but soon becomes
repetitive. The sound effects aren't very good but, what the hell,
the gameplay is very good.

It is joystick and mouse-controlled. The joystick is to move one
of your men around, the mouse is for fighting movements. I would
say, overall, it is not too hard for a beginner but may be too
easy for an experienced RPG player. Since I have played and
completed the game I was satisfied so I am now venturing on to Eye
of the Beholder. Who knows, I may even beat the evil lord, but
that will be another story.