This feeling is also heightened by the graphic design. From the warm and cosy Merry Men’s camp, where each in-game day begins and ends, to the ghostly Fens Monastery surrounded by a foggy swamp, the VGA graphics really shine and the animations add a nice touch of realism: the water flows gently, the fog swirls eerily and the birds fly from branch to branch. Late in the game, when Robin has a chance to visit Nottingham’s Great Fair, the city’s streets, otherwise empty, come alive with acrobats, fakirs, beggars, scholars and fortune tellers. Another nice feature involves the character portraits shown during dialogue, which display a good range of facial expressions and cover the lack of voice acting pretty well. As for the music, each location has a distinct theme that appropriately matches the visual design. The main theme, inspired by medieval English troubadours, is so pleasant to listen to that it can stick in the player’s mind long after, though some others are perhaps too similar and none of them are really memorable.

Unlike its predecessor, Longbow is based on the enhanced version of Sierra Creative Interpreter, known as SCI1, and thus uses Sierra’s standard point-and-click, icon-driven interface. Apart from the usual Walk, Look and Use options, there are also two customised icons designed particularly for the game: the Map icon, through which the player can instantly travel between the most important places, and the Bow icon, which allows the player to shoot arrows with Robin’s legendary archery skill. As the latter feature suggests, this means that the dreaded arcade sequences from Conquest of Camelot are present here too. Although the new mouse interface simplifies the task, these sequences can still be very tricky, because they also require the use of the keyboard and the commands are often quite unresponsive. However, they are generally better than the ones seen in the previous installment, and the Longbow Tournament is perhaps one of the most entertaining segments of the game. Besides, the arcade difficulty can be adjusted at any time during the game, even though a lower difficulty means fewer points rewarded. Some players may also be bothered by the many timed sequences that punctuate the gameplay: while some of them are easy tasks even for the most action-resistant adventurer, others may prove to be quite hard on modern computers, all but forcing players to use a slow-down utility. One sequence in particular, involving the capture of a Pixie, can be very frustrating because the little devil runs incredibly fast across the screen and it requires a quite perfect hand-eye coordination to entangle it in Robin’s net.

Physical challenges aren’t the only obstacles, as Longbow’s well balanced mixture of inventory and logic puzzles will test even the most seasoned adventurer. Returning from Conquests of Camelot, riddles will force the player to think creatively to solve them, and the Druid hand-code is a subtle and intelligent device that replaces the text parser without losing the player’s direct involvement in the solution: each phalanx represents a letter, and when presented with a question, Robin must answer by clicking the corresponding fingertip to compose the right word. The game also contains a couple of puzzles directly based upon the manual, which serves as its copy protection. However, unlike other Sierra games of the period, these puzzles never feel contrived or artificial, instead furthering the depth of the background setting and adding some actual teaching. For example, to enter the reclusive Fens’ Monastery, Robin has to prove his knowledge about gemstones: without the manual, it’s impossible to solve the puzzle, and even with it, accurate reasoning is required to interpret the difficult rhymes which hide the correct answers. This demands creative thinking, and it’s very satisfying to overcome this kind of obstacle.

I must also mention that this game presents the player with a bunch of non-linear choices that can greatly influence the final outcome. Some tasks are completely optional, like the ways to increase the ransom needed for King Richard’s release or the charity given to the poor, and even the final number of outlaws commanded by Robin or his worthiness for the regal pardon will depend on the player’s decisions. The game has no less than four different endings, from a happy and satisfying conclusion that wraps up every plot point to a grim, dark and tragic one. In this regard, not only the epic feats will count but also the little moral decisions made from the very beginning, not to mention at least two occasions where Robin must choose a plan of action between those suggested by his Merry Men, and whatever choice the player makes will influence the ending. These kinds of crossroads, never rendering the game unbeatable, surely increase Longbow’s replayability value.

Despite its minor flaws and a few unpolished aspects, Conquests of the Longbow has a great number of sure arrows in its quiver. Its arcade sequences certainly won’t be for everyone, but it has a deep and interesting story, believable and appealing characters, multi-branched plot, solid gameplay and challenging, intelligent puzzles. Although one of Sierra’s lesser known titles from that golden era of adventures, it remains a true classic and a must-have for every adventurer.