I thought to myself as I was putting Maze Hunter 3D into my Master System, "how can this game possibly be 3D, it was released in 1987??" If I remember my history correctly (and believe me, I do) it wasn't until nearly a decade later that 3D was done effectively, so how is it possible that Maze Hunter was 3D 19 years ago?

I'll fill you in on Maze Hunter's little trick ... it's not 3D. That's right, it's not 3D! If you're expecting this thing resemble Super Mario 64 in any way then you are going to be very mad, because Maze Hunter is a 2D overhead puzzler that is nothing like the 3D we talk about with current video games. The 3D they are talking about here is that some of the levels have getting smaller and larger as you climb and fall down holes. This game is as 3D as the original Grand Theft Auto was; which is to say, not much.

Essentially every level of this game is the same, you start out somewhere in a large maze and it's your job to find your way out. That involves fighting (or dodging) enemies, collecting items, and picking up keys. The levels are all pretty similar, even though each of them has a different color scheme to work with. It's always you walking around these huge areas doing whatever you need to in order to get out of that maze (and into another one).

Outside of the obvious problem (the fact that it's incredibly tedious), Maze Runner's main character is extremely slow. I'm talking paint drying slow. There are a number of levels that require you to go great distances, but all this walking requires you to watch your slow moving character get from point A to point B. He can jump (oh, hey, that's more of the 3D they are talking about), but that's only good for a few things. He can pick up items to defeat enemies that stand in his way, but don't expect this to be a large part of the experience, because it's not.

This is a 1987 Master System game so you can't expect that much in the graphics department. Since this isn't really 3D they aren't doing anything complex, just a small character that occasionally gets bigger or smaller depending on what floor he is on. The enemies are all unusual looking, but one hit kills (so expect to die, a lot). When you die you will turn into a smoke ring and float up to wherever your kind goes. Not exactly the most rivoting dead sequence you'll see.

Maze Runner may find an audience that appreciates searching out exits, but isn't this the kind of thing we essentially did in Wolfenstein 3D? And that game actually was 3D, unlike this falsely named product. There are a lot of levels, a decent challenge, and a non-threatening item system, it's perfect for anybody who loves boring, tedious games.