You may remember this title appearing on the original Nintendo or the Sega Master system. In its GameBoy incarnation, it has not lost a thing. Exactly as its predecessor, you play Arthur in his quest to slay evil and get your girl back. For some reason you start off in your underwear, and when the evil devil-sprite comes and takes your honey to a far off castle, you rush to your armor, spear in hand, and head off to perform your knightly duties.

You don't have much to use during your plight. As you travel past seven different levels of villages, forests, caves and mountains, you have the chance to pick up various fire weapons, but nothing more. If by chance you lose your armor (and believe me you will) , you have the chance of gaining another; although usually you will perish horribly before that happens. Like most original Nintendo games, characters have yet evolved to the point where they can swim, so you will often find times when avoiding a shallow watery death becomes your main focus; along with falling off into the dark nothingness from high places. In all, Ghost and Goblins plays like a very traditional side scroller...nothing new here.

So am I bashing this game? I wouldn't dare. I cannot bash anything that is as challenging as this title. I had forgotten how much this game frustrated me back when I still hadn't developed the art of cursing. This game is simply hard. Anyone picking up this game for the first time will experience death many times before moving on to the next stage. It is as if the programmers only made one way to beat this game and any misstep or jump that deviates from their plan leads to starting from scratch. While this can be a bit tedious, it makes the game even more fun as it actually makes you feel you have accomplished something in the end. Fortunately, G&G uses a password system, so you can be assured that once you pass a certain section, you have passed it for good. However, if you are playing for points, you may want to revisit old sections and hope to score some of the lucky bonuses which pop up from time to time.

Since this is a near-perfect clone from Nintendo, the graphics aren't really much of an issue. On the color, GameBoy characters and background come of clear and defined, retaining the moody dark color scheme. If you compare this to newer GBC titles, you will find only slight differences in level of detail. In terms of the sound, it seems to have followed the repeating tune formula of most GameBoy games. It may be cool for a while, but in the end you find yourself playing it mute.

In all, Ghost and Goblins is a hard title to get through. Essentially it is frustration in portable form. But above all it is a great way to appreciate the good old Nintendo days.

· · · Agent Smith