In order to get a truly worthwhile experience out of playing Dragon's Lair, which for me would consist of seeing most or all of its 22 minutes of animated footage, you have to treat it as if it were a Sierra adventure game, those of which were still years away. Some of the most appealing material in works like Space Quest and Leisure Suit Larry were seeing what outrageous things would happen when you mishandled a task.

While many are entertaining to watch (the first few times), it becomes an egregious issue here, especially since Dragon's Lair never lets up its intensity. It constantly chokeholds your focus, leaving you in an unending, high stakes but monotonous, button-mashing frenzy. You're rarely, if ever, given the opportunity to appreciate the beautiful artwork, a marvel for its time.

In a way, this is the epitome of games being impossible to rate. Bless you, Don Bluth. Hopefully the movie adaptation isn't quite as agonizing.