Note: If you have an emulator such as the Hyperkin Retron77, this game may not work with it. It did not work with my Retron77, even after adjusting the settings in the console menu. I did, however, get it to work very well on my Atari 7800 that I bought later on after getting Dungeon.
Perhaps there are two versions of it. The version I got did not come with a poster in the cartridge box, but the manual and box are still very cool.
Review: I bought and played Dungeon II before I got Dungeon I. Dungeon II is a very good game that does work on my Retron77 very well and I enjoy it a lot. So, I thought I'd get the first one.
In an interesting reversal of how sequels usually are, Dungeon I turned out to be larger and more complex in some ways than Dungeon II but not in others. Dungeon I has a larger maze with more levels and has more animations to your hero and the enemies. There is also a neat little tune that plays at the beginning of the game.
Dungeon I only has you playing a knight whereas you can play as a knight, wizard or faerie each with different strengths and weaknesses. This is not a knock on Dungeon I as it is still a very fun game. In fact, your knight is in some ways a 'renaissance man' in that he can cast different spells and heal himself to some degree, so he's kind of a paladin as opposed to the Warrior in Dungeon II who can't do magic.
I love that this game is turn-based! Most Atari games are fast paced and require quick reflexes. These Dungeon games are not, so you can take your time deciding what you want to do. The game will wait. It also allows you to access your hero's inventory of items and spells without getting attacked. The inventory opens when you press the joystick to the right instead of pressing the action buttons. Once in the inventory, you can move the joystick left or right to cycle through your inventory and press the action buttons to select an item. When you are done, select 'exit' to go back to being able to attack.
The combat works quite well and gives you a feeling that the game is rolling dice to see if you or the enemies succeed on their attacks. Sometimes you or they hit, sometimes miss. When the attack hits, it does different amounts of damage depending on the attack used or the enemy who is attacking. Also within the limits of each weapon or monster, the game 'rolls' for damage and each attack may do a different amount of damage within a certain range.
You can also level up periodically which makes your attacks more powerful and adds spells to your inventory. A very complex game for the hardware it runs on.
Both games are highly recommended.
