163:(termed 'Scrollerama') and imperfect vertical scrolling. Play includes climbing ladders, which are sufficiently wide to simplify this aspect of gameplay. Various objects can be found and used to solve problems. These include everyday items, furniture, specialist equipment and valuables. Other characters include guards, animals, a witch and the wizard.
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Self-styled "marketing expert" Chris Payne (at that time a recent graduate employed by Micro Power as a marketing assistant) recalls his memory of
Sothcott's game being "terrific". Micro Power did not commission the marketing from any of their usual agents, instead appointing new agency Kidd's of
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feature was justified (while acknowledging the earlier March review) by the opinion that the game represented a landmark in game development, both on the BBC Micro and other platforms. Micro Power's software development manager Alan
Butcher tested and completed the game before release. Marketing
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The game was marketed as "Probably the most challenging game ever devised for the BBC Micro." The publishers offered small cash prizes to those completing the game within three months of purchase. They also announced a future competition between the four highest scorers, with a prize of computer
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Control is via the keyboard, with 13 keys having various uses, for example accessing the inventory of objects carried in the backpack, viewing off-screen to left/right. Play requires both dexterity and lateral thinking. A
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Reviewer Bryan
Skinner noted that the programmer had developed "something really special", with both publications noting the "clever" use of colourful
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equipment worth £500. The game's retail price (cassette £12.95, disk £14.95) was noted as being "not cheap" but nevertheless worthy.
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reviewer Bruce Smith noted the hardware scrolling as being the "best ... yet" on the platform. Skinner was of the opinion that
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Scores are awarded based on progression through the game. Upon completion, additional rewards are given for remaining
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and a bonus is awarded according to elapsed time. An expert player may complete the game in "around seven minutes".
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The game is set in a wizard's castle, the player's task being to find the treasure. It employs "very smooth"
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blocks, there being 13 different types of such block. Two adjacent blocks are stored as a single
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noted at the time of release as being the best game on the platform in its genre for its
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assistant Chris Payne recalled that staff predicted the game to be a bestseller.
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Leeds. This agency devised a "nicely done logo" on a simple black background.
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and would qualify as "the best game" were it not for the existence of
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The game was reported as being programmer Tony
Sothcott's first
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The game was listed as a 'star game' in a 1985 review in
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in total. This technique was noted for its ingenuity.
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482:"Working at Micro Power / Program Power, Leeds"
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194:, requiring more than half of total available
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198:. The map is made up from screens comprising
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143:, colourful graphics and smooth scrolling.
684:Video games developed in the United Kingdom
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669:BBC Micro and Acorn Electron-only games
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190:game. Its colours are achieved using
206:within the map data, which occupies
344:Skinner, Bryan (23 February 1985).
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664:BBC Micro and Acorn Electron games
567:Doctor Who and the Mines of Terror
274:was "the best arcade game" on the
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396:"Who'll be king of the castle?"
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1:
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574:Felix and the Fruit Monsters
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394:Smith, Bruce (March 1985).
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689:Video games set in castles
446:Smith, Bruce (June 1985).
171:facility is not provided.
679:Single-player video games
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486:triumphoverchallenges.com
288:convert the game for the
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18:Castle Quest (BBC Micro)
351:Personal Computer News
237:Personal Computer News
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581:Felix in the Factory
674:Metroidvania games
456:. pp. 164–165
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694:Micro Power games
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560:Cybertron Mission
448:"Wizard treasure"
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16:(Redirected from
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659:1985 video games
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480:Payne, Chris.
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135:game for the
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64:Tony Sothcott
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60:Programmer(s)
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553:Castle Quest
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489:. Retrieved
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458:. Retrieved
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406:. Retrieved
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356:. Retrieved
354:. p. 35
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290:Commodore 64
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272:Castle Quest
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188:machine code
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128:Castle Quest
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48:Publisher(s)
33:Castle Quest
534:Micro Power
491:18 February
460:18 February
408:18 February
294:ZX Spectrum
286:Micro Power
182:Development
70:Platform(s)
53:Micro Power
653:Categories
453:Acorn User
401:Acorn User
346:"Gameplay"
308:References
251:Acorn User
169:saved game
630:Stock Car
546:Adventure
276:BBC Micro
248:issue of
246:June 1985
230:Reception
217:Marketing
137:BBC Micro
75:BBC Micro
623:Positron
602:Gauntlet
358:18 April
264:graphics
155:The jail
147:Gameplay
104:Genre(s)
115:Mode(s)
81:Release
609:Ghouls
595:Imogen
588:Frenzy
192:Mode 2
637:Swoop
281:Elite
200:8 × 7
176:lives
493:2014
462:2014
410:2014
360:2023
299:The
292:and
204:byte
94:1985
260:PCN
258:).
242:PCN
196:RAM
131:is
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301:AU
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210:kB
208:2
89:WW
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512:v
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91::
20:)
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
