It is funny that I could have two such opposing views on two sets from the same theme, but as strongly as I dislike Hemlock Stronghold, I strongly approve of the Dark Forest Fortress. This set is really good because of one thing, theme, it focuses on telling a story and improving the LEGO world, it has its flaws but the fact that the set is so engaging thematically means it will always be on my top ten list.

The story it is telling is of an ambush in the forests, we get two nice tall trees, a wonderfully designed baseplate (first seen in blue for the pirates Enchanted Island set) and a very well designed carriage, these elements alone make the set interesting.

For those who love gimmicks we also get plenty to do, firing catapults, collapsing trees, raising drawbridges and exploring hidden compartments. We get a generous number of items and weapons (three golden goblets and printed map being the highlights) and a decent number of figs including all the new Forestmen and two horses.

As for the overall design I like how it feels, it is like a forest that has been adapted by its occupants, it feels like the outlaws have collected what parts they could and have tried to create some form of shelter using the very landscape around them.

Once parts of this set slightly annoyed me, I didn’t like the Black Knights shield, the grey helm or the annoying little jail built into the tree but now I see those things as quirky, odd and fun. Sure it doesn’t make the greatest amount of sense but the set is a good example of solid LEGO design, its fun, it looks nice and it’s quite unique.

If you’re after something a little different this is for you, however it’s quite rare and fairly expensive so I would advise this one only for a truly fanatical collector however once bought I doubt you will be disappointed.

If you like this review or if you wish to see images of alternate builds for this set and other sets for this faction click on the link to find it and all reviews of the Castle sets

http://legosteveblog.blogspot.com/2012/02/lego-dark-forest-1996.html

Years ago I did not even know that such a theme had been released. I had no idea that legendary Forestmen had been resurrected as the Dark Forest.

However last Christmas I bought it as a MISB in excellent condition from Germany and I was astonished.

The design of the set is very good. The baseplate represents some kind of forest with trees and a forest path. It can be very well used as a trap for soldiers or carriages with treasures.

The set contains four forest people with unique faces and torsos and two dragon knights, one skeleton and two horses.

The color combination of Dark Forest Fortress is based primary on green and brown and makes the set very visually nice and pleasant. A good alternative to dark castles and towers.

The forestmen built a numerous traps and secrets here. Big tree hides a small room in a hollow bottom and the tree prison at the top. There is a human skeleton buried there.

Close to the tree you can find a small catapult which can shoot a stones - small gray bricks to targets (soldiers, carriages) on the path bellow.

Main part of the set is located near the catapult. Forest hide-out of the forestmen is hidden behind the second tree. Hide-out is a small room with barrels, table and place for horse. Tree hiding this hideout is the biggest trap in this set. With small top it can be released and fall down to cross the path and block the passing soldiers or carriage.

Minifigs are nice and as I have written earlier some of them are really unique. The skeleton suits here well and adds a loads of playability. Carriage of the Dragon Knights is really nice too.

Generally this set is simply wonderful. I am very happy to have it. Pleasant colors, nice minifigs and great playability make it a really, really good one. But the atmosphere and spirit of true Lego Castle make even more of it. For me maybe one of the best sets ever.

I really enjoy this set. It comes with a pretty nice selection of different forestmen, and a couple other minifigs. One interesting feature of this set is a collapsing tree -- I could see it being quite effective in blocking that wagon's path! This set also has a neat catapult (the thing in the center of the set) and you really can launch those 1X2 bricks pretty far! Overall, this is a really nice large castle set, good for a forestmen/robin hood story!

This is a huge set and is a good base for the dark forest thieves. Unlike the previous two sets, this one is well thought out and logical. There's the hidden house with the falling tree, the treetop prison and the obligatory catapult. The falling tree trunk is a cool feature and the brown tree pieces just make this set so visually interesting. The architecture is great as it brings together some of the best Forestman elements to form the house, the prison (which has a click tight door) and all the auxillaries.

And to top it off, there's a rather well built Dragon Master wagon and a horseman with a forestman shield.

I can't say Dark Forest's rather limited range had quite the same effect on me as the original Forestmen sets. That said, this is quite a nice model with its various hidden areas and working doorsways. There are also plenty of brown pieces, which is always nice, and an impressive-looking carriage. As I said, a nice model, but somehow it fails to be greater than the sum of its parts.