Apogee Software both developed and published Arctic Adventure, a single player platform game that was created specifically for play on the personal computer running the MS-DOS operating system. Arctic Adventure offered both keyboard and joystick input, making it very playable for any gamer. It was released to the market in the very early nineties and is primarily an arcade action style shooter. It is the direct sequel to Pharaoh’s Tomb, also by Apogee.
In Arctic Adventure, the user will again take the role of Nevada Smith, the Indiana Jones inspired character.
Similar to Indy, Nevada is an archaeologist, and in this particular adventure, he will be exploring the Arctic in quest of a fabled Viking treasure. This game takes place six months after the conclusion of the events in Pharaoh’s Tomb. His fame and fortune in the past adventure are both being passed off as beginner’s luck, and Nevada is out to prove that he is, in fact, a skilled archaeologist and adventurer. While studying in his library one evening, he finds the perfect opportunity. Legend tells of a group of successful Viking raiders who once hid an entire ship full of pillaged loot in a cave somewhere in the Arctic. The distrustful group of Vikings
drew a map and broke into four pieces, with one piece going with each group of Vikings. Only be combining the four pieces could the cave again be located. Unfortunately, the Vikings were caught in a storm while leaving the cave, and the pieces of the map were scattered. Nevada Smith will have to locate the pieces of the map, reconfigure it, and find the treasure…then he will have to recover it.
The game is divided into four episodes, with episode one being a shareware distribution and the remaining three coming in the commercial program. There are twenty levels in each episode, with each level consisting of a single room for Nevada Smith to explore and negotiate. The levels, unlike those in most platform games of this era, do not have to be played in order. There is a map screen that will allow the user to choose which level he would like to play, providing it works with his positioning on the map.
This is a decent little platform game that does a nice job of following the exploits of an interesting and likeable little hero. There are tons of hazards and goofy monsters, just like in the original game, and there will be many items and power-ups to collect for aid and big bonus points. Give Arctic Adventure a try, and help Nevada Smith become the greatest archaeologists of all times.
