Walt Disney’s most famous creation’s already a winner with Sega gamers. Now he’s back to delight 8-bit owners in another magical illusion.

It was a dark and stormy night and Mickey Mouse sat in his armchair, reading his favourite book, The World’s Best Fairy Tales. As he read, his eyelids became heavy and before long he drifted into deep sleep.

When he awoke, his house had disappeared and he was standing in a strange world. But this world was not like the colourful pictures in his book. Instead the sky was dark and ominous. Lightning crashed down, charring the ground.

Making his way to a village, Mickey was startled by a girl’s scream. To his dismay, he saw a young girl being attacked by a hideous monster! Leaping to the rescue, Mickey sent the creature reeling.

‘Are you all right?’ said Mickey.

‘Yes. Thank you so much,’ the girl gasped.

‘What’s going on here?’ he asked.

The frightened girl told Mickey the story of how an evil phantom stole a magic crystal from the village. The crystal protected the villagers from evil but the good had faded since the phantom took it. The kind people aren’t so Disney-like anymore — something must be done!

Cheeky chap

Mickey decided it was up to him to stop the phantom and get the crystal back. But things are not always as they seem in the Land Of Illusion and danger lurks around every corner!

You take the role of Mickey Mouse in this sequel to the brilliant Castle Of Illusion. The action’s platform-based as Mickey travels through 14 fantasy-packed levels. Make your way through each, finding keys to the magic doors which appear at the end of levels when a magical gem is collected.

There are certain tasks to tackle and you need brains to solve the puzzles. As in the original, Mickey uses a bottom-bounce to attack enemies and throws items such as rocks.

A map shows your route through the enchanted land. Complete a stage and Mickey moves on, often returning to earlier levels for certain tasks.

Unlimited continues and hidden sections ensure playability and lastability for Mickey Mouse’s latest magical quest.

MOUSE DROPPINGS

CHEST
These ore the enchanted caskets which hold various useful objects for Mickey to use. They’re often hidden and invisible.
CAKE
As Mickey battles the forces of evil, he loses energy. Replace the valuable energy by collecting small and large cakes. Yum!
ROCK
Boulders have two uses. Smash them to reach chests or hidden objects and pick them up to use as missiles against enemies.
GOLD BLOCK
Only found in a few locations. Use these blocks to create a series of stepping stones or to reach a higher level.
BARREL
Pick up the wooden casks and move them to other locations. They act as steps. Launch them at bad guys to smash ‘em.
LANTERN
Some of the levels have been plunged into darkness so the only way Mickey can see is to carry a lantern. Also handy as steps or for chucking at monsters.
KEY
There’s only one way to get off a level. Find the key, which is sometimes hidden. Throw the key into the air and a door appears.
SPRING
There are often walls that are too high for Mickey to jump over. Collect the spring and carry it to where it’s needed.
APPLE
Only used in the second part of the first level. Grab the apple and feed it to the hungry snake wrapped around the tree trunk.
CLOUD-WALKING BOOTS
Defeat the dreaded snake and he gives Mickey a special pair of shoes. They allow him to walk on fluffy white clouds on later levels. Aaaaah!
CLIMBING ROPE
Very handy for tackling craggy peaks in the mountain tops. Move Mickey to a vertical wall and press up to make the mouse hero scale new heights.
SHRINKING POTION
A magical brew which shrinks Mickey down to a tiny size. Press down and button [1] to turn him into a mini-mouse. Useful for getting into small places.
EXTRA TRY
There are unlimited continues in land Of Illusion but these mouse-eared icons give another attempt at the level you’re on.
STAR
Start the adventure with three red energy stars but collect others as you go. Find all of them to receive a bonus at the end of the game.
SIGN POST
At certain points throughout the game are restart posts. Simply walk over them and you start here if (or when) you lose a life.

Mat squeaks... ‘CRISP AND COLOURFUL’

One of the top Sega platform games of all time is Castle Of Illusion. The Master System version was just as good as the MD and now it gets a Mickey Mouse game all of its own!

Land Of Illusion is one of the best MS titles Sega have ever produced. Crisp and cartoony graphics show Mickey in all his four-colour glory and the backgrounds are suitably atmospheric.

Castle Of Illusion has a Super Mario Bros feel, as indicated by the map screen. Complete a level and trot along the road to the next. It gets progressively tougher as you complete them — Mickey has to be on his toes to stop the phantom.

Unlimited continues are a great help and there are extra lives and bonus items to collect on the way. Certain items, such as the magic boots, are essential for later stages so use your noggin to find ‘em.

Land Of Illusion’s a damn fine game that every MS owner should have and every MD owner will be jealous of. Give it a whirl!

MAT 92%

Paul grins... ‘SNAZZY’

The mouse is back for a new adventure and his buttocks are deadlier than ever! Land Of Illusion shows the MS at its very best. Gameplay’s fast and furious, controls are smooth and easy to master.

There are 14 buttock-bouncing levels and loads of colourful little sprites try and stop you completing them. It’s quite tricky at times but with a little sweat and toil, difficulties are overcome.

The graphics had me drooling. Mickey’s animation is brilliant and backdrops are bright and effervescent. The sound isn’t bad at all, considering this is an MS game; tunes are catchy and clear.

All in all, Land Of Illusion’s pretty snazzy. The graphics are great, the sounds superb and the buns are beautiful! Challenging and highly playable, this is a great platformer. Go out and buy it now!

PAUL 94%

Ade smiles... ‘HOW A GAME SHOULD BE DONE’

As you know, I’m a big fan of platform games. This is the best MS romp I’ve seen in the last few months. I can’t understand why people write-off the Master System when it delivers such top quality stuff as Land Of Illusion. This is how a platform game should be done. And, even better, Sega have maintained the cartoon feel throughout. Walt Disney would’ve been proud!

Okay, it’s nothing we haven’t seen 200 times before, but the way the game’s presented, the way visuals suit the game to a tee, the way music and sound FX all fit so perfectly, make Land Of Illusion a pleasure to play.

The puzzles aren’t particularly mind-bending but they’re fun to solve. Moving objects around to suit a purpose is what it’s all about. Keep your eyes peeled at all times. Some of those ledges may be too high to climb. Is there something lying around that could help reach it?

As with many Disney games, Sega haven’t made this overly difficult. If you’re an ace platformer, you may finish the whole caboodle quickly.

Land Of Illusion’s one for younger gamers and novices. If you fit into either of these categories and you’re after a good MS platform romp, Land Of Illusion’s the one I’d go for.

ADE 85%

SF Rating

Presentation
82 - Fairy tale intro, no options. A map shows Mickey’s destinations and progress
Visuals
90 - Brilliant cartoony graphics that expand on the smart visuals of the first game
Sonics
89 - Cute tunes change from level to level. Effects are good enough
Playability
91 - Early stages allow you to get to grips with gameplay, becomes more challenging
Lastability
84 -14 levels to romp through means you won’t finish it quickly. Unlimited continues

92

An excellent MS game which will easily be in everyone’s top ten this year

Producer
Sega
MS
Comtazia 0364 261698
Players
1
Price
£32.99
Rating
92
Reviewer
Sega Force magazine
Region
UK
Scans
Sega Force - Issue 19

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