Solomon's Key

Solomon's Key is a 1988 puzzle-platform game in which the player controls a wizard attempting to navigate rooms filled with enemies, traps, ladders, and blocks that can be created or destroyed. The clever level design makes the environment itself part of the puzzle: platforms can be constructed to reach new areas, while the wrong placement can make progress considerably more difficult. The game demands both quick reactions and careful planning, since enemies continue moving while the player tries to figure out the solution. Solomon's Key has the compact, challenging design associated with classic arcade games, where every screen presents a self-contained problem and failure teaches you something useful. The magical theme gives the mechanics plenty of personality without distracting from the puzzles. It is a game that looks simple until you try to solve one of the harder rooms, at which point your wizarding career suddenly becomes an exercise in architectural frustration.