Solomon's Club

The Good
Solomon's Club is an action puzzle platformer developed for the Game Boy by Graphic Research on a license by Tecmo. It is the exclusive GB sequel/down-port to the 1986 arcade machine Solomon's Key.

It's similar to the Arcade and NES versions, but with new rooms and now you can buy the power ups, no more than three of each: fireball, hammer to break mirrors, move faster, extra time, water gun, even extra lives. The insane difficulty of the original has been tone down. For such a straightforward game it has some pretty complex mechanics. The fun in the GB version comes from trying not only to beat the current room, but also to clear it of jewels and good stuff thus getting more money as a reward (that you will then use to buy more power ups) A lot of times you'll get surprised by the cleverness of the puzzle in the room (is good that you can pause and still be able to see the room, so you can plan accordingly). Some rooms demand that you have certain items to beat them, that's why they let you choose the order you want to play the rooms. To get the true ending you must get all the items and find all hidden rooms, to unlock the final "Solomon Stage" (with 10 more rooms)

The graphics are very simple and cute, sprites are well designed and the stage is plain but clear - for a game like this not a lot is required - There's usually just one nice little tune to go along with the Level repeating over and over through the rooms - but at least is a nice tune - and thanks to the password system you can play just a few rounds, stop, and then come back later.

The Bad
The sub-menu screen to select your items is a bit anoying: you need to pause with Start button, then press right to go to a secondary screen (very slow scrolling), select the item you want to use, then select "exit". Nothing is perfect.

The Bottom Line
Solomon's Club is an excellent sequel/downport of what it is an Arcade masterpiece. The contractor Graphic Research took the solid foundations of the original and made them work for the Game Boy, creating a very fun, original and addictive game that is worth it of its name.