Ghosts N' Goblins is another "arcade hit"; a side-scrolling action game released in 1985 for the arcades and later converted to almost every home computer and console. The Amstrad CPC version was developed in 1987.
Review
STORY / GAMEPLAY The story takes place somewhere in the Medieval times. You’re a knight named Arthur who must fight zombies, demons and other creepy creatures to rescue your love interest, Princess Prin Prin (quite funny name huh?) who's been kidnapped by a vicious demon. Your mission is harsh, as the enemies are attacking from almost every direction! The game is a typical eight-way arcade platform with some action shooting elements. You climb ladders to reach higher grounds either to kill enemies or to find a better weapon/armor to use. Along the way you can pick up new powers, bonuses and a special armor that can deflect a single hit. You can also jump over incoming enemies (zombies and demons) or even duck to avoid birds and deadly, hovering ghosts! Another hard part is the traps and the gaps and the most frustrating aspect of the game is that, once you lose a life, the game takes you a few screens back. Ghosts N' Goblins is among the toughest retro games of all time, from the arcade to every other conversion! So it needs patience and some skills to complete.
GRAPHICS / SOUND The C64 version has decent (for its time) graphics. The sprites move fast and this conversion has smooth scrolling in contrast to the CPC version which runs in flip-screen.The sound on the C64 is great with a wonderful tune on the main menu which is also used during gameplay. There are a few sound effects too but nothing really special.