Treasure Island (1984 video game)

Treasure Island
Commodore Plus/4 title screen
Publisher(s) Mr. Micro
Platform(s) ZX Spectrum, Commodore 64, Plus/4, C16
Release 1984
Genre(s) Action-adventure
Mode(s) Single-player

Treasure Island is a 1984 computer game based on the book Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson. In the game, the player takes on the role of Jim Hawkins (the protagonist of the book), and has to battle through hordes of pirates before a final showdown with Long John Silver. The game view did not scroll, but used a flip-screen style.

The programming was done by Greg Duddle, and the music was rendered by David Whittaker.[1] The version for the Commodore 64 and MSX was released in 1984, and the Commodore Plus/4 version was from 1985.

Gameplay

A gameplay screen, taken from the Commodore Plus/4 version of the game

None of the pirates moves around, but some throw a cutlass at Jim if he moved in range. The pirate in question does not lose his cutlass if he does so; he always had another to use himself. A pirate rarely throws more than one cutlass.

If Jim is hit by a cutlass thrown at him, or if he touches a pirate, he loses a life and starts again from the beginning of the screen. However, if he moves out of the way in time, the cutlass lands on the ground, and he can throw it at a pirate to kill him. A killed pirate disappears allowing Jim to pass.

At the start of the game, Jim had just escaped the stockade. He was unarmed, and had only one possible exit to the next screen, to the right. Here he would find a throwing pirate, whom he could trick into throwing a cutlass, and thus obtain it for himself. However, it would be foolhardy to kill that same pirate with it, since that pirate was not blocking access to anything.

Instead, the player should find a pirate who was blocking access to an exit (or perhaps a power-up) and kill him with it, thus advancing progress through the game. This strategic rationing of cutlasses (i.e. knowing where to pick them up and where to use them) in order to progress around the island was a major gameplay element.

The Willow Pattern Adventure

Having changed the theme from pirates to Asia, the game was rereleased as The Willow Pattern Adventure.

See also

Another adventure game named Treasure Island was published by Windham Classics in the year 1985.[2]

References

  1. ↑ C64 Game Guide
  2. ↑ Treasure Island at GameFAQs; Sol Guber: Treasure Island, Antic Vol. 5 Nr.1, 5/1986, p.81.
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