Starting to look a little tired?
Dungeon crawling, monster slaying and treasure finding doesn't get much more enjoyable than the massive franchise that is the Kroz series and this mid-way game into the series provides all the action genre fans could hope for, making it a solid entry that is well worth checking out. Following on from Kingdom of Kroz, Dungeons of Kroz and Caverns of Kroz, this one doesn't exactly offer a lot that is new to the genre or the series, but it remains a fun slice of retro adventuring. If you're unfamiliar with the series, they are basically a set of ASCII-style games, where the player controls a smiley face which must explore and ultimately escape from a series of fiendish dungeons (or presumably temples, given the game's title). Standing between you and freedom are of course a number of enemies as well as puzzles which need to be solved, generally by picking up items which happen to be lying around. As mentioned, this one pretty much follows in the footsteps of its predecessors, and nails the formula to the wall, which is to be expected given the experience gained through the previous games. The lack of advancement in such an extensive series is slightly disappointing and you can't help but wish that something had been added which made the game stand out from the crowd a bit. It remains a highly enjoyable experience, thanks to its cunningly designed levels, surprisingly clever puzzles, slick combat and genuine sense of exploration, but if you have played any of the others, this is going to look a little too familiar. It's definitely worth a play but be prepared for a distinct sense of deja vu.
