There was a period in time when the side-scrolling action-adventure was a dominant computer game genre. Computer side-scrollers were differentiated from their console counterparts by relying more upon puzzle solving than button pushing, with two games - Out of this World and Flashback - being prime examples of the genre (a complete list would also have to include the Prince of Persia games, the Dark Castle games, and even early efforts like Karateka, Conan, and Bruce Lee). The genre returns to its roots with Amazing Studios' Heart of Darkness, a simple and frustrating little chunk of a side scroller. The only recent game to which Heart of Darkness can be compared is Abe's Oddysee, but even that comparison comes up a little short. Abe's was pure puzzle solving; Heart of Darkness is a mixture of action-oriented puzzles and puzzle-oriented action. As such, it can really only be compared to Flashback and Out of this World, a not-so-surprising fact considering that Amazing Studios is made up of numerous
