Merlin’s Apprentice

Merlin’s Apprentice is a puzzle game in which you have to become an apprentice to Merlin the Wizard — but first you have to find him by solving many puzzles and trying to outsmart three clever demons. The game has cartoon-style graphics and funny sound & voices.

There are thirty puzzles in Merlin’s Apprentice in all, of about eight different types. There are some action puzzles that require you to click on objects that float by, several logic puzzles that involve moving objects into a certain configuration using only a few types of movements, and word puzzles requiring deciphering some encrypted sentences. The game has three difficulty levels which can be set on a puzzle-by-puzzle basis and changed during the game.

The puzzles in Merlin’s Apprentice, though fewer in number and in general easier than those in Cliff Johnson’s previous works, still present some intriguing challenges to be overcome. The logic puzzles present the most challenge, often requiring the player to carefully arrange each move to produce the desired result. The action and memory puzzles seem like filler, padding out the game. Some additional types of puzzles would have been welcome to add more variety.