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PUBLISHER: Tandy RELEASED: 1984 PROGRAM: Frank Ellis FORMAT: Cartridge

The one thing that can be said without any hesitation is that the TRS-80 Color Computer version of Dragonfire is hands down the most unique version of the game available on any platform.  Just take a look at the screen shots. But as crazy as it might look, it's actually a very playable version of the game and features a lot of brand new gameplay twists that aren't available in any other Dragonfire release. Instead of the archer on top of the tower shooting arrows at you as you cross the castle bridge, this TRS-80 Color Computer version features a dragon who tosses cherry bombs down at you. There's also a moving drawbridge that you'll have to deal with as well. Another unique twist is the fact that you must grab the key inside the Treasure Room before you can use the exit door. Once you have the key, you can then leave the Treasure Room, even if you haven't picked up all of the treasures yet. The visuals, while quite different from any of the other Dragonfire releases, are very colorful and show a good amount of detail to them. The sound effects are decent, but there are only about 4 different sounds, so don't expect a lot of variety. The play control is very responsive and is right up there with some of the best playing versions of Dragonfre available. This version is a must-have for any fan of Dragonfire. Dragonfire has the unique distinction of being the only TRS-80 Color Computer 1 or 2 game to run with 8 different colors onscreen at once using the TRS-80 Color Computer's rather limited 4-color display mode. Programmer Frank Ellis managed to accomplish this feat by having the game constantly (and quickly) switch between two different color modes for each horizontal scan line. Since this change is happening too fast for the human eye to see, it gives off the illusion of there actually being 8 different colors on screen at once. The game had to be patched in order to play on the TRS-80 Color Computer 3 since its CPU timing was slightly different.

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