raf@hopd3.UUCP (08/09/83)
I made a special trip last night to see dragon's lair. Fortunately I got to watch several people play the game befor I got chance to try my hand at it. It is tough but there are some things you have to know if you want to stay alive for more than two minutes. Yes you do have to make decisions. When Dirk the Daring goes through the door that takes him to the falling platform you are not controlling him. He goes through that door all by himself. When he's on that platform you will notice that as it drops, it hesitates three times before dropping him into the abyss. On the third hesitation you use the joystick to make him get off the platform in the direction he's facing. Too soon or too late and he's doomed. Timing is critical in all scenarios. Wait until the scenario has established itself. In the room with the balls you have to wait for the smaller ball to pass in front of you before you move. In the boat you have to wait for the cave to flash. Be warned, sometimes the image is reversed, so it may be the right tunnel or the left, so you must wait. You may not believe this but I actually saw a guy run the entire game. It took about 20 minutes, and every scenario repeated about three times. At one point the machine told him he was halfway through and if he wanted to rescue Daphne he had to stick another 50c in there. He got to the dragon's lair, rescued the princess and got a kiss on the cheek, where the scene freezes and the game ends. Those of us watching applauded. That guy Dirk is really game. Ron Flannery