Steve Crow‘s superb tribute to Atic Atac, Wizard’s Lair, was released for the MSX by Bubble Bus Software in 1986.

It’s pretty much identical to the Spectrum original, and is just as difficult. To survive you must figure out how enemies spawn and move carefully to avoid them. You also need to ration your shooting, because your ammo runs out quickly.

Use magic lifts and wardrobe elevators to move between levels, and search for four parts of the golden lion that is blocking your exit.

Wizard’s Lair is still a great game after all these years, and deserves to be called a classic, even though it is a tough game for beginners. Give it time, though, and you’ll start surviving better, and hopefully uncover the diamond hiding in the rough.

More: Wizard’s Lair on Moby Games