Avalon (video game)
Avalon (with the tagline The 3D Adventure Movie on the box cover) is a game written by Steve Turner for the ZX Spectrum and published by Hewson Consultants in 1984.[1]
| Avalon | |
|---|---|
 Cover art | |
| Developer(s) | Steve Turner |
| Publisher(s) | Hewson Consultants |
| Designer(s) | Steve Turner[1] |
| Platform(s) | ZX Spectrum |
| Release |
|
| Genre(s) | Arcade adventure |
| Mode(s) | Single player |
Scenario
Avalon is set in Britain in the year 408, during the collapse of the Western Roman Empire. The player controls Maroc, a "lore-seeker" who has been given a staff and map by a strange old woman and pointed in the direction of a place called Glass Hill on the isle of Avalon, where a quest to defeat the Lord of Chaos begins.
The name "Avalon" is taken from King Arthur's legendary resting place, the isle of Avalon, while a figure named Avallach features in Welsh mythology. Other than this and the time period the game is set in, there is little connection to the Arthurian legend.
Summary
An arcade adventure, the game involved controlling Maroc the mage in his quest to destroy Avelach, Lord of Chaos. An unusual feature of the game (for the time) was the fact that the player's character cannot be killed. The game world is explored by an astral projection of Maroc; if Maroc's energy is depleted the projection returns to Maroc's "physical" body, from which the game can be continued.
The game used Padlock Protection, a copy protection method which asked the user to input a code from a sheet of paper supplied with the game. The codes were printed in light ink on glossy paper, making it difficult to photocopy successfully. Avalon was followed by a sequel in 1985, Dragontorc.
Reception
- 91% (CRASH #10, November 1984).[2]
References
- Hague, James. "The Giant List of Classic Game Programmers".
- "CRASH 10 – Avalon". www.crashonline.org.uk. Retrieved 2019-01-07.
External links
- Avalon at SpectrumComputing.co.uk