Sinbad and the Throne of the Falcon

Colonel Kurtz 2012-09-05
(7/10)
A game of many historical merits, Sinbad truly captured me as a 9-year-old kid. Problem is, at that age I also read the reviews of the Atari ST and Commodore 64 versions and was enraged by their graphical superiority.

In hindsight it is noticeably flawed indeed. Graphics are substandard not only technically, but also artistically (check out the Sasquatch, yuck!) and are inexplicably inferior to Defender of the Crown from one year earlier. Some minigames also have awkward controls (why the heck do I have to ROTATE the direction in the earthquake minigame, rather than inputting it straight ahead?), sword fights are jerky and unresponsive and the strategic section feels somehow underdeveloped.

Nevertheless, it has a compelling 1001 Nights story and tries hard, real hard, to stimulate the player's involvement. Sinbad has an immersive narration and dialogue on its side, as well as great overall variety. It worked quite well for me: I still remember my fear when I had to pluck the idol's jewel (more so when I failed); shame when Sylphani was killed after I retreated from a fight; anxiety before fighting a cyclops; bewilderment ('dizziness'?) when being seduced by Libitina; pride after eventually restoring the Caliph to human form.

Even though its objective downsides I cannot overlook, I still wish to recommend Sinbad. Just let me play through the ST version as well - it's been sitting on my desk for long enough now!
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rbn 2012-08-25
(4/10)
This is the less appealing game Cinemaware did for the Amiga.

Every other version for any other system is graphically way beyond this one. Which keeps me wondering till today ... In fact, this very version looks to me like a beta for the conversions ...
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comiga 2009-10-26
(3/10)
I dont know what it was about this game, but something about the gfx and the music I really really hated, and the game it self i didn't find very exciting... So yeah... I love Cinemaware, but i don't love this!
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ennio redux 2009-04-09
Not front-of-the-line Cinemaware, but still, I played this game quite a bit. Two things I remember: 1)The music was fantastic, and 2) the chick kept teasing, and I never saw her naked.
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SquawkBox 2008-03-26
(9/10)
This game received unfair criticism inmho.
As always with games of this era, it may take a while to reminisce what course of action you must set forth to succeed. 'tis true graphics are not as good as in other Cinemaware titles, but the atmosphere is really something.
Nice & simple tunes, too. Read the whole story, you'll learn important things about inner rivalry amongst the kingdom, and the origin of magical items...
A true gem, somehow lost in time... Corny intro can be skipped though.
Note : A PC DOS version has been made of this game. Not quite the same game. (don't mix the manuals, Amiga version interface has no "belt" to click on)
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PantheraLeo 2008-02-10
(6/10)
An alright action type game based in the Sinbad universe. Wasn't the most fun game I ever played on my old Amiga but it had enough going on that it kept you entertained while you played it.

Had lots of options and places to explore. Going from talking to other characters, to fighting monsters, to exploring islands and searching for important items. So it had a lot of variety. The game wasn't easy but wasn't hard either. It had its moments to be frustarting but also was a fun scavenger hunt type of game where you never knew what to expect next as a lot of random events would occur in between your travels and problem soloving.

Not the best cinemaware game made, but definitely not a stinker either. Its a fun play for a bit and was a nice idea for the most part. Graphically it could have been better but the music is there as are some moments of fun. I would give it a 6.5/10. Very middle of the road type of game that has some good moments as well as not so good ones. But still worth trying out at least once.
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Haywire 2008-02-10
(7/10)
Nice game play however the graphics are a bit of a disappointment. 7/10 Haywire
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Kuta 2006-05-10
(10/10)
Great game!!!!
Also try King of Chicago and of course Defender of the crown.

Get it here [www]
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Eltar 2005-06-09
(9/10)
While the graphics looked a bit less 'clean' than other Cinemaware titles, they had their own charm (check the night sailing screenshots), and this title provided a wide diversity of action phases, from swordplay to ship steering, etc. It was also more story and character driven than most other Cinemaware titles, and somehow even less linear. The map interface and travelling decision are good memories, as well as the dialogues with the characters. It was also one of the few games to convey some charge of erotism, as seducing and/or letting yourself seduced by the evil [omg spoiler] Libitina was quite a troubling experience at the time. One that still makes me feel "dizzy" and "possessed now" (my pet).
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Inferno 2005-04-17
(6/10)
Decent, but nothing more. This sure isn't Cinemaware at its best, and it shows both graphics- and gameplay-wise. Maybe the guys lacked inspiration when designing this, or maybe it needed some more time on the drawing desk, who knows?
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Dirk_the_Daring 2005-01-21
(6/10)
Not too bad, and with a nice story into. Being graphically the worst Cinemaware game didn't help to Sinbad popularity (and also the most obscure to control Cinemaware game). But, why? Why? Why the later Atari ST version had MUCH better graphics? Why even the C64 game had better graphics?
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Trantor 2004-12-08
(5/10)
Not one of Cinemaware's greatest moments. This is still an interesting game, but poor graphics, poor dialogue and lacklustre level design really do make this less than inspiring. You can almost feel that there is greatness under the poor presentation, but something just didn't click.
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