They say variety is the spice of life and here, you have games at either end of the spectrum...

On the one hand we have Medieval II: Total War, an epic battefield simulator, recreating some of the largest and most devastating confrontations in history. And on the other, Fantasy World Dizzy, which tells the story of a little egg man who wears bright red boxing gloves and embarks on a weird and wonderful adventure.

In 2006, Medieval 2 not only made an appearance on our PC screens but was so accurate and good looking that it also took top billing on a prime time BBC history series.
This was the latest in the long line of Creative Assembly's Total War games, which tell the story of different periods of history and highlight various fighting styles and strategies. From Japan's shogun dynasty through to Ancient Rome, this title moved forward to the 11th century and concentrated on the next 500 years.This really was a thinking man's game.

Taking control of knights, archers, cavalry and the like, you could control every aspect of the war machine and send your armies in to battle. Whether or not they were in the correct formation or using the correct tactics would be entirely down to you...every minute detail was at your fingertips, making this the enthusiasts' dream.

The graphics, just like the battles, were of epic proportions...allowing you to zoom into the battlefield or pan out to hover in the sky above your armies. However, aside from the soldiers, the actual landscapes were somewhat lacking.

And then we have Dizzy, the prince of the Yolkfolk. The happy little fella from the house of Codemasters returned in 1989 for his third - and arguably best - adventure.

 Joining Dizzy on his escapades this time were Daisy, Denzil, Dozy, Dylan and Grand Dizzy but largely it was more of the same... a series of barely animated screens littered with puzzles and intriguing characters to interact with.

Sound effects were minimal and the colour palette was basic but it made pretty good use of the meagre power of the Spectrum, Atari, Commodore and Amstrad home computer systems - and remained a firm favourite of mine back in the day.

  • Originality – This wasn't the first Dizzy game and brought little that was new to the genre. Medieval on the other hand, although also a sequel, added scale and substance to an already winning formula. Winner: Medieval
  • Longevity – Like all games back in the 1980s, Dizzy was never going to be a massive 30 hour+ title but it was tricky and had loads of screens to explore. Medieval, however, offers so much more. Winner: Medieval
  • Graphics – Reds, greens and occasional yellow...Dizzy was never going to win this matchup now, was it? Winner: Medieval
  • Sound FX – A decent soundtrack and accurate sounding battles versus very little indeed. Winner: Medieval.
  • Replayability – All these years later, I remember Dizzy very fondly but just can't see a revival anytime soon. Like many games of that generation, it was very much of its time. I loved it back then but it's not really stood the test of time. If you get hooked on Medieval, however, why wouldn't you keep coming back for more...what's more, there are certain to be further editions in the years ahead. Winner: Medieval
...Sadly, it's somewhat of a whitewash. Of the two, my personal preference would be for Dizzy and it remains one of the highlights of my gaming youth. Nevertheless, it's clear that under these criteria, Medieval is the victor!
See also: