I have fond memories of going to the mall with my parents and begging my father for quarters to play on of my favorite games: Dragon’s Lair. Essentially a choose your own adventure scenario in video game form, the game captivated me time and time again even though I usually lasted literally seconds in the game. Eventually Space Ace was brought in next and I once again spent quarter after quarter for seconds of game play.

This game, even though set in futuristic times, conjures up images of a time when Dungeons & Dragons ruled the schools (well…at least in the study halls). It was a blast to play a game that I remembered so fondly.

What I also remember though not so fondly, is how difficult this game actually is. Not your standard joystick jerking arcade game, Space Ace basically consists of pre recorded snippets of interactive video where you have to follow onscreen instructions which are not always presented in the most clear or obvious fashion. If, for example, you are being fired at by robots a rock will flash yellow. Apparently you have nanoseconds to hit that directional arrow on your remote. If you do this in the nick of time the screen will go onto the continued adventure. If you are not the screen will cut to a prerecorded death scene and you start all over again. Needless to say this can be frustrating, especially if you are lucky or skilled enough to get pretty in depth into the game. To go so far, only to not be fast enough when you have to press the up arrow is maddening, especially when you have to start over from a previous point. In many cases the onscreen action is just too fast, and I found myself playing the same scenes and scenarios multiple times. This cuts down not only on the flow of the narrative, but on the desire to even continue the game once you’ve died in the same place for the seventh or eighth time.

This is definitely a title that benefits incredibly from the Blu-Ray format. The picture quality is simply outstanding with bright, vibrant colors and crisp, clear sound that roars from the speakers. My audio system tended to amp up the high end, but I found the quality more than acceptable once I went a level or two down below the normal volume I run when I play my Blu-Ray player. Load time once the disc is installed is a bit slow, but no more than any other Blu-Ray disc that I have experienced. More than likely when a new firmware update is made available this will be rectified or considerably improved.

As I stated above, you know what you get with this title. Game play can be frustrating at times, but it’s very satisfying when you do progress further than the point which has stymied you. I think the real test of the game will be once the nostalgia wares off for any particular player. I found that once my frustrations were worked out and I got into the flow and rhythm of the game, which admittedly took some time, I felt like a kid again, even if out of old habit I kept reaching for my next quarter.

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