The Collection Chamber: LE FETICHE MAYA

"EDWARD HALIFAX IS DEAD" read the headlines; the famous explorer was seeking Mayan treasure in the Yucatan jungles of Mexico when he disappeared. As his young pupil, Michael Fairbanks, you must follow in his footsteps to discover the treasure whilst thwarting the attempts of you arch-rival, Olrik Karloff! A classic arcade-strategy adventure with superb graphics, featuring jeep-racing simulation, fighting action and a super exotic adventure scenario.

The Aztecs await you...
All sorts of traps await you...
...there's danger at every turn...
...when the jungle surrounds you!

~ from the back of the box

Le Fetiche Maya (or simply Maya) was originally released back in 1989 for the French Amigas and PCs with a budget English release the following year, but I only recently stumbled across this forgotten action adventure. There’s something special about uncovering an old game you never played at the time - it’s like finding a dusty relic on a shelf and wondering what kind of experience you’ve been missing all these years. With that spirit of curiosity, I sourced the game files and dove into Silmarils’ jungle quest, eager to see how well this potential hidden gem holds up.

The premise is a classic one: you’re searching the dense Mexican rainforest for parts of a legendary Mayan statue, racing against the villainous Doctor Karloff, who will stop at nothing (and I do mean nothing) to beat you to the treasure. The game begins with your character standing near a battered jeep, while two locals nap lazily against a shop wall. Inside, a weathered shopkeeper offers you a selection of supplies - first-aid kits, gasoline, crowbars - that you’ll want to stock up on before venturing into the wilderness. Soon enough, you run into Doctor Karloff himself, who greets you not with a handshake but with a punch to the face. After an awkward brawl - which only highlights how annoying the of-the-time one-button joystick controls are - it’s off into the jungle in your rattling old jeep.

Jeep driving on the PC. CGA visuals on the left and VGA on the right.
If you're going to choose one, make it the Amiga version.

Driving through the rainforest is probably the game’s most enjoyable section. Sure, the jeep feels like it’s from the early 1900s, offering just two clunky gears, but the sense of pushing deeper and deeper into unknown terrain gives the game some life. You steer down branching paths, dodge obstacles like boulders, and search for hidden Mayan temples. Inside these ancient structures, you’ll find all kinds of dangers - from venomous cobras to mysterious priests - and the occasional lucky discovery of a statue fragment, inching you closer to the ultimate treasure.

Outside of combat and driving, you investigate your surroundings using a rather convoluted yet robust control scheme. You manage your items and actions through a set of function keys: F1 opens your inventory, F2 gives you access to your Medicine Cabinet if you have one (letting you heal after fights), F3 and F4 let you pick up or put down items, while F5 and F6 handle eating food and using tools like that shop-bought crowbar. There’s also F7 for lifting objects in the game world (such as raising a door), F8 for observing interesting parts of your surroundings, F9 for toggling your lamp in dark areas, and F10 to open the save game menu. Once you get used to it, the system isn't bad allowing you to keep the focus on exploration instead of fumbling through menus, but even so I never stopped yearning for a classic point-and-click interface.

Fights aren't that involving. Hold the Fire button and tap Up to punch or Down to duck (left).
Press F8 to look at interesting hotspots like this informative mural of a Mayan priest (right).

Visually, while Le Fetiche Maya doesn’t push the Amiga’s hardware (and less so on DOS PCs), it does a decent enough job of creating atmosphere. The jungle paths, temple courtyards, and character sprites have a colorful, hand-drawn charm, even if the driving sections are a bit jerky and the character animations are on the stiff side. There’s room for improvement - most notably in the complete lack of direction - but considering the game’s age and budget origins, there’s enough visual flair here to keep things mildly engaging as you explore.

In the end, Le Fetiche Maya is a flawed but interesting piece of gaming history. The gameplay can feel repetitive, and the sound design is forgettable, but there’s still something fun about hopping into your old jeep and setting off on a treasure hunt through the jungle. For players curious about lesser-known titles or with a soft spot for retro adventure games, this one might just offer a few short hours of nostalgic charm - just don’t expect a polished masterpiece.

To download the game, follow the link below. This custom installer exclusive to The Collection Chamber usesthe DOSBox-X build of DOSBox to bring the PC version to modern systems and FS-UAE with WHDload to emulate the Amiga version. English and French-language Manuals included. Read the ChamberNotes.txt for more detailed information. Tested on Windows 10.

File Size: 101 Mb. Install Size: 236 Mb. Need help? Consult the Collection Chamber FAQ

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