Virgin/£29.95/Sega

Wonderboy has been changed into a lizard by an evil wizard and the only way he can be saved is by reaching the salamander cross, hidden in Monster Land by a crazed dragon.

Each level has Wonderboy exploring a different terrain, for instance there are underground caverns, deserts and jungles to traverse. At the end of each level is a menacing dragon begging to be dealt a death-dealing blow. When each is defeated, Wonderboy is transformed into a hawk, mouse, piranha or some other character, each of which has different strengths and weaknesses.

The journey wouldn't be so bad if the land wasn't infested by an enormous number of nasty creatures. Fortunately, Wonderboy posesses a Swiss Army flame thrower to fry anything that gets in his path. The creatures frazzled will leave behind money or weapons. Pretty kind of them really, considering.

Wonderboy III, with all its unusual animal life and odd extras, is enormously addictive. Winning is more about finding good weapons and repairing your health regularly, than defeating dragons and mastering other problems. What does make it especially fun to play is the way Wonderboy changes character the further you progress. Each transformation brings new problems and solutions and that is, to a large extent, what keeps the game interesting. Attractive sound and graphics, and addictive gameplay make Wonderboy III a winna!

THE VERDICT

73

Rating

73

Reviewer

Zero magazine

Region

UK

Scans

Zero-Magazine-Issue04?gallerypage=84