There's an audience in the gamer that turns on the Saturn every once in a while for some fun, light entertainment, and Herc's Adventure captures that niche neatly, kind of like a Disney movie. It's loosely based on Greek and Roman myths, and doesn't hesitate to rearrange history, but the end result is still worth the price of admission.

The action is simplistic but versatile. It's a simple world of forests, plains, and mountains, but you can do a lot within those limits. Talk to people, buy weapons, throw sheep, and kill monsters, all without having to resort to the RPG-type conversation/town model. Not a lot of loading time, and players get to see the world of Herc's Adventures as a seamless whole, rather than a bunch of submenus.

Like an RPG, though, the story progresses with each level, laced with LucasArts trademark brand of weird humor. Laser-shooting pigs and pompous deities populate the landscape in a particular display of whimsy, while the bad guys of the piece wouldn't look out of place on the Saturday morning boob tube. Not as edgy as Sam & Max, not as tame as Monkey Island, Herc's is comfortably amusing.

The clean graphics and humor mask a very thorough game, with real puzzles to solve and people and the action doesn't let up even to the very end. It requires quick reflexes, smart weapons choices (fish or inflatable cow?), and a knack for flinging blunt objects. If you're looking for a smart, fun, game, this is it.