By Charlie T. Aslan
The king has summoned you, Rastan, abarbarian of great strength and skill, to rescue his beautiful daghter. She is the prisoner of the minion lords in the darkest reaches of Semia. Untold riches await you if you succeed.
Armed with only your deadly broad sword and your wits, you set out into the wilderness, ready to do battle.
This is a difficult quest, even for a barbarian with your skills. You'll have only one life per game. There is, however, a continue mode that lets you start from the beginning of the last level you reached. You can continue in a game up to three times.
As Rastan you must survive seven grueling rounds of battle, each with three different scenes. As you travel through dark and mysterious Semia you find deadly weapons and magic items to aid you in your quest. Grab weapons such as the razor sharp battle axe, the mace, and the flaming sword. These help ensure that you'll beat the evil brutes who try to do you in. Watch for protectove items such as the shield, the mantle and the armor. These help you to survive and ward off the attacks of your foes. You'll also find special items such as medicine, magic rings, a golden necklace, and gorgeous gems.
Plenty of evil villains populate Semia and their only desire is to destroy you. The first enemies you encounter are the Gradis, slimy lizard creatures that walk like men and attack with swords. The Gardis are easily killed because they aren't too bright. Simply swing your sword at them and they're history!
But don't get too confident! Next, you'll face the nasty bug-like Mantis, you tosses knives, and the evil Kemmler, a beast with three heads (wolf, goat and dragon!) who tosses fireballs at you. Jump high above these creepy pests and land on them with your sword pointed downwards. In fact, overhead attack is effective against most of the beast that populate Semia, except for flying creatures like the Gorgon and Harpies. To shoot down these winged horrors jump and stab them with your sword as they fly overhead.
But wait! There are even more horrible monsters. You'll also have to fend off Meduza, who sprays you with poisonous gas. The skeletal Spartoy attacks with a sword and then fades into the ground. A faceless Wizard hurtles scrolls at you that take away your weapons and other protective items.
In addition to your enemies you'll face obstacles, including lava pools, that erupt with flaming rocks, falling icicles, rolling boulders, poisonous water, and many other unpleasant surprises.
The last section of each round pits you against some of the foulest foes you'll ever encounter. Defeat there brutes as quickly as possible! The air in their chambers is toxic, and sucks energy from your life meter continously while you battle them.
Each of the Lords of Semia is uniquely menacing and dangerous. Kentorous, the first lord, is half-man, half-beast. Beat him by jumping in the air as he approaches, and landing on him with your sword pointed downwards. Hit him three times and he's gone!
The second lord, Aryous, is a mighty Viking-like warrior. Defeat Aryous by standing on the block to the left of the screen and jumping under him as he goes into the air. Stab quickly as many times as you can. Slayer, the third lord, has bat wings and a dangerous sword. It's easy to destroy Slayer; crouch down and slash his legs quickly while dodging the fire he shoots.
As for the remaining lords, you, mighty Rastan will discover these horrible villians on your own (we don't want to give the whole game away). Remember this, though; the final battle with the Red Dragon is the most perilous you'll ever face. It takes all your strength, wits, courage and experience to defeat this migthy beast. A victory against the Red Dragon ensures the safety of the beautiful princess, and you will go down in history as the greatest hero of all time!
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