It has been a very long time since any game so enthralled me that I played through the night, never even thinking to glance at a clock. Drakan is that rare experience when you must immediately inform everyone about it in hopes that they will share in the exhilaration. It is a game that demands you drag friends and family to your monitor and exclaim, "Look! Look at this!" If you have a fond remembrance of the flying sequences in Magic Carpet, if you got goose bumps when you first saw the dragons in Cryo's Dragon Lore series, then this is the game for you. Yet all is not eye candy. A plot and subplots flourish. There are weapons to brandish and puzzles to solve. Before we get too carried away, though, let me advise that Drakan is not so much an adventure game as it is a game for adventurers. If you have ever been slightly attracted to games like Tomb Raider or Outcast but hesitate to enter these new realms because of the, at times, ludicrous physical maneuvers that must be performed, then let the call of Drakan envelop your sensibilities. It is the perfect game to lead the dubious adventure gamer with wavering hand into the action/adventure fold.

Drakan begins innocently enough with our heroine, Rynn, and her younger brother, Delon, strolling through a picturesque Norman Rockwell forest engaged in an animated conversation. It is quite clear that Delon reveres his older sister, and this respect and admiration between siblings will soon fuel the plot as orc-like beasts are invading the countryside cutting a bloody swath of death and destruction. Rynn is beaten into submission, and Delon is taken prisoner. Before his death, Atimar, the village priest, informs Rynn about the Order of the Flame, a society of elite warriors who were soul-bound to the ancient dragons. Rynn must now find the hidden lair of the dragons and then waken and soul-bond with a reluctant Arokh. If you are not already hooked on this game by the time you find your scaly friend, then you will be the first time you mount Arokh's back and take to the skies. And what a ride it is! Never have I seen graphics more breathtaking; colorful, lush environments that are as aesthetically appealing as anything your imagination might conjure. The scenery invites you to swoop through snow-capped mountain tops and skim the glistening ripples of shimmering water. It is guaranteed that whenever you enter a new environment (or level) you will feel a strong need to explore the area fully from Arokh's point of view until unexpectedly an opposing dragon swoops from the clouds and fries you to a crisp--a subtle reminder that there is a world to be saved and a game to be played. There is always a feeling of disappointment whenever Rynn enters a dungeon or cavern on her own, not that the graphics are not as delicious, but the illusion of actually flying on a dragon's back is actually that intoxicating.

The majority of Drakan's puzzles are of the find-a-key, pull-a-lever garden variety. They are nicely balanced, though, with some varied environmental puzzles and a few side quests that mostly consist of "bring me item A and I will give you item B" problematics. There is some limited narrative interaction with the few NPCs you will encounter, but nothing that is so in-depth as to make any of these characters memorable outside of the game's atmosphere. In fact, in what must be a first in the industry, action gamers on the newsgroups and the official Drakan website (http://www.drakan.com) have actually been clamoring for more character interaction and more adventure-style puzzles. While some games are more action-oriented, and that is all you expect from them, Drakan does such an excellent job of drawing you into its world that you expect more realism on all levels and are disappointed by any perceived lack of quality that draws you away from the immersive atmosphere.

Combat is never the nuisance it could have been thanks to a subtle engine that allows leniency both for players like me who rely more on brute force and the more skilled player who enjoys using special combo moves. Rynn has at her disposal the usual itinerary of medieval/fantasy weapons--scimitar, greatsword, battle axe and rune sword--and enough armor and health potions to progress smoothly through the levels. Your weapons will take damage. A blinking icon alerts you to your weapons' limited endurance and provides you with the opportunity to switch weapons before their power diminishes. I will admit I used a "god" code so I could concentrate more on playing the game without fear of dying and rebooting every 15 minutes. For an impatient and easily frustrated adventure gamer like myself, this was fine and did not detract from my enjoyment of the game one iota. The area in which the combat really shines though are the aerial battles. Air-to-air dragon combat is frustrating at first, but once you have the lay of the keyboard down you will find yourself circle-strafing and breathing flame at your opponents with the greatest of ease. In fact, I think the biggest thrill I had in the game was spotting a group of monsters attempting to flee through a hidden valley passage and quickly and effortlessly sweeping over their surprised heads while launching a steady stream of flame.

Rynn has already suffered a few slings and arrows from the media during the inevitable comparisons to Lara Croft. Yes, Rynn is beautiful. Yes, she does have a nice figure. I personally do not see what the problem is, other than jealousy, with some of the complainers. She is not ludicrously top-heavy like Lara, nor does she wear skimpy clothing. You will not find Rynn swinging from chandeliers or doing back flips across a cavern. She is supposed to be a young lady in her late teens or early twenties and is built appropriately. She is an armor-wearing tomboy who is skilled in wielding a weapon. Action is always viewed from a third-person viewpoint, so we do have the dubious honor of staring at Rynn's butt for most of the game. Surreal, though, has done an admirable job in creating a character that is not only attractive to purchasers but believable in her appearance. The only time I was disappointed in Rynn's character was upon hearing her utterances during the initial awakening of Arokh. What could have and should have been a memorable moment in gaming history was instead diluted by an almost valley-girl inflection in Rynn's voice. Arokh's voice, though, is deep and gentle, as belies his massive character. It is a friendly, protective voice. There were more than a few times that Rynn would be poised patiently, waiting for me to decide what to course to take next--flight or further investigation. Unbeknownst to me, an orc would have slunk behind me preparing to perform a gutting when I would hear Arokh's voice intone, "Watch behind you, Rynn," upon which he would blast a quick flame over Rynn's head and the orc was suddenly a crispy critter. Amazing.

So in a world populated with Tolkien-esque creatures--wartoks, orcs, succubuses, scavenger hordes--3D sound from waterfalls, crickets, thunder and other natural elements; the most beautiful graphics ever presented in any game; and an improbable teaming of woman and dragon that make the two seem inseparable--what is there not to like about this game? Honestly--not much. There is some occasional minor clipping and camera angle problems. More character interaction and adventure-style, inventory-based puzzles would be most welcome. An ending that provided some sort of resolution rather than just setting gamers up for the inevitable sequel should have been a must. I really hope that Surreal resists the urge to make a quick buck by creating multi-player and action-oriented add-ons that do nothing to further the story, but instead work on providing some more depth to the characters and bringing to life the world of Drakan. To accomplish these seemingly simple goals would make Drakan a genre-busting series for the history books; to succumb to the easy dollar will make us look back in a few years and say, "Remember that game, it was fun for a short time."

Final grade for Drakan--A.

System Requirements:
Pentium 166
32 MB RAM
4X CD-ROM
3D Accelerator with 4 MB
Mouse
Sound board
Windows 95/98