A new preview posted by Apple in their Games section takes a look at Dragon's Lair 3D, a remake and sequel to the original Laserdisc-powered classic arcade game. While the game is using a real-time 3D engine such as Quake or Unreal, the characters still retain the classic "cartoon" look that fans of the original will remember. Dragon's Lair 3D will also have different modes of play. The adventure mode will give you full control over the hero Dirk just like many 3rd person games today, but Classic mode will be similar to the original, in that the action will be automated and only pause in certain situations where you have to make a decision. A third mode will provide an unfairly difficult play for those truly hard core gamers.

The preview contains many quotes from Steve Parsons of Dragonstone Software about these aspects of the game. Parsons also notes they expect to have full OS X compatibility upon its release. Here's a quote with more from the team about working with the creators of the original game:

“We noticed that there isn’t enough original material from the arcade game that will convert to a 3D realm to create a full videogame,” says Parsons. “So, with Don Bluth and Gary Goldman’s help, we created additional areas and creatures that have filled in the adventure quite nicely. The gameplay we selected was similar to the original arcade game, with fast-paced arcade action, but we also added some puzzles and mini-quests to balance it out.”  

In fact, there are close to 20 levels in the game, with 10 to 25 rooms per level for players to explore, and there are plenty of hidden items to discover for tenacious players. (“Look closer at the torches in the library,” Parsons hints. “There are some good items hidden behind them.”)

Official Dragon's Lair 3D Web Site

Dragonstone Software Web Site

Dragon's Lair 3D Preview at Apple

Blue Byte (add to watch list)

Search for other Mac games news stories or browse our Mac Games News Archive.