Plot: What’s it about?
Shadoan is an adventure game in the vein of Dragon’s Lair and while it doesn’t quite measure up to that game, it still offers a nice diversion from other video games. This is similar to Dragon’s Lair in many respects, but is much more complicated at times which isn’t a bad thing at all. The added complexity adds more skill into the game, while Dragon’s Lair was based on sheer timing and memorization. But I think fans of Dragon’s Lair will feel right at home in Shadoan as both offer the same style of play and even similar storylines. You play as Prince Lathan Kandor as he races across the screen trying to locate the five pieces of a magical amulet. Once that is attained, Lathan assumes he can use the powers of the amulet to destroy the evil wizard Torlock and rescue his love, Princess Grace Delight.
I found Shadoan to be fun to play, but the controls take a while to get used to and that hampers early efforts to be sure. But once I grasped the controls, I was well on my way to saving the princess and having a lot of fun in the process. I still prefer Dragon’s Lair in the grand scheme of things, but I am sure I will be coming back to this one again soon also. This release contains a nice booklet with instructions, full length storyline, and even some hints and I am pleased this was included. I recommend this title to fans of the other games by Digital Leisure, but with such a hefty price tag (49.99 MSRP) I think most will choose a rental over a purchase.
Video: How does it look?
Shadoan is presented in a full frame transfer, which retains the intended aspect ratio of the game. The animation looks very fluid and smooth on this release and the transitions from scene to scene were very quick, which enhanced the game play a lot. The colors look rich and bold, with no smears or bleeds and contrast is stark and well defined also. This is a very unique visual experience and this disc seems to capture it all very well.
Audio: How does it sound?
This release contains a DTS 5.1 track which offers a superb experience, but the material just doesn’t push the track enough to showcase the format. When the action heats up the track kicks in somewhat, but still never really powers up the system too much. But this track handles everything the game throws at it, which is all you can ask for really. I would have loved to had more surround use present, but as it stands this is still a solid track. The music sounds good and the dialogue is clean and clear, no volume problems in the least.
Supplements: What are the extras?
This release contains no extras.
