Blast From the Past: Firelord

Released in 1986 by Hewson, (founded by British born Andrew Hewson in the early 1980’s), for the ZX Spectrum, C64 and Amstrad CPC, Firelord was an instant hit with gamers.
Casting you in the role of Sir Galaheart, your aim was to traverse the Kingdom of Torot to obtain the four charms of eternal youth for the 'Wicked Queen' in exchange for her releasing the Kingdom of Torot from its curse.
Like many of games of the time Firelord was very difficult compared to today’s standards; as much as a single scrape from one of the many ghosts roaming the land would deplete Sir Galaheart's health at an alarming rate, so quick reactions and a keen eye were an absolute necessity in guiding our would be hero through his adventure, especially as you begin the game with absolutely no spell power in which to deal with foes.

For all its difficulty though, Firelord was a joy to play and is as addictive and as fun as it ever was. Firelord also boasted some of the finest looking visuals on the scene with its vibrant and colourful medieval hamlets.

As well as the popular isometric shoot-em-up Uridium, (1985), Hewson also went onto create many more classics such as Stormlord, Marauder, Cybernoid and Impossaball before shutting its doors in the early 1991. Surprisingly, Andrew Hewson went on to become the founder of ELSPA, (European Leisure Software Publishers Association). While Andrew may now be retried from the games industry his legacy remains, with Firelord standing out as one of the many fond memories for many an 80’s gamer and as such remains a surefire classic.