Knight Lore
Developer(s)	Tim and Chris Stamper
Publisher(s)	Ultimate Play The Game
Engine	Filmation
Platform(s)	ZX Spectrum BBC Micro Amstrad CPC MSX Famicom Disk System (Japan only)
Release date	1984 (Spectrum) 1985 (Amstrad CPC) Nov/Dec 1985 (MSX)[1]
Genre(s)	Arcade adventure; Maze
Mode(s)	Single player
Rating(s)	N/A
Media	Cassette (Spectrum, Amstrad, BBC, MSX) Cartridge (MSX, Japan only) Floppy disc (Famicom Disk System)
System requirements	48K RAM (Spectrum) 64K RAM (Amstrad CPC) 32K RAM (BBC Model B) 64K RAM (MSX) 16K RAM (MSX cartridge)
Input methods	Keyboard, joystick Keyboard only (BBC)

Knight Lore is a computer game developed and released by Ultimate Play The Game in 1984. A video game developer is a software developer (a business or an individual that creates Video games A developer may specialize in a certain video Tim and Chris Stamper (artist and programmer respectively are the co-founders of Ashby Computers & Graphics (better known as Ultimate Play The Game) and later Rare Ultimate Play The Game (often shortened to just Ultimate) was a Video game developer of the early Home computer era A game engine is a software system designed for the creation and development of computer and video games Filmation is the Trademark name of the isometric graphics engine employed in a series of games developed by Ultimate Play The Game during the In Computing, a platform describes some sort of Hardware architecture or Software framework (including Application frameworks, that allows The Sinclair ZX Spectrum is an 8-bit personal Home computer released in the United Kingdom in 1982 by Sinclair Research Ltd The Amstrad CPC is a series of 8-bit Home computers produced by Amstrad Plc during the 1980s and early 1990s MSX was the name of a standardized Home computer architecture in the 1980s The was released on February 21, 1986 by Nintendo as a peripheral for the Family Computer ("Famicom" console in Japan. Events Notable releases Alley Cat is released for IBM PC compatibles * King's Quest ( Sierra, IBM See also [[Game classification]] Video games are categorized into Genres based on their Gameplay interaction A maze is a complex Tour puzzle in the form of a complex branching passage through which the solver must find a route In video gaming, single-player refers to the variant of a particular game where input from only one player is expected throughout the course of the gaming session A video game content rating system is a system used for the classification of Video games into suitability-related groups Digital media (as opposed to analog media) usually refers to Electronic media that work on digital Codes. The Compact Cassette, often referred to as audio cassette, cassette tape, cassette, or simply tape, is a Magnetic tape sound In various types of electronic equipment a cartridge can refer one method of adding different functionality or content (e The was released on February 21, 1986 by Nintendo as a peripheral for the Family Computer ("Famicom" console in Japan. In Computing, a keyboard is an Input device partially modelled after the typewriter keyboard which uses an arrangement of buttons or keys A joystick is an input device consisting of a stick that pivots on a base and reports its angle or direction to the device it is controlling A video game is a Game that involves interaction with a User interface to generate visual feedback on a video device. Ultimate Play The Game (often shortened to just Ultimate) was a Video game developer of the early Home computer era Year 1984 ( MCMLXXXIV) was a Leap year starting on Sunday (link displays the 1984 Gregorian calendar) The game is the third in the Sabreman series, following on from his adventures in Sabre Wulf and Underwurlde. Sabre Wulf is a ZX Spectrum Video game developed and released by Ultimate Play The Game in 1984. Underwurlde is a Video game for the ZX Spectrum and Commodore 64 developed and released by Ultimate Play The Game in 1984 Unlike the earlier games in the series it used Ultimate's filmation engine to achieve a 3D look using isometric projection. Filmation is the Trademark name of the isometric graphics engine employed in a series of games developed by Ultimate Play The Game during the Isometric projection is a form of Graphical projection —more specifically an Axonometric projection. ^[2] In the game Sabreman has to find the ingredients for a magic potion. Magic, sometimes known as sorcery, is a Conceptual system that asserts human ability to control the natural world (including events objects people and The game was written by Tim and Chris Stamper. Tim and Chris Stamper (artist and programmer respectively are the co-founders of Ashby Computers & Graphics (better known as Ultimate Play The Game) and later Rare

Knight Lore was regarded as a revolutionary title^[3] and was the first of the "isometric adventure" genre, by displaying a detailed 3D world using isometric perspective ^[4]. It was extensively copied by other publishers, and was described as being the second most cloned piece of software after WordStar^[5]. WordStar was a Word processor application published by MicroPro, originally written for the CP/M operating system but later ported to DOS, that

Introduction

Typical for an Ultimate release, players are given a tantalising and cryptic introduction :

"THE WEREWULF

My journey's end is near; as the last few ebbs of daylight dance fleetingly in the cooling twilight, and then suddenly dart off to chase the red sinking sun.

Behind me I feel night's dark icy fingers slither up long looming shadows, hiding behind large mounds and boulders, watching my every move. . . silently waiting. . . For days I have journeyed from the realms of the junglewulf to "KNIGHT LORE" castle to seek the old dying wizard and ask for his help to free me from this deathly curse. . . For countless nights I have slept chained to trees to keep my deathly curse at bay, but now I am here. . .

My footsteps echo around the damp mossy walls of the large chamber, as I enter through the open main gateway, colossal doors judder open in an untouched groaning symphony, beckoning me forward on my quest.

I sense the old wizard's gaze playing upon me, encapsulated within the labyrinth of traps and tests, to keep out all but the most persistent of unwanted guests who seek an audience with the great wizard MELKHIOR.

Suddenly a cool blue mist starts to ebb forth from the cracks in the ancient stone-work. As it does so it begins to take form and become a powerful swimming swirling vortex of energy. Over all the noise can be heard the chanting and singing of long forgotten tunes, all sung in a blur of forgetfulness.

THE MIST TUNES

THE WIZARD'S OLDER NOW THAN ALL

HIS HELP YOU SEEK WITHIN THIS WALL

FOR FORTY DAYS YOUR QUEST MAY LAST

LOCATE THE POTION, MAKE IT FAST

THIS HIDEOUS SPELL UPON YOUR SOUL

TO LOSE ITS HOLD MUST BE YOUR GOAL

BEWARE, THE TRAPS FROM HERE BEGIN

THE CAULDRON TELLS WHAT MUST GO IN

TO BREAK THE CURSE AND MAKE THE SPELL

TO SAVE YOURSELF AND MAKE YOU WELL.

The mist suddenly ceases its action and dissipates as quickly as it came.

I drop to the floor and with full knowledge of the old wizard I begin my quest. Dimly lit torches light the massive stone walls, their tired flickering flames never seeming to penetrate the inky darkness for more than a few feet. . . crystalline Merkyls, hideous Hobgoblins, stand frozen on huge monoliths, glittering in the cool trembling moonlight.

Encapsulated by the old wizard long ago, they await their fate in an un-ending task of defence, silent and stony. This is to be their last everlasting fate as guardians of KNIGHT LORE castle, until the ultimate death of the old sorcerer. . . The moon has risen quickly and in the fullness of its cool blue light, I become a Werewulf. . .

My fate is now all too clear, I have but forty days and forty nights to find the old wizard and seek his help and magical instruction, before my tormented soul becomes forever a werewulf. "

Gameplay

An ingame screenshot from the ZX Spectrum version. This is monochrome to avoid attribute clash. Attribute clash (or colour clash) was a display artefact caused by limitations in the graphics circuitry of a number of early colour 8-bit Home computers &mdash most

Again taking the role of Sabreman, the player must find the wizard Melkhior, then scour Knight Lore castle to retrieve the objects successively requested by his cauldron. A magician, wizard, sorcerer or a person known under one of many other possible terms in fiction is someone who uses or practices magic A cauldron or caldron (from Latin Caldarium, hot bath is a large Metal pot ( Kettle) for cooking and/or boiling Once collected, the objects must be returned to Melkhior, and dropped into the waiting cauldron. Successfully following all of the cauldron's requests within a forty day period frees Sabreman from the curse of lycanthropy cast upon him by the Wulf encountered in Sabre Wulf.

The curse itself plays an important role in gameplay. While beginning the game as Sabreman, the player is periodically transformed into a werewulf as day turns into night (see the sun / moon dial in the bottom right of the screenshots below). See also Lycanthropy (disambiguation Werewolves, also known as lycanthropes, are mythological or folkloric humans with the ability to The Sun (Sol is the Star at the center of the Solar System. At the point of transformation (either to, or from, the werewulf), Sabreman experiences a short, but humorously animated, seizure, and is vulnerable to enemies or hazards. An epileptic seizure is caused by excessive and/or hypersynchronous electrical Neuronal activity and is usually self-limiting Certain enemies (including Melkhior's cauldron itself) will attack Sabreman when a werewulf, making the timing of certain actions crucial.

In what was revolutionary for its time, the castle is presented as a series of isometric, flip-screen rooms. A revolution (from the Latin revolutio, "a turnaround" is a fundamental change in power or organizational structures that takes place in a relatively In Computer and video games, the term flip-screen (sometimes also known as flick-screen or page-flipping) refers to games in which the playing environment Negotiating many of these rooms requires good platform skills, especially since some platforms disappear or move when stepped on. Platform game, or platformer, is a video game genre characterized by jumping to and from suspended platforms or over obstacles In some rooms, objects such as tables or treasure chests (or even the objects collected for the cauldron), need to be used to reach carefully positioned goals (see screenshots below).

Aside from platform-hopping, Sabreman must avoid a series of enemies and hazards. Static beds of spikes and falling spiked metal balls are among the simplest hazards. Malevolent portcullis gates guard many thoroughfares, and are often accompanied by slow-moving, but lethal, guards. A portcullis is a latticed Grille or Gate made of wood metal or a combination of the two Faster moving enemies, such as ghosts and Melkhior's cauldron spirit, provide more dangerous company.

Critical reception

Knight Lore received an overwhelmingly positive reception from the gaming press at the time of time of its release. Amstrad Action was a monthly magazine published in the United Kingdom which catered to owners of home computers from the Amstrad CPC range and later the GX4000 Crash was a magazine dedicated to the ZX Spectrum Home computer. Your Sinclair or YS as it was commonly abbreviated was a British Computer magazine for the Sinclair range of computers Amtix! magazine was as its subtitle stated a "monthly software review for the Amstrad computers" Computer and Video Games ( CVG) is a Video game Magazine and website published in the United Kingdom. Sinclair User, often abbreviated SU, was a magazine dedicated to the Sinclair Research range of Home computers most specifically Amstrad Action described it as a "stunningly original concept" and praised its addictive gameplay, calling it "without doubt one of the best three games available on the Amstrad". Amstrad Action was a monthly magazine published in the United Kingdom which catered to owners of home computers from the Amstrad CPC range and later the GX4000 ^[6] CRASH was equally enthusiastic, calling it "incredible, and a joy to play . . . simply a great game" and describing the animation as "terrific from the smallest detail right through to Sabreman himself". ^[7] Your Sinclair magazine called it "one of the most important (and best) games ever written for the Speccy". ^[12]

Retrospective criticism

The game's reputation survives intact to this day and it still receives acclaim as one of the most important and advanced titles of its era. ^[4] GamesTM have hailed it as "seminal" and "revolutionary",^[3] while Gamesmaster magazine's Adam Norton claims that "this slightly cryptic puzzle/platform adventure defined isometricism in the same way Super Mario 64 defined 3D". gamesTM is a UK -based multi-format Computer and video games magazine covering many Video game platforms including PlayStation 3 GamesMaster is a monthly multi-format Computer and video game magazine published by Future Publishing in the United Kingdom. is a Platform game developed by Nintendo Entertainment Analysis and Development and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo 64. ^[13] X360 magazine have said Knight Lore is "one of the most successful and influential games of all time". ^[14]

Trivia

A Japanese illustrator's take on the world of Knight Lore

• Tim Stamper suggested in an interview that Knight Lore was actually completed before its less technically-accomplished prequel Sabre Wulf^[15]. However, they delayed its release because "the market wasn't ready for it" :

• However, this chronology has been disputed by an independent analysis of the source code routine used by Ultimate's games for reading keypresses. In Computer science, source code (commonly just source or code) is any sequence of statements or declarations written in some Human-readable While this routine has been found to be optimised in all of Ultimate's games from Knight Lore onwards, the optimisation is not present in Sabre Wulf. Given Tim Stamper's chronology for Sabre Wulf, one would expect otherwise if it had truly been completed after Knight Lore^[16].

• Although Ultimate Play the Game were primarily associated with European software publication, Knight Lore did reach Japanese players in the form of a conversion on the Famicom Disk System (see cover art to the right). The was released on February 21, 1986 by Nintendo as a peripheral for the Family Computer ("Famicom" console in Japan. Though details of the port's developer are uncertain, its publisher was Jaleco, and it was released on December 19, 1986. Jaleco was founded as Japan Leisure Corporation on October 3 1974. Events 324 - Licinius abdicates his position as Roman Emperor. Year 1986 ( MCMLXXXVI) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link displays 1986 Gregorian calendar)

Conversions

• Martin K. converted the game from ZX Spectrum to Sharp MZ-800 in 1989. The Sinclair ZX Spectrum is an 8-bit personal Home computer released in the United Kingdom in 1982 by Sinclair Research Ltd The Sharp MZ is a series of Personal computers sold in Japan and Europe (particularly Germany and Great Britain) by Sharp It was a monochrome version. Monochrome comes from the Greek μονόχρωμος ( monochromos) meaning “of one color” which is a combination
• In 2008 Krzysztof Dudek aka XXL made a version for Atari XL/XE. The Atari 8-bit family is a series of 8-bit Home computers manufactured from 1979 to 1992 It is a conversion from the BBC Micro, the title screen was taken from the ZX Spectrum version (as Hi-Res graphics) and was colored with the G2F program. The Sinclair ZX Spectrum is an 8-bit personal Home computer released in the United Kingdom in 1982 by Sinclair Research Ltd Music was also added to this conversion.

References

1. ^ Knight Lore, Alien 8 and Nightshade MSX pre-release promotional brochure, published by Ultimate Play The Game in October 1985. Available to view at World of Spectrum: [1]
2. ^ Looking For An Old Angle. Crash Magazine, Issue 51. Newsfield. Retrieved on 2006-10-03. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Events 42 BC - First Battle of Philippi: Triumvirs Mark Antony and Octavian fight an indecisive battle with Caesar's
3. ^ ^{a b} (2006) "Ultimate Play The Game—Company Lookback", Retro Micro Games Action - The Best of gamesTM Retro Volume 1. gamesTM is a UK -based multi-format Computer and video games magazine covering many Video game platforms including PlayStation 3 Highbury Entertainment, 25.  
4. ^ ^{a b} Steven Collins. Game Graphics During the 8-bit Computer Era. Computer Graphics Newsletters. SIGGRAPH.
5. ^ Krikke, J. (Jul/Aug 2000). "Axonometry: a matter of perspective". Computer Graphics and Applications, IEEE 20 (4): 7–11. doi:10.1109/38.851742. A digital object identifier ( DOI) is a permanent identifier given to an Electronic document.  
6. ^ ^{a b} "Knight Lore" (October 1985). Amstrad Action (1): 56–57. Amstrad Action was a monthly magazine published in the United Kingdom which catered to owners of home computers from the Amstrad CPC range and later the GX4000 Newsfield Publications. Newsfield Publications Ltd (also known as Newsfield) was a British magazine publisher during the 1980s and early 1990s  
7. ^ ^{a b} "Knight Lore" (January 1985). CRASH (12): 16. Crash was a magazine dedicated to the ZX Spectrum Home computer. Newsfield Publications. Newsfield Publications Ltd (also known as Newsfield) was a British magazine publisher during the 1980s and early 1990s  
8. ^ "Joystick Jury" (March 1985). Your Spectrum (12): 33. Your Sinclair or YS as it was commonly abbreviated was a British Computer magazine for the Sinclair range of computers Sportscene Press. Dennis Publishing Ltd is one of the world’s leading independent publishers  
9. ^ Amtix, issue 1, page 102. Amtix! magazine was as its subtitle stated a "monthly software review for the Amstrad computers" Newsfield Publications, November 1985
10. ^ Computer and Video Games, issue 39, page 28. Newsfield Publications Ltd (also known as Newsfield) was a British magazine publisher during the 1980s and early 1990s Year 1985 ( MCMLXXXV) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link displays 1985 Gregorian calendar) Computer and Video Games ( CVG) is a Video game Magazine and website published in the United Kingdom. EMAP, January 1985 Rating of 9/10 averaged from individual ratings of 10, 8, 9 and 9, for graphics, sound, value and playability respectively
11. ^ Sinclair User, issue 35, page 23. EMAP is a British media company specializing in the production of B2b magazines and the organization of business events and conferences Year 1985 ( MCMLXXXV) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link displays 1985 Gregorian calendar) Sinclair User, often abbreviated SU, was a magazine dedicated to the Sinclair Research range of Home computers most specifically EMAP, February 1985
12. ^ Your Sinclair, issue 33, page 86. EMAP is a British media company specializing in the production of B2b magazines and the organization of business events and conferences Year 1985 ( MCMLXXXV) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link displays 1985 Gregorian calendar) Your Sinclair or YS as it was commonly abbreviated was a British Computer magazine for the Sinclair range of computers Dennis Publishing, September 1988
13. ^ Gamesmaster, issue 191, page 41. Dennis Publishing Ltd is one of the world’s leading independent publishers Year 1988 ( MCMLXXXVIII) was a Leap year starting on Friday (link displays 1988 Gregorian calendar) GamesMaster is a monthly multi-format Computer and video game magazine published by Future Publishing in the United Kingdom. Future Publishing, November 2007
14. ^ XBOX360 Magazine supplemental: Rare - The Ultimate Story, page 9. Future plc ( is an international special-interest media company jointly based in Bath and London November 2007 is the eleventh month of that year It began on a Thursday and 30 days later ended on a Friday Highbury Entertainment, 2005.
15. ^ The Best of British. Crash 51. Newsfield. Retrieved on 2006-09-14. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Events 81 - Domitian becomes Emperor of the Roman Empire upon the death of his brother Titus.
16. ^ On Filmation - Facts. Retrieved on 2007-02-16. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 1249 - Andrew of Longjumeau is dispatched by Louis IX of France as his ambassador to meet with the Khan of the Mongols

External links

• Knight Lore at Ultimate Wurlde
• Knight Lore at World of Spectrum
• A walkthrough video of Knight Lore on the ZX Spectrum
• Adds-on for Atari xl/xe version (maps, *. World of Spectrum is a Website devoted to cataloging and archiving material for the ZX Spectrum Home computer popular in the 1980s and has been officially sap music and instruction)
• Knight Lore download at Atarimania. com
• Knight Lore page with map and objects