To save his world from rampaging demons, Dana goes on a dangerous quest to find Solomon's Key and seal the monsters away.

Solomon’s Key originally started out life as a little known arcade game. The NES version is probably much better known and is a faithful rendition of the original. Playing as a little wizard by the name of Dana you are tasked with escaping from a series of dungeons. To help you Dana has a handy magic wand which he can use to create or destroy blocks. The stage is set for a fun, yet fiendishly tricky action puzzle game.

The aim of each level is to get the key, then make it to the exit door. This is a lot more difficult than it sounds as the layout of the room is not designed to aid your progress. You can create and destroy blocks to the side or underneath you, or even jump and wave your magic wand. The rooms are filled with enemies to avoid. If you have your wits about you then you can trap them with a block. In addition to this there are potions you can find which allow you to shoot a fireball destroying your enemies.

Things start out simple, but later levels are much more intricate so getting through them without dying will require some forward planning. You are also working to a time limit which helps to keep you on your toes. There are about 50 rooms in total so going through the entire game will take a fair amount of time.

Like most NES games the graphics and sound are now very dated, but they do the job just fine. The game is very colourful throughout and the music is nice and catchy. What matters most in a game such as this is how fun the gameplay is, this is where Solomon’s Key shines. Its blend of platforming and problem solving makes it timeless.

We’d highly recommend you check this out. It is one of the better NES games that doesn’t feature a certain Italian plumber. Tecmo did release a follow-up to Solomon’s Key by the name of Fire ‘n Ice which we prefer slightly, but until that makes its way to the Virtual Console you could do a worse than to take a chance on this if you are a puzzle fun.