Review Arabian Nights
Sinbad Jnr is trimming the hedges in the palace gardens one day, stopping to admire the beautiful Princess on her balcony when she is kidnapped by a fearsome dragon. Though Sinbad tries to save the Princess he is blamed for her disappearance and imprisoned in the palace dungeons. Thus begins Arabian Nights, a charming little platformer from 1994 which is oozing with character. Sinbad is armed with a sword and must traverse a series of intricate levels that are varied and fun. You start in the dungeons and make your escape before negotiating a forest, a ship, an underwater section, a network of mines, a slippy slidy ice world and two of my favorite levels where you have to survive a magic carpet flight with enemies coming at you in balloons, helicopters and there’s even the addition of somersaulting sheep who try and take out out! They even emit the odd baa for good measure.
Each level gives Sinbad a series of labyrinths to find his way out of and puzzles to solve. You’ll often meet characters that require you to collect items for them and they’ll assist your progress such as an old woman who knits you a magic carpet and a culinary grab who needs you to get him some fish. On some of the levels you will be faced with a boss battle which may seem tricky initially but the bosses tend to have a pattern to their attacks and once you have worked this out then it shouldn’t be too much trouble. Sinbad can also collect items to make life easier for him on each level. For instance, the ice world is a nightmare to begin with as Sinbad keeps slipping but equipped with a pair of crampons you’ll find you can run and walk as before.
Arabian Nights is one of the best platformers from the early nineties. It might not have the same appeal as say Premiere but it is rich and varied throughout with the two magic carpet levels the only time it really repeats itself but those segments are great fun anyway so you won’t really care. This has a simple but traditional story of rescuing a damsel in distress but it never loses its appeal.
Verdict: 4/5
About the Author:
I was born in Barnsley, South Yorkshire, England and have always been a bookworm and enjoyed creative writing at school.
In 1999 I created the Elencheran Chronicles and have been writing ever since. My first novel, Fezariu’s Epiphany, was published in May 2011. When not writing I’m a lover of films, games, books and blogging.
I now live in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, with my wife, Donna, and our six cats – Kain, Razz, Buggles, Charlie, Bilbo and Frodo.
David M. Brown – who has written 865 posts on Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dave.
