Disney's Hercules

He went from zero to hero on the silver screen, and now you can recreate his adventures on your PlayStation in Disney's Hercules. Play as Disney's version of the mythic character Hercules through ten levels of excitement as you battle the bad guys, rescue his girlfriend Meg and protect the people of the city Thebes.

Before you can take Hercules on any adventures, you'll need to get him trained under the guidance of his trainer Phil, a cranky satyr who shows him how to rescue damsels in distress, which is your first task. If you can handle that, you'll get to take on the deadly Centaur Forest.

From there Hercules makes his way to Thebes (also known as The Big Olive), the canyon of the Hydra and Medusa's lair before finally entering the Underworld, from which no one has ever returned, to rescue Meg. There will also be battles against the Cyclops and the Titans to test your mettle.

Being a demi-god, of course, Hercules has more weapons at his disposal than a mere mortal. Besides the usual jumping and sword swinging, he can let loose with a power punch or pull off a mid-air ground slam to take his opponents down. He starts the game with three lives and a full Herometer, which measures his health level; if it reaches zero, he loses a life.

Along the way he can pick up some items which will help him with his quests, such as Hermes' Sandals, which allow him to move faster, and Hercules action figures which restore the Herometer. Extra lives are awarded for grabbing Hercules vases and silver and gold coins grant bonus points at the end of levels.

There are better power-ups to be had as well, gifts from the gods who sit on Mount Olympus high above the world. The Helmet of Invincibility grants temporary invincibility while the Sonic Sword does deadly damage to all enemies who are within close range. The Lightning Sword and Fireball Sword shoot lightning and fireballs which cause extra damage.

Each time Hercules meets Hermes in a level, his progress is saved and he will return to that same point if he loses a life. If he can collect all four Mystery Password Vases in a level, he gets a password which will take him back to the beginning of that level the next time you play.

The book offers training tips and passwords for the first three levels, but after that you're on your own. There are three levels of difficulty to choose from, but the last two levels, Passageways of Eternal Torment and the Vortex of Souls, are inaccessible if you're playing as a beginner. ~ Brad Cook, All Game Guide