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Probe Software, £9.99 cass
Author: Brian O'Shaunessy

The Devil's Crown is the latest graphic adventure to appear on the Amstrad. You control a deep sea explorer equiped with some kind of undersea buggy, exploring the wreck of an ancient pirate ship. You have to recover a series of treasures hidden around the wreckage in order to win the game. There are problems however.

First of all, the ship is still inhabited by the ghosts of the original pirate crew and they are determined to make your job impossible. Then there are some very intelligent fishes with whom you have to dispense This is easier than it sounds. And you must find constant supplies of oxygen and weaponry if you are to avoid certain death.
The various objects that are lying around normally help you continue the mission but there are exceptions. A lantern allows you to see in certain rooms which would otherwise have remained totally black, but a Jolly Roger flag kills you out-right. Only trial and error (or in our case a phone call from Probe Software) sorts out the good from the bad. You can normally pick up only one object at a time but there are some exceptions to this rule; if you pick up a lantern and then try to carry a bottle of rum, the lantern will be left behind. However, you are entitled to replenish your oxygen supply by picking up an oxygen tank and then picking up a gun to increase your number of bullets and then pick up a lantern. Basically, as long as you are only replenishing supplies, carrying multiple objects is acceptable.
The fish are definitely intelligent. If there is one in a room with you when you replenish your oxygen supply or even if you happen to have plenty of oxygen on you, it will attack and steal almost all your air. If you attempt to kilt it, then it will try to avoid your fire. Nasty little pieces of work. Sometimes they have enough air to keep them happy - but beware, this never lasts long.
The ghosts aren't exactly fri-endly either. When you enter a room with a ghost, it attacks you. At first it's hard to tell just what it is the ghosts do. In fact they actually swap what you are carrying for something else. Sometimes this is actually good because you can suddenly find your oxygen supply being replenished. More often than not, owever, they shove a Jolly Roger flag in your paws and it's game over. There is a method of stopping the ghosts from chas-ing you Placing a certain object in the same room will make them totally inactive. Won't tell you what that is though I
Initially you are given a message to find three bells. You have to find a room where three bells are flashing on and off. Then you wander around trying find solid bells (ie ones that don't flash). Eventually you must replace alt three of the flashing bells with the real ones. Only then does a flashing treasure appear which you have to replace with a real one. There are seven treasures in all, so your work is cut out for you.
The game maintains a fast pace and the graphics are extremely colourful. The game has a strategic aspect in the way you use the various items available. For instance, there are seven dark rooms but only five lanterns so some swapping and carrying is required. You could get through dark rooms which remain unlit but they invariably contain things you need later on in the game, so you cannot afford to just disregard them.

Control keys:
A,S Left/Right;
SHIFT Fire/Take;
ENTER Pause;
ENTER (SMALL) Game Reset;
ESCAPE Crashes the game!

CRITICISM

Comparisons are always odious but with this game they are justified nonetheless. From the first moment you see it on your screen, you will think you have bought another version of Sorcery. Screen layout is very similar; the sound effect when you pass through the doors is identical and there are even the same number of screens! The plot is original and that is something of a saving grace but the game is doomed to unfavourable comparison. It is unlikely to be seen as an improvement on its classic cousin because of jerky joystick control. The graphics may be colourful but they are confusingly laid out and generally not as well ani-mated as in Sorcery.

Well it had to happen, I suppose. Devil's Crown is first in what I suspect to be a long line of Sorcery clones. The graphics, though above average, are well below the standard set by Virgin Games, Admittedly, the gameplay is of a higher standard than that of Sorcery but the implementation and programming standard is just not up to scratch. The joystick response was sluggish and the sprites flickered even though there was never that much moving on screen at any given time. Overall, I wasn't that impressed, especially considering that it's two pounds more expensive than Sorcery.

If you enjoyed Sorcery and aren't too bothered about sophisticated appearances then you might enjoy this game but there's no doubt that whatever you thought of the latter. Devil's Crown is not as good. The lack of a title screen and any kind of explanation of the plot is most irritating. It does employ some interesting ideas but they're spoiled by inefficient programming. Not a total loss but nothing to write home about either.

Presentation 39%
Easy to get into but no options, no title screen and no finesse.

Graphics 58%
Plenty of colour, but poorly animated and drawn,

Sound 35%
Unimaginative and sparse

Playability 57%
A sort of accidental friendliness

Addictive qualities 51%
If you're prepared to put up with the game's clumsiness, then it might be rewarding to ptay to its conclusion.

Value For Money 33%
Two quid over the odds for what it offers.

Overall 52%
You're probably better off buying Sorcery instead.