Item - Battle for the Ancient Robot

Of the first four sets in this series, this is my favorite by far. As in much of James M. Ward's work, the writing is pretty minimalistic, and the encounters are cheesy. However, since this has a sort of Flash Gordon feel to it, the simplicity and cheesiness actually work well to support the flavor of the adventure. The plot isn't too important anyway; it's the gameplay that really shines. The players must race to find robot parts as quickly as possible, and each robot part acquired adds new capabilities to a player's team. This keeps things tense throughout the game and adds a welcome element of strategy to the proceedings. Sadly, though, things aren't absolutely perfect. As with most of the series, rules ambiguities pop up here and there, breaking the flow of what is otherwise a really entertaining head-to-head challenge. This seems to be one of the most common entries in the series, as it pops up frequently on eBay and in other places. If you can find a partner willing to negotiate around vague rules, you should definitely pick up a copy and give it a try.

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