If there is one genre of games in which the PlayStation is lacking, it is Action/RPG style games: those resembling Legend of Zelda. I would recommend Alundra, published by Working Designs, to anyone else who is disappointed with the lack of these games for the PlayStation. Alundra was released a few months ago without the hoopla associated with a game made by big-time company such as Square or Konami, but it is still a top-notch game.

The people of the small island village of Inoa are unknowingly worshipping a demon called Mezalas, who is controlling them through nightmares. You play the part of Alundra, a young boy whose dreams tell him to travel to Inoa village. Alundra, also known as "the Releaser," has the power to enter people’s dreams and save them from their nightmares. You must gather the seven crests in order to enter Mezalas’s palace in order to defeat him and save the village. Along the way, you rescue townspeople, enter their dreams, and perform various other sub-quests.

Like Zelda games, you hack your way through many dungeons, solve puzzles and find various items that increase your life, give you more power, or allow you to enter new areas. Unlike Zelda games, this game has a well-developed story with many plot twists and a great cast of characters. The townspeople all seem to have their own personalities that develop throughout the game, and what they say changes after nearly every major event in the game. Although you are basically free to explore the island and figure out on your own what to do next, there is a fortune teller who will always show you what you should do. I think this is a great touch, as some people like a more structured game and others do not, and this appeases both groups.

Game control in Alundra is fairly easy to learn but has a few annoyances. You have a status screen which allows you to pick a primary weapon (sword, whip, bow and arrow, etc.) and an item (potions, magics, bombs, etc.) In addition to using your weapon and an item, you can jump and dash, although I never once found a use for dashing. My biggest complaint is that jumping can be frustrating because it is sometimes hard to judge distance and height between two platforms. Also, there are a few points in the game at which I thought the distance between save points was entirely too long. One point, in particular, comes to mind in which I had to play an hour longer than I wanted to just to find a place to save. Overall, though, I found the game to be fairly intuitive and easy to control.

This game is one of the toughest I have ever played. When you get through Alundra you will feel like you accomplished something. Most of the dungeons are long and complex, and the puzzles are real brain-busters. Most of the dungeons are a challenge to navigate, as they branch off in different directions and have different exits. Like the Zelda games, there are many locked doors which open either as you solve puzzles or as you find keys. Most of the puzzles involve either pressing the buttons in a room in a certain order, or using pillars, barrels and boulders to hold down every switch in a room (much tougher than it sounds). By solving these puzzles, you open up other doors and acquire items. You will probably get stuck on at least a few of the puzzles and spend a good deal of time pondering others.

The regular enemies in Alundra are fairly easy to defeat and predictable, but that's fine. There is nothing worse than getting killed by the normal enemies. Most of the boss enemies move in predictable patterns. After you learn these patterns, learn where to hit them and figure out the best weapon to use, then the fights are long but easy. There is quite bit of strategy involved in the major fights: you cannot just slash your way through.

Although there is a great animated introduction, some people may be turned off by Alundra’s graphics, which look little better than SNES or Genesis graphics. The graphics may look dated, but they get the point across and do not detract from the game play. Alundra may not have the type of music that gets "stuck in your head," but it is always appropriate and adds to the game’s mood. The sound effects, although nothing spectacular, are adequate.

If you are looking for a good Action/RPG for the PlayStation, Alundra is a game you cannot miss. It has a great story, plenty of dungeons to explore, and plenty of items to find. It should keep you busy for a long time as it is very long and very challenging (took me 45 hours to complete).