The game appeared at number 10 in the UK Commodore 64 charts for the week ending 3 January 1985. Robert J. Sodaro of
Ahoy! wrote: "I must admit, the lure of the
Lost Kingdom is strong, but having to fumble through several sessions without direction almost sent me hying back to civilization. No documentation may have sounded good in the planning stages, but at the game-playing stage, engaging and coherent instructions would have sounded much better. If you have the tenacity to muddle through, however, you'll find much enjoyment in accompanying Indy on his further adventures. A fellow reviewer once wrote that a good game was one he'd return to play after the review was written. For me,
Indiana Jones is one of those games". DX Fenten of
Commodore Power/Play wrote: "Should you be the kind of person who can sit, hour after hour, enjoying the challenge of trying to figure out what the creators had in mind and 'think like Dr. Jones', there is a very good chance you will love this game. Otherwise, you'll soon need either a break from the game, some aspirin, or some additional help in the way of clues". Fenten concluded: "There is a great deal to be admired and enjoyed in this program. There is also a great deal that is just a little bit forbidding to the 'regular' game player. The key seems to be your desire to win the game, to stick with it, to endure the changing requirements throughout the game and to accept the challenge created by the omission of any written rules". Dennis Lynch of the
Chicago Tribune wrote: "Players more interested in fancy graphics and slick joystick action may find the game a little dull. But those who prefer thinking their way through a problem will find plenty to puzzle over".
Commodore Computing International rated the game three stars out of five and wrote that the "less-than-peppy" opening theme was among the game's "several mild disappointments", saying that the game "doesn't quite live up to its name, though it certainly is still worth a determined try". The magazine criticized the game's "average" graphics but praised the "clearly drawn" Indiana Jones figure.
Computer and Video Games criticized the game's difficulty, including its puzzles: "You have to do certain things in a certain way or a certain order before you get to the next screen. It can get quite frustrating". The magazine concluded: "The graphics are OK but not brilliant and the sound could be better. Overall a bit of a disappointing game given that it's based on the exploits of such a superhero as Indiana Jones". ==References==