Asterix - Caesar's Challenge

Asterix's world in logic puzzles — so when the Gallic warrior isn't wielding his sword, he's solving riddles. Caesar's Challenge is a mix of adventure and puzzle games that tries to be fun for the clever crowd, but ended up as average educational material.

The game revolves around characters from the comics and their tasks in the Roman Empire. You solve various logic puzzles — from putting things together, deciphering messages, to simple math brain-teasers. It's all wrapped in a story that draws from Asterix's world, but doesn't quite hit the mark.

Gameplay revolves around a steady rhythm of clicking and waiting for animations. The graphics are based on the original comic book illustrations, which should be a strong point, but in this DOS version it looks like partially faded photocopies. Controls are simple — clicking around the screen, nothing fun about it. Individual tasks aren't outright difficult, just tedious. After a while you notice the game just repeats the same type of thinking — there's no progression, just variations on the same theme.

In the nineties, there were plenty of educational games that tried to wrap learning in a gaming package. This one belonged more to those that nobody chose voluntarily. Asterix had better adaptations in the 90s — on Mega Drive and other platforms there were games that at least had combat and action.

Today it's not worth your time to play. If you want retro logic games, there are better choices — simpler, elegantly straightforward solutions without unnecessary animations. This Asterix is more educational content without a gaming heart.