The Micro User


Horror Castle
By A 'n F
BBC Model B

 
Published in The Micro User 2.03

Starting At The Dead End

Let's face it, we BBC adventurers are becoming spoilt. There are so many top class games about now that a new adventure has to have quality and imagination to grab the attention.

And so, having loaded A&F's Horror Castle, and sat down in front of the TV set, I was a bit disappointed at first.

"Your objective is to release a beautiful princess ..." What, another one? These days, you can't move inside the average castle without tripping over imprisoned princesses.

Horror Castle

There seem to be an awful lot of them about - or could it be just one terribly unlucky girl? No matter. On with the game.

My second disappointment came almost immediately. Text-only adventures are greatly enhanced by imaginative de scriptions of the locations.

The initial set-up in Horror Castle is this: "You are at a dead end". Hardly deathless prose.

Horror Castle

By now I was expecting a pretty poor game, and was ready to reach the poison pen. But an hour later I realised I was well in to the game and enjoying it.

Although it isn't a very long game, nor a particularly difficult one, there are enough puzzles to intrigue even the most seasoned campaigner.

The HELP and EXAMINE commands are useful, and there's a nice little twist at the end, just when you think you're cantering home.

Admittedly there are a few spelling mistakes that impart a vaguely amateurish feel, but overall, it's well put together, and good fun.

Not a great game, but a good one, and ideal for the inexperienced adventurer.

James Bibby

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