Few who grew up in the ‘80s can't forget the hype around Dragon’s Lair, the first animated video game? Yes, back in 1983, when games like Pac-Man, Donkey Kong and Asteroids were all the rage, animator Don Bluth introduced this sword-and-sorcery epic, which blended Disney-style animation with video game playability. Essentially, you were controlling a series of laserdisc cartoons, much like a twitchy version of the choose-your-own-adventure books, but the graphics and options were way beyond anything found in arcades at the time.

The player controlled the fate of bumbling warrior Dirk the Daring, who must save Princess Daphne from the evil wizard Mordroc. Using a joystick and a "sword" button, players would direct Dirk's actions through the cartoony game, which, after a move was made, would sometimes hesitate a bit as the next animation was served up. Unfortunately, that animation was often of Dirk's death, since it often was difficult to make moves correctly and quickly. Seems kinda trivial now, but back in ’83 this was a BIG DEAL. This game made such a huge impression that it is only one of three video games on display at the Smithsonian Institution (the other two are Pac-Man and Pong).

And Dragon’s Lair mania didn’t stop at the arcade! Like Pac-Man before him, Dirk the Daring soon made his way to saving the princess every Saturday morning via a comedy-adventure cartoon show. The series lasted from 1984 to 1985, and finally gave the kids what they wanted, more animated footage of Dirk in action. Unfortunately, without the added intrigue of controlling his every move, the cartoon soon lost its luster and was cancelled.

Then, for a decade-and-a-half or so, the franchise laid dormant (except for a few quickly forgotten PC versions of the game in the early '90s) and resurfaced in 2002 at the height of retro-game mania as Dragon’s Lair 3-D: Return to the Lair for PlayStation 2, Nintendo GameCube, Xbox, PC and Macintosh. And, boy, does this new game take things a step further! Whereas before you never actually controlled Daring, just pointed him in the right (or wrong) direction, now you have full control over his every move.

The castle and surrounding areas are massive now too, with 43 areas and over 250 rooms to explore. You can also battle over 30 kinds of enemies, including over a dozen new creatures designed by Bluth. In addition to the classic story set-up we all know, there are new beginning and ending movies that further the plot and characters. All in all, it was a pretty pleasing experience and worthy of the Daring series.

By the following year, saw the introduction of the Dragon’s Lair comic book series, taking the tale to all new heights and the story into all new areas. Published by CrossGen Entertainment and illustrated by Andy Mangels and Fabio Laguna, Bluth’s tale finds Daring escorting the princess to her castle when she is abducted, forcing him to go after her.

So from arcade game to Saturday morning cartoon, back to video game and into comics, the journey of Dirk the Daring continues to duck and delve into all new worlds, always chasing the proverbial dragons of staying-power, marketability and a fanbase. And always seeking to stoke the raging fire that is video game commerce. Fight on, oh mighty warrior. Fight on…