July 2009 ~ Racing Games Free

Recently I saw this site wich lets you to play classic NES games online.
The first game it came in my mind was The Battle of Olympus I was playing on my NES when I was 7 or 8 years old. Every time I hear that song when the intro starts I'm shivering. It's one of the game songs that you can't forget.

This game is about a Greek named Orpheus, in Ancient Greece. His love, Helene, was poisoned by a snake and died. Later Orpheus learns that Helene was actually taken by Hades, god of the underworld, to become his bride. Upon hearing this, Orpheus begins his journey to save Helene.

During this adventure, Orpheus will need to meet the Greek gods and gain their favor. Starting with Zeus, the leader of the Olympian gods, who encourages the other gods to grant Orpheus powers. These powers are in the form of a weapon, a shield, and other special equipment. Among them a harp, which summons Pegasus to carry Orpheus to far locations.

Orpheus will also encounter mythological creatures such as the: Taurus, Lamia, Cyclops, Centaur, Talos, Minotaur, Cerberus, Stymphalian Birds, Nemean Lion and also a Siren. He will fight his way deep into the underworld, fight and defeat Hades, and finally save Helene. He will acquire several items depicted in the Greek mythology, such as the Harp of Apollo, the Sword of Hephaestus, the Staff of Prometheus and the Sandals of Hermes.

The pretext of Orpheus's quest is the story of Orpheus and Eurydice. Elements of the quest are drawn from the stories of Heracles and Perseus. Many characters, enemies, locations, and items are also based on Greek mythology. The gameplay and graphics seem to be strongly influenced by Zelda II: The Adventure of Link, released in 1987.

With all about Greek mythology this game has kept me playing for hours. As you know I live in Greece and everything in that game are well known to me. I suggest it to all the retro Zelda fans out there who may want something similar with a very great story and smart gameplay full of adventures and secrets.