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"One of the first games I owned and still one of the best games I’ve played."

It's mentioning before getting underway that this review is based on the Atari XE version of the game rather than the C64, though I'm sure any differences between the two versions are negligible to none.

Henry's House is a platform game and has similar look and feel to Mario Brothers on the NES. Two big differences being the levels and sprites including Henry himself are a fair degree larger and the levels are static, in that they don't scroll from left to right but are instead fixed into place, in a similar manner to Bubble Bobble for those familiar with that game. The basic premise (prince) Henry has taken a magic potion that has shrunk him down to a few inches tall, and the aim is to find the antidote to this potion which is located in the attic of his house. There are eight rooms represented by levels in this game, these include the cupboard, the bathroom, kitchen, toy room, living room, bedroom, kitchen and the attic.

Strewn throughout the level are various objects, all of these must be collected, and a key, this must also be collected to exit the level through the levels exit. Each level is packed full of obstacles, pitfalls and traps that must negotiated, not always as easy as it seems, and you must always be on your guard for the unexpected. Touching large solid objects will loose you a life, touching anything that moves will lose you a life, falling great a height will also lose you a life. When you lose all three of your lives you will have to restart the level over again.

The graphics of this game are superb for it's time, not quite up to the standard of Super Mario Brothers but certainly close. The levels of detail is good, you can clearly see what everything is meant to be, there's a good use of colour and many of the sprites including Henry himself are well animated. Sound is also good, from the “Rule Britannia” theme music that plays on the title screen and in-between levels, to the ambient sound effects of boots stomping, water draining/dripping, false teeth being brushed and the propellers of a toy plane, all well done considering the limitations of the hardware. It's also good how Henry himself makes a various sounds as he walks jumps and climbs up and down ladders. A nice touch being the pitch of the noise Henry makes raises and lowers should he climb up or down a ladder or jump to a higher or lower platform. The game is well presented, playable, has great graphics and sound (for its time), good control, good learning curve and has just the right blend of both action and puzzle solving. Henry's House is a platform game that requires both skill and brains, many of the obstacles you encounter can only be negotiated if you jump from just the right place, or move at just the right time.

Henry's House does have two minor faults. One being it has no ending, you just go right back to level 1 again, it would have been nice to have had more of a reward for your efforts. And with 8 levels the game is relatively short if you're experienced enough at playing it you can complete the game in a matter of minutes, but it should still provide a decent challenge initially. For these reasons Henry's House just falls short of getting a 10/10, but then only by the skin of it's teeth. Henry's House is a hidden gem, a gem that unfortunately few people have even heard of let alone played, not so much a forgotten classic as an unknown classic of it's time.


Reviewer's Score: 9/10 | Originally Posted: 03/27/06