Legacy of the Wizard - Action/Adventure (NES)
Falcom / Broderbund
Actually the fourth part of the Dragon Slayer series in Japan, Legacy of the Wizard is a quirky game in which most of the action the player takes is exploration.
It is, in fact, easy to get yourself hopelessly lost in the dungeon. If you can keep your directions straight, though, you may find an excellent, almost Metroid-ish, feel throughout the game.
The player chooses any of five characters - Xemn (the father), Meyna (the mother), Lyll (the daughter), Raos (the son), and Pochi (the pet...?). All are members of the Warzen family (and yes, I included the names because I think they're awesome), which is tasked with defeating a dragon deep underneath the Earth.
Each character has different abilities and some can use items no other member can - for example, Xemn can barely jump, but he is extremely powerful and can equip a Glove which allows him to move some rocks (lots of puzzles with them), while Meyna has less attack power, but can equip an item that allows her to fly at an MP cost.
The dungeon itself is laid out in such a way that each character (aside from Raos) has a particular sub-dungeon they must fight through. Once you gather the Four Crowns from these four sub-dungeons, you can go about finding the Dragon Slayer (which only Raos can equip) and finally fight the Dragon.
There are shops and inns scattered throughout the dungeon as well. Different shops will sell different items, while inns restore your HP and MP. In many respects, Legacy of the Wizard is almost an Action/RPG, but it lacks an experience system.
An excellent game - particularly if you don't mind a bit of exploration - Legacy of the Wizard has catchy music, a somewhat offbeat dungeon, and multiple characters to keep the game interesting.
Screenshots:
