If you grew up entranced by the escapist powers of Dungeons and Dragons, you will quickly recognize the thematic realm inhabited by the game Dark Quest in Windows Phone Store.

Published earlier this year by Brain Seal Entertainment, an independent team of developers based in the UK, the game is a turn-based role-playing fantasy where you assume the part of Zantor the Barbarian. Trust me, this is a good thing. He’s a big dude with a fast sword.

As Zantor, you are on a quest – naturally – deep in the bowels of some long-forgotten dungeon lair, where you must fight your way back to the surface. Along the way, you will encounter new friends to accompany you on your journey, and a seemingly endless assortment of evil-looking nastiness that are out to do you some serious harm.

Let’s pause for a moment to watch the official trailer for the game – you’ll begin to see what you can expect in Zantor’s boots:

Yes, the game play is a bit clunky as you peer in at your hero and his mates from above, moving from square to square across the grid-like surface of the game. But this is quite intentional, and with good reason. For those who recognize the genre, Dark Quest pays homage and bows deeply in reverence to the board game HeroQuest. If you were a fan of that game, then Dark Quest will take you right back to those long lost hours of monster-bashing glory.

As you progress through the game, you will be allowed a certain number of moves per level, and then if you are successful, you emerge from the dungeon to the twilight of a scenic town where the locals will gladly sell you more stuff that you can then use during your next quest. (You buy the stuff using the gold you accumulate while navigating through the dungeon – the more baddies you kill, the more gold you will have – and not via in-app purchase, which is a pleasant change of pace.)

Oh, and a word of warning, every once in a while – for reasons that elude me – you are randomly confronted by a really mean wizard who appears to be all-seeing within the game. He confronts you with the skull of fate, and you must do what it says. You’ve been warned.

Granted, this is all pretty geeky stuff, but if you enjoy role-playing games where you fight monsters while trying to figure out the fastest escape route from the dungeon – and don’t forget collecting gold and assorted loot along the way – Dark Quest will certainly cast its spell over you.

And, right now, the game is half price in the Windows Phone Store for the next week, as one of the three new Red Stripe Deals of the week. The other two apps are worth a look, too.

You can learn more about the mysteries of Dark Quest from the official website for the game.