ZX Spectrum AvengerAvenger was the follow up to the beat em up game Way of the Tiger, also by Gremlin Graphics. Taking the top down view this game was similar in gameplay to the classic arcade game Gauntlet.
Avenger was released for the ZX Spectrum in 1986 and was pretty well received.
The whole premise of this game (as was usual with martial arts adventures!) was one of revenge and returning some valuable item to it's rightful place.
So - you had just completed your training and were ready to avenge your stepfather and take back the scrolls of Ketsuin. These scrolls had been stolen by the wicked Yaemon -and not returning them meant the God Kwon would be lost forever in eternal hell.
You started the game outside the Quench Heart Keep and your first task at hand was to gain entry to the inside.
There were plenty of locked doors and walls to keep you out so you had to find the keys to open these doors. Horned beasties and giant spiders roamed around the grounds and courtyards which sapped your energy on contact.
Spikes would also poke up through the floor and slow your progress down considerably.
You began the game armed with ten shurikens which dispatched an enemy very efficiently. Once these were used up you had to rely on hand to hand combat until more shurikens could be found and collected.
One neat aspect of this retro arcade adventure was your energy levels. Each confrontation used up some of your life force but you did have a chance to replenish it. Asking the god Kwon for help could result in him topping up your energy levels (sometimes completely). If you asked him too often though he became angered (even though you were trying to help him!) and would not do anything for you.To complete the game you had to defeat each of the guardians (there were three in total) that resided within the castle. Once you had killed each one of them the game was won!
On release:
Avenger was released for the ZX Spectrum in amongst a host of other Gauntlet type games. (Gauntlet type games were popular on (Sinclair and Commodore machines at the time). As such it suffered slightly as a lot of gamers were looking for something a little different. Still, for fans of this type of game it was a good choice and was praised for it's colourful graphics, smooth scrolling and well animated characters.
The test of time:
Well this retro game is a tad simple these days. The martial action is pretty plain and running around collecting keys and beating up spiders is 'okay' at best. It was never a classic game for the Spectrum and will not hold your attention for any length of time. If you're a fan of Gauntlet you should check it out. A solid if unspectacular retro arcade game.
We recommend getting hold of the real Sinclair ZX Spectrum hardware, but if not then download a ZX Spectrum emulator and download Avenger for the ZX Spectrum. Alternatively you could try and play it online.
Please see our other ZX Spectrum retro game reviews - all links are listed in alphabetical order. Cheers guys.
GENRE: Arcade game
RELEASE DATE: 1986
RELEASED BY: Gremlin Graphics
DEVELOPER(S): Shaun Hollingworth, Greg Holmes, Chris Kerry, Pete Harrap, Steve Kerry
PRICE: £9.95
Revenge is mine in the classic arcade game Avenger:
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