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Almost two decades with no review for this classic? Well, that clearly needs to change, because Moon Crystal is an example of an early fan translation that still holds up today.

Simply put, Alex W. Jackson's localization is like playing the official release that Moon Crystal never got. It's a very clean, well-structured patch with no typos or other signs of amateurishness, and runs perfectly on real hardware from start to finish. About the only thing I could spot is that the ellipsis sign is riding a bit high, and should be a few pixels lower to read like a conventional ellipsis in English. I can't evaluate the fidelity of the translation, but it certainly reads well and flows naturally.

As for the game itself, I think Moon Crystal is somewhat overrated but still worth playing. It basically adds Prince of Persia mechanics to a conventional 8-bit action platformer, which means you get really nice, fluid animation and the chance to grab a lot of ledges. It also means the controls sometimes get laggy or non-responsive, and that becomes a problem late in the game when you're trying to jump after attacking and it just doesn't happen.

The boss battles are especially weak, as the early ones have a pattern but can easily be brute-forced, while a couple of the late fights seem to offer no alternative to just whaling away on them as fast as you can until you survive with one hit point left. In other words, only one or two bosses are designed the "right" way, i.e. with a consistent pattern that not only can be learned but must be learned.

Still, even if the last stage will drive you nuts, the presentation of Moon Crystal is engaging enough to make a playthrough worthwhile. It's got slick cutscenes, good music, and clever stage design, and doesn't overstay its welcome. Alex W. Jackson deserves credit for putting out a patch that's stood the test of time for almost 20 years now.