Yeah, it's a beat-em-up. You really didn't expect anything else, did you? But then you get to fight as Bruce Lee! Now that's special.
So what trouble has the man himself gotten into this time? Well, his father's been kidnapped and you objective as Bruce Lee to rescue him. Oh, and there's this mysterious golden relic you have to retrieve too. Doh! Nothing new there then... but it's been so long since we've had the chance that it's gotta be worth it.
Similar to free roaming beat-em-ups such as Blade and Fighting Force, Quest of the Dragon, with the help of Xbox, is gorgeous to look at. Detailed and varied environments, great light sourcing and incredible fluidity of movement. But combat in Bruce Lee's world is fast. Blink and you'll miss it.
With attacks similar to Tekken's Law and whole library of signature moves, playing as Bruce Lee has never been so rewarding. Unlike any other Bruce Lee game, Quest of the Dragon is believable. When you get hit it looks painful, when you take out the enemy with a swift punch, the feeling is oh so rewarding.
There is typically, however, a seemingly endless supply of evil that must be dealt with cleverly. Quest of the Dragon is a game after all, and games need strategy. Fight with your brain, not just with your fists, and you'll do fine.
The enemy bestiary consists of some 30 enemies. All come with frightening AI routines and sometimes combine their efforts with other on screen nasties to pose a more daunting threat. But playing as the unbeaten king of martial arts, you really have no excuse not to put up an equally formidable fight. If you die, your friends will laugh. They will laugh hard.
So with 30 levels spread across various known locales including Hong Kong and San Francisco, taxing but manageable gameplay, and an atmospheric soundtrack, you may forget you're living in a virtual world. But don't expect Bruce to become a popular name again. It ain't gonna happen.