The Death Test

Classic Game of Adventure
"Underneath his palace, the ruler keeps a special labyrinth - an obstacle course for the mercenaries he hires. But this 'obstacle course' is a tough one. And if you're not tougher...you'll be dead."
Who could resist such a challenge?
I have a great fondness for the Death Test cover illustration by Pat Hidy. It reminds me of the barbarian stories of R.E. Howard, the fantasy art of Frank Frazetta, and so many fantastic things I love. I am sure part of my fascination with the image is because of my fondness for the product it illustrates so well. Death Test and I go back a long way.  Appearing in 1978, Death Test is a simple, challenging game with great replayability and a game I can share with friends or play solo. As the illustration depicts, the Death Test consists of a labyrinth of several rooms which you enter through a magic curtain with one to four player characters and have encounters. Each room has various challenges and combats and some contain treasure. Learning the best tactics and weapon combinations can take some time. Teamwork is essential for success. Monster challenges encountered in the various rooms include many of the standard fantasy troupes, wolves, spiders, gargoyles, hobgoblins...etc. and each poses unique challenges.
Death Test is not a stand alone game, it is a MicroQuest for use with the Melee and Wizard system authored by Steve Jackson in his days working for Metagaming. It is part of The Fantasy Trip family of products as indicated at the top of the cover of the 21-page booklet. Microgames Melee and Wizard power the MicroQuest series of adventures which are designed to be played either solo or with a group of friends. Melee (fighting) and Wizard (magic) are set-up as arena games and Death Test follows that format using the arena map from Melee (Wizard is not really needed for this MicroTest) as the basis of the individual rooms of the labyrinth.
I still occasionally play Death Test solo. It has been many years since I last played it as a group game, but I think the idea still has appeal. Metagaming seemed focused on inexpensive games and the components of Melee, Wizard and Death Test reflect that. I think it compares favorably, in terms of playability and fun, with much more expensive games which use plastic minis, custom dice and lots of fancy cards. In today's market, consumers are more used to video games with pretty graphics, board and card games with (pre-painted) minis and impressive artwork. The rules aren't any better and often not as good as those of The Fantasy Trip, however, and therefore the game experience is often lacking despite the glamour. Death Test, though long out-of-print, gets more play on my table than most of the much newer games. And that is not entirely due to nostalgia.