#29: Fantasy World Dizzy (CodeMasters, C64, 1989)

Fantasy World Dizzy seems to be widely regarded as the pinnacle of the Dizzy series, at least within the narrow niche where ‘the pinnacle of the Dizzy series’ is a concept with any meaning at all. This is clearly wrong – the following game, Magicland Dizzy, is superior in just about every way – but taken in context of the rest of the series, it’s easy to see why it has this reputation. Because, in gameplay terms, while Magicland does sand off a few more of the rough edges, its improvements are nothing compared to the giant leap forward that Fantasy World takes from Treasure Island.

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I played the Dizzy series when I was a child, and loved them, and I still hold an enormous amount of affection for them, despite their obvious flaws. And I didn’t want the story of Dizzy here on AAA to simply talk about the wholly understandable missteps made along the way to perfecting the recipe. Because, as the saying goes, you can’t make an omelet without breaking a few eggs.