Legacy of the Ancients is a fantasy type of role playing game that arrived in the late eighties from Electronic Arts. It combines elements of the top-down scroller for most of the game, (including the maps, towns and castles) but switches to a three-dimensional view for the dungeons and the museum scene.
The premise of Legacy of the Ancients involves a poor young shepherd boy who has the misfortune of stumbling across a recently dead body on his first trip to town. Upon examining the body, he finds several things of interest and possibly value, so he takes with him a leather scroll, a bracelet, and an unusual black disk.
As soon as the boy has these items in his hands, he has secured his position as the next in line to attempt to destroy the Wizard’s Compendium, found within the leather scroll he had attainted. The Galactic Museum then appears and the adventure begins.
The museum is coin operated. Each of its displays has a coin specifically designed to operate it. Some coins are more common and easily attained than others. They can be purchased from any number of nonplaying characters along the way, or sometimes found as treasure or loot after combat. Others, however, are deeply hidden in the dangerous dungeons and are well-guarded by a variety of monsters. Game play cannot ultimately advance until the dungeon is conquered and the special coin is retrieved.
The only way for a player to gain levels and improve the shepherd’s character is by completing quests. There are no experience points allotted for run-of-the-mill battles.
Like many RPGs which offer mini games (usually in the form of battle practice or gambling at the tavern), Legacy of the Ancients has mini games to play as well. To gain money, the player can frequent casinos or attempt the more risky feat of robbing a bank. There are also numerous museum displays that the player can interact with to improve his attributes, such as strength, endurance, charm and dexterity. Towns feature a variety of shops that carry everything from armor to magical spells and artifacts that can be purchased to help conquer a difficult dungeon or advance a quest.
In all, Legacy of the Ancients shares many traits with other fantasy role playing games, but they seem to be features that attract gamers. The graphics are primitive, of course, but the sound is pretty good and the game play is smooth and fun. The plot is simple to follow, and the user is never left wondering what he has to do to advance. It is a nice game of medium length that is well-worth a chance.
