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PUBLISHER: CheetahSoft RELEASED: 1984 PROGRAM: Jim Rothrock FORMAT: Cassette

Here is one of the more obscure of the Imagic game releases. Dragonfire was released on data cassette for the Sinclair ZX Spectrum computer in 1984 by UK publisher CheetahSoft. The ZX Spectrum computer was quite popular in the UK at the time, and with the popularity of the Imagic titles here in the US, it only makes sense that a handful of these titles would eventually see a release outside the US. In Dragonfire, you take on the role of servant to the king and you must find your way into the castle where dragons have taken control and are guarding the king's treasures. You must enter the castle and get back the king's treasures. The game is broken down into two parts. The first screen has you running across the castle drawbridge ducking and dodging fireballs that are being tossed your way by the dragons. Once you make it inside the castle's treasure room, you'll have to run around gathering up the treasures and then make your escape out the door. This ZX Spectrum version plays very much like previous Dragonfire releases, and it even includes the 3-D treasure room found on most computer versions of the game. The ZX Spectrum version of Dragonfire isn't going to win any contests visually, as it's one of the most graphically simplistic versions of the game. That's not to say that it's terrible, it's just going to be a shock to gamers who've played some of the more visually appealing releases of the game. The same can be said about the sound effects, since there's basically only two sound effects to be found in the entire game. While it might not feature the fancy visuals or sound effects found in other releases of the game, the ZX Spectrum version is still a very solid game and plays quite well. The lack of an archer or moving drawbridge is a bit dissapointing, but if you own a ZX Spectrum computer, this is definitely a game you'll want in your collection. Of course that's if you can find it, since this game has become quite rare over the years.

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