Archon Classic

The Original "Archon: The Light and the Dark" dates back to 1983 and has been implemented for several Home computers, including Atari 800 XL, C64, Apple II, Amiga 500 and IBM PC. Archon Classic is a Remake that adds many additional Features to the original Game. But You can also just select the Classic mode and the Game looks the same as it used to and it plays out that way. The Game is a little reminiscent of Battle Chess. The Goal is to defeat the Opponent by either eliminating all Of the Opponent's characters or occupying All five so-called Powerpoints. It consists of two Parts. The one Part looks like a Chessboard (there are also the five Power points). There you can move your Figures, just like that works with Chess. Make Figures can only draw three Fields wide, others a little more. Some Characters can also fly, so pull them across other Characters as well. If two or more enemy Figures meet, then the second Part of the Game comes to Fruition: An Arena where the Characters fight each other. Unlike Battle Chess, however, you control your Characters here and don't just watch the Fight. Again, the Attributes of the Figures differ. Most can shoot. Some fast, some slower. However, they may do more Damage when they hit. Some Figures endure a lot, others are done on the first Hit. Then there are Melees who strike with a Mace or Sword or Have a Kind of Force field that injures or kills the Enemy. The Melees can compensate for their Disadvantage of the lack of distance Combat by being able To strike again much faster than other Figures have reloaded their Shot. This results in a relatively large number of tactical Possibilities, which make the Game interesting and varied. Original as Well as Remake are held in 2D. Man watches the Game from above. However, as mentioned above, the Remake has other additional Functions, such as secondary combat features (E.g. second Shot or Doubling Of your own Figure----> the second Figure is then controlled by the Computer) or new Playing fields. There's also an extensive Single-player campaign mode with four Campaigns. But You can also easily set the Classic mode. Then the Game is the same as it used to be. Especially for two, the Game is a lot of Fun. The Remake even more than the Original, as you can also compete in the Team against one or two Computer Opponents. Of Course, there is also an "Everyone vs. Everyone" mode. By the WAY, the AI is very good at both Games (Original and Remake). In The Remake, one can choose how strong the Computer Opponents should be (Novice, Skilled, Expert or Insane). You can even assign different AI strengths to the individual Computer opponent. By the Way, the Remake is amazingly well balanced in advanced Mode. The secondary Functions have been distributed relatively cleverly, with a few Exceptions. You can control the Game with up to four Controllers. I played with an Xbox360 Gamepad And a USB Competition Pro from Speedlink. You can configure the Control freely. Works Flawlessly. Graphics and Sound are absolutely ok. The Game even runs jerk-free on a Netbook if you reduce the Graphics settings a bit. Personally, I find the Game absolutely timeless. Until the Remake came out, I played the Original regularly with some Mates at the Emulator (Versions of Apple II, Atari 800 XL, C64 or Amiga Are recommended). PS: This Review is also available on Amazon. But Both come from me.