In early 1990s, Readysoft released a number of animated action games that became instant hits on the Laserdisc platform, although their PC counterparts suffered poor sales in comparison. This is by no means surprising: although these games boast very high production values and excellent animations created by Don Bluth Studios, their value as games is sorely lacking. These game are little more than PC "choose-your-own-adventure" books, in which gameplay is boiled down to choosing an action from multiple choices. The PC versions are, naturally, cut-down sprouts of the Laserdisc originals, with many sequences missing altogether. It wasn't until the advent of the CD-ROM that Readysoft (now sold to Digital Leisure) started making "deluxe" versions of these games and putting them on CD-ROMs and later DVDs. Treat the games as fun and humorous computer cartoons, but don't expect them to be involving. Excerpt from Rob's original review of Wrath of the Demon at CW#3: "A nice side-scrolling action game converted from the Amiga. Similar to the popular Shadow of the Beast by Psygnosis but still a unique game." One of the rare titles from Readysoft that wasn't based on a Laserdisc arcade game. Well worth a look, especially since it's much more interactive than the later bloated animation extravaganzas masquerading as games. Thumbs up! Reviewed by: Underdogs |