John Phillip Law - best known as the blind angel Pygar in Barbarella - here takes over the role of the legendary seafarer from Kerwin Mathews, who'd impressed in The 7th Voyage of Sinbad. However, the actors and the plot once again end up playing second fiddle to the magnificent Dynamation sequences meticulously created by the godfather of special effects, Ray Harryhausen. Particularly memorable are the walking figurehead, the hideous centaur and the multi-armed statue that tests Sinbad's swordfighting skills to the maximum.

Sinbad and his crew intercept a homunculus carrying a golden tablet. Koura, the creator of the homunculus and practitioner of evil magic, wants the tablet back and pursues Sinbad. Meanwhile, Sinbad meets the Vizier who has another part of the interlocking golden map, and they mount a quest across the seas to solve the riddle of the map.