Game crashes when you press SpaceBar

If the game crashes when you press the Space Bar, you are likely playing in full screen mode without a window around the video.   Currently you must have a window around the video to avoid this problem so you should check in Start>Settings>Control Panels>Multimedia and make sure the "Video" tab is set to "Window" rather than "Full Screen". 

Game doesn't auto-run when you insert the DVD

If the program doesn't automatically run when you put the DVD in your computer then the auto-run feature in your computer is probably not working.  You can still run the programs by double-clicking on "My Computer", then on your DVD-ROM drive and then on DL.  Alternately, you can insert the DVD then select Start>Run and enter path to the executable program on the DVD.

Save/Load: How does it work?

When using the Save/Load features, please be aware that the games will only save your location once you complete a level and will not save your position at a specific point within a level.

Other

If you have tried all these suggestions and the game still isn't working for you, try the game on another computer, if possible, and see if you get the same results before contacting us.

If you would like to purchase any of our products from your local software retailer and they don't currently carry it, please ask them to order it for you.  Note that our DVD-ROM versions are not widely available at retail.

Should I buy the DVD-ROM or DVD-Video version?

If you own a set-top DVD movie player, PlayStation 2 or Xbox then you should buy the DVD-Video version -- the DVD-ROM version will not work for you. If you own a computer, there is a chance that the DVD-Video version will work using the DVD movie player on your computer but currently some PC-based movie players fail (note: we've found that the latest versions of WinDVD and PowerDVD will run DL, SA and DL2; PowerDVD will run Time Traveler). We expect that as time goes on most manufacturers will correct bugs in their movie players and Dragon's Lair DVD-Video will run on most DVD-equipped computers however the DVD-ROM version will run more smoothly on a computer than the DVD-Video version as it won't have pauses at decision points, will have random scene order and will (in some cases) skip the resurrection when you defeat a scene. An advantage of the DVD-Video version is that it contains historical interviews with Don Bluth and Rick Dyer, the creators of Dragon's Lair. (Note: Space Ace and Dragon's Lair II DVD-ROM contain all the same extras as on the DVD-Video versions).

Some computers will not run the DVD-ROM version. Dragon's Lair relies on the MCI interface in Windows which is gradually being phased out in favor of DirectShow (see below). Most DVD-equipped computers today support at least MCI and sometimes both MCI and DirectShow but occasionally some computers only support DirectShow. We have DirectShow updates for the games that can be downloaded from our web site if your driver only supports DirectShow. To test if your computer is likely to run Dragon's Lair, you can download a small sample file from our Downloads page and try running it using the Media Player (Start>Programs>Accessories>Multimedia [or >Entertainment on W98]). If you can play this movie then you probably have MCI and Dragon's Lair will probably run on your computer. Note that being able to play this file using your DVD movie player doesn't prove MCI or DirectShow.

DirectShow Overview

DirectShow is the new DirectX component that comes built into Windows 98/Me and can be installed onto Windows 95.  It allows applications to play back video with much more control than MCI (the existing standard) and, in thoery, is much more compatible between different driver implementations for the different DVD cards.

We have a versions of Dragon's Lair, Space Ace and Dragon's Lair II DVD-ROM that runs under DirectShow on our Downloads page however we are using calls in DirectShow that were added toward the end of the DirectShow development effort and many hardware DirectShow drivers don't have these functions implemented (these functions handle what Microsoft calls "PES", or "Packetized Elementary Streams").  We require these calls to play the movies that are on the currently available Dragon's Lair DVD-ROM discs.   We're told that many hardware DVD solutions can't support PES because it requires the audio and video streams to be split up, potentially modified and then sent back to the hardware for decoding and the hardware solutions haven't been designed with this flexiblity in mind (they just dump the stream to the decoder). Since software DVD solutions do all the decoding in software, they can easily implement PES but there are sometimes other problems (see "Software DVD drivers" below). You can download this version from our Downloads page.

If there is a DirectShow driver for your DVD card installed on your system (called a "WDM") and you are running Windows 98 then if there is an MCI driver for your DVD card, it is automatically disabled. This means that the MCI driver that you need to run Dragon's Lair will automatically be disabled and if you have a hardware solution, we cannot immediately supply a DirectShow version that would work for the reasons outlined above. 

MMSystem error when "Play" selected

This typically occurs when the wrong MCI DVD driver has been selected or if your MCI driver doesn't fully support MCI (such as PowerDVD and WinDVD).  Try clicking on "Options" and selecting and trying all the other drivers listed (one at a time).  If none of them work then there is a good chance that the MCI driver for your DVD playback system is not installed, or not installed correctly.  If your system came with a DVD driver disc, you can try reinstalling it.   You can also check the web site of your computer manufacturer or DVD upgrade kit manufacturer for the latest version of the driver.  Without a functioning MCI DVD driver, Dragon's Lair will not work.

You can test your MCI driver by playing one of the Dragon's Lair movies on your DVD-ROM using the Media Player (Start>Programs>Accessories>Multimedia).

Also see "DirectShow" above.

Creative Labs Encore

If you are running Dragon's Lair DVD-ROM with the Creative Labs Encore Dxr2 and are using their revision 2 driver (Nov 97), click here to download a revised version of Dragon's Lair.  This version also defaults the window to full height so you may want to download it even if you aren't experiencing the new Creative Labs driver problems (or are using the Dxr3).

If you used to have your Creative Labs Encore Dxr2 functioning and then installed Windows 98 and find that it is no longer functioning, try downloading the latest Creative drivers and installing them.  Make sure to follow the instructions to uninstall the old drivers before installing the new ones.

The Creative Labs Dxr3 does not currently work with Dragon's Lair due to bugs in their drivers.  At this point, we don't expect Creative Labs to fix the bugs but you can try some work-arounds supplied to us by our customers that reinstall older driver versions for the RealMagic Hollywood card by clicking here . This seems to not work on many of these newer systems.  You may want to consider purchasing SoftDVD Max which is compatible with Dragon's Lair.

Software DVD drivers

If you are having trouble with Dragon's Lair DVD-ROM, please first download our version 1.10 (MCI and DirectShow) from our Downloads page.

MGISoft/Zoran SoftDVD comes preinstalled with some computer systems. In our testing and feedback that we've received from customers, this driver works quite well with Dragon's Lair as an MCI driver. If your DVD driver isn't compatible with Dragon's Lair, you may want to consider purchasing SoftDVD from the MGI web site for $19.99 (electronic download).

PowerDVD implements DirectShow but is doesn't work. It plays our DVD-Video versions well and without any move pauses. You can try contacting Cyberlink at gregory@cyberlink-usa.com and explain the problems you are experiencing. You may want to consider purchasing the MGISoft SoftDVD (see above). You can purchase PowerDVD here (they offer a free trial period).

WinDVD implements MCI and DirectShow but both don't work very well with our DVD-ROM version prior to their version 3.0, however we've tested version of 3.0 and it runs our DirectShow version perfectly! If you own an earlier version 2.x of WinDVD, you may want to consider upgrading to version 3.0.   Our DVD-Video versions will work with this driver (including earlier versions) without any move pauses. You can purchase or download the latest version of WinDVD here (they offer a free trial period).

Mediamatics DVD Express supports MCI and DirectShow. The MCI version works well. The DirectShow version doesn't play audio and crashes on the Wind Room (stick with the MCI version!). The DVD-Video version starts out well but then crashes as it tries to move on to the second room.

Software Cinemaster is included with many ATI video cards. It supports MCI and DirectShow. Old versions of the MCI version seem to pause and then speed up the video to catch up and we've had a number of complaints from customers about the screen going black with audio still playing (we're told that version 3.1 or later works). The DirectShow version plays audio but always displays a black screen (did you ever want to try playing Dragon's Lair with only audio cues -- here's your chance). The DVD-Video version seems to play well.

Xing DVD is currently DirectShow only. We've tested this with our DirectShow version (which can be downloaded from our Downloads page) and it seems to work quite well. It also runs the DVD-Video version although there were a few peculiarities with move timing and display of the yellow diamond move cue (we've sent this information to Xing for their consideration).

New Version

We have released a new version of Dragon's Lair DVD-ROM (version 1.10) which is available now for free download for current owners of version 1.00.   Improvements include: resurrections only after you've died (not all DVD solutions will support this), crumbling bones only when you've lost all your lives, moves exactly the same as the arcade release, increased compatiblity with certain DVD kits.

Are there differences between the DVD-Video, PS2 and Xbox versions?

Only the packaging.

Running the DVD-Video version on a computer

We have confirmed that the DVD-Video/PS2/Xbox versions work with WinDVD.   If you have had experience with running it under other DVD drivers, please let us know what results you get.

I only get black & white on my television

Dragon's Lair DVD-Video is encoded as NTSC video. If an NTSC signal is played back on a PAL television, it will appear in black & white. Normally PAL DVD-Video players should convert the NTSC on the DVD-Video disc to PAL so that it appears in color. In some cases (with certain PAL DVD-Video players), they will only output NTSC however many PAL television sets are capable of receiving "PAL 60" which will accept the NTSC signal and display it correctly. If you are getting black & white, try setting your television to this mode and you should be able to play the game in color.

Thanks to Basti Grünwald for the following:
For PAL PlayStation 2s or DVD Players an RGB cable is common to connect PlayStations or DVD-Players to the television. Most DVD-Players and the PS2 converts NTSC Signals to PAL60. Now there are some cables that can not transport the whole PAL60 format completely - it depends on the type of RGB-Cable you use: In order to receive NTSC DVDs in full color on your PAL TV screen when played with a DVD-Player or the PS2 you need:

- a TV set that supports PAL60 (nearly every one does)
- an fully pinned RGB Cable (most cables delivered with DVD Players or PS2 aren't fully pinned, because for PAL you only need half of the pins)
- a TV set with a fully pinned RGB slot (sometimes you have to activate something in your television menu so that the TV set lets all signals in, normally called: "AV-RGB")

In 99% of all cases, the problem of B/W color is just because the signal is not transported through the cable, because it's not fully pinned. Note: The PS2 is normally delivered without an RGB cable at all (only with simple cinch cables that won't work as well).

Region Coding

None of our DVD-Video/PlayStation 2/Xbox games have any region coding so they can be played on all DVD players worldwide. The games are encoded in NTSC video but can be played on both NTSC and PAL DVD players but will show in Black and White on PAL (international) television sets if you don't have a PAL60 compatible television set.

When playing Dragon's Lair remember that you control Dirk The Daring's reactions to the events that unfold throughout the game.  You don't directly control Dirk's movement but rather you must make the correct moves at the appropriate time for Dirk to survive the scene.   This means that just by pressing "Right" doesn't mean Dirk will move right.

When the game begins, Dirk walks over a drawbridge towards the castle but a board breaks and he falls through. As Dirk's hanging from the bridge, you must press the spacebar (to use the sword) to scare the tentacles away and run into the castle. If you continually get dragged into the water by the tentacles, you are not making the correct move, or you are not making the move at the correct time. Try pressing spacebar repeatedly when the game begins. At first you will hear "Bad Move Beeps" (low pitch) until it becomes the correct time for the Sword move to be made, at which time you'll hear a "Good Move Beep" (high pitch) meaning the correct move has been made and it is accepted. You should get past the tentacles and run into the castle. Once in the castle, you will need to make two "Right" moves to avoid the falling rocks.

Whenever you press a key there are two possible sounds you will hear from the computer: a low pitch beep means that you haven't made the correct move or that your timing is off; a high pitch beep means you have made the correct move and it has been accepted.

If you find that you are continually dying at a certain point in the game then you know that you must make a move just before this point.  You can try all of the five combinations (Up, Down, Left, Right, Sword) and one of them will work.  Sometimes the timing is tricky with several moves close together but if you watch the video closely and listen for "Good Beeps" then you notice when you've passed one move and need to make the next move.

The Correct Moves

The following are the correct moves for Dragon's Lair (Deluxe Pack V2.10).  We suggest you only read further if you're completely stuck on a move.  Note that many scenes can be played in "normal" and "reversed" (left to right).  If you're playing a reversed scene then all the Left and Right moves below should be reversed.

S=Sword (space bar)

DRAWBRIDGE
S

END OF CORRIDOR
R,R

TENTACLES FROM CEILING
S,U,R,D,L,U

SNAKE ROOM
S,S,S,U

SWINGING ROPES OF FIRE
R,R,R,R

POOL OF WATER
L,U,R,U,L,U,S,R,U

BUBBLING OOZE IN KETTLE
U,S,D,S,R

THE GOONS
S,R,S,U

SLIDING STAIRS
L,S,L,L

THE SMITHY
S,S,L,S,S

GIANT SPINNING BATONS
U,S,D,U

CLOSING WALL
U

ROOM OF FIRE
R,U,L,L

METALLIC FLYING HORSE
R,L,R,L,L,L

CHECKERED FLOOR KNIGHT
R,L,U,L,R,L,R,S

HAUNTED HALLWAY
U,S,U,S,L,S

LARGE WOODEN PLATFORMS
U,U,S,R,R

BATS
S,L,U,S,L

THE LIZARD KING
L,R,R,R,R,R,U,S,S,S,S

DRINK ME
R

CHECKERBOARD CORRIDOR
D,U,L

METALLIC BALL
R,U,R,R

WHIRLPOOLS/RAPIDS
L,R,L,R,R,L,R,L,R,L,R,L,R

LAVA FIELD OF THE MUDMEN
S,U,U,U,U,U,U,U

PHANTOM KNIGHT
U,L,L,R

ROLLING BALLS
D,D,D,D,D,D,U

FALLING PLATFORM
L or R (as appropriate) when the platform pauses.

WIND ROOM
R

THE ROUND CAGE
U,U,L

THE DRAGON'S LAIR
L,L,L,L,U,D,R,U,S,S,L,S