Golden Disk 64 08/90

Cover
This was the first Golden Disk 64 issue I ever bought. It was NEW, because it said so on the cover. As you can see, it was about double the price of Magic Disk 64, with the reasoning that Golden Disk games were of a higher quality. This wasn't always the case, but the content of issue 08/90 isn't too shabby.

The cover illustrates the game Krieg um die Krone. It shows a scene where humans are battling a horde of trolls. Well, horde is maybe not the right term when there are only three of them visible. I assume there are more trolls coming from the left side. Otherwise, they'll soon be completely outnumbered once that army of knights in the background joins the battle.

I don't quite understand why the castle's moat and interior seem to be violently ablaze, even though the trolls haven't reached the drawbridge yet. Maybe setting one's own castle on fire is a valid medieval defense strategy I'm simply not familiar with.

On second thought, I just remembered the reason for random stuff burning. Once you play the game, you'll get a good idea why it's not improbable for a castle in Krieg um die Krone to be aflame. The scorched trees to the left might already clue you in.

Even the odd circumstance that two castles were built almost next to each other on precariously craggy terrain is just in keeping with the game's world.


Games
Krieg um die Krone
Schwert und Magie


Summary
Krieg um die Krone represents the main course of this disk, and it's an interesting, if not overly complex strategy game.

I won't go into Schwert und Magie because it consists of two episodes of a German Choose-Your-Own-Adventure style game series that's very text heavy. I imagine it wouldn't make for a very entertaining read if I tried to translate every screenshot. Let me just say that I liked playing both episodes 17 years ago, but in the end, they're quite simple trial-and-error affairs with some luck elements.

Looking at this Golden Disk 64 issue as a whole, I'd say the price was about justified. The games are a bit primitive from a technical standpoint, but neither of them is frustrating or overly hard, which is a plus for C64 games in my book.

If you don't speak German, Krieg um die Krone is probably still playable, as one can guess what is going on from the game's context.
Schwert und Magie, however, is an interactive story and thus very wordy and way less accessible. If you want to use it to learn German, feel free to give it a go. The writing style is simple enough, and it doesn't throw monstrosities like "Eierschalensollbruchstellenverursacher" at you.