Horace series
Encyclopedia
The Horace video game series was created in the 1980s by William Tang
for Beam Software. The series comprised Hungry Horace, Horace Goes Skiing and Horace and the Spiders.
Hungry Horace and Horace and the Spiders were two of the very few Spectrum games also available in ROM format for use with the Interface 2
.
The original Horace game, Hungry Horace was written as a simple Pacman clone, published in 1982
. In it, Horace must gather food from around a park and move onto the next section while avoiding park guards. It is possible for him to collect a bell to panic the guards and render them vulnerable, like the power pills in Pacman. This title was available on the ZX Spectrum
, Commodore 64
and Dragon 32. The ZX Spectrum original was marketed and distributed by Sinclair themselves, the Commodore 64 and Dragon 32 versions by Melbourne House
.
The Commodore 64 version also included a level editor which allowed the game owner to create, edit and save to cassette tape their own levels of the game. These could be shared with other owners of the game.
A DOS-hosted level editor was written for the ZX Spectrum version in 2009.
, get back over the road and successfully navigate a ski course.
This title is not a true sequel, as it does not follow on from an original story and is only really similar in that it features the same character. In this sense, the game is a spin-off
, although such concepts were unheard of in video gaming in the early 1980s. Like Hungry Horace, this title was available on the ZX Spectrum, Commodore 64, and Dragon 32. As before, Sinclair distributed the Spectrum version, Melbourne House the Commodore 64 and Dragon 32 versions. Horace Goes Skiing was rated at 8.9 in one magazine back in 1983.
, Tang produced the third title in the series, Horace And The Spiders. This was primarily a platform game, although the sprites had been retained from the top-view of the first two games. The first level sees Horace climbing a hill while jumping over spiders. The second level involves crossing a bridge by swinging on spider threads. The third level is the final confrontation with the spiders - he must create holes in the web, luring the spiders into the holes to fix them and consequently jumping on them.
Unlike the earlier two titles, this game was only released for the ZX Spectrum. The first stage of this game shared similarities with both Pitfall
and the Colecovision
game Smurf: Rescue in Gargamel's Castle, whilst the third platform stage is essentially a Space Panic
clone.
but the game never appeared. It was rumoured that Tang suffered serious health problems (believed to be a collapsed lung) and was unable to continue his work, although this was never confirmed.
and was coded by Michael Ware of Proteus Developments. It is Series 3/3A/3C and 3mx compatible.
In 2010, a conversion of the game to the ZX Spectrum was released by indie coder Bob Smith.
game Inspector Gadget
and the Circus of Fear, Gadget has to make his way through several scrolling worlds. In the first of these, he is hindered by Horaces travelling in the opposite direction; if he trips over too many of them, he loses a life.
A reference to Horace is also present in the 2003
PlayStation 2
game Dog's Life
, which features a shop named Horace's Ski Shop. The name is written in a font similar to the one used on the ZX Spectrum, and is accompanied by a Spectrum-style rainbow pattern.
William Tang (video game author)
William Tang was a video game author in the 1980s, best known for his ZX Spectrum and Commodore 64 series starring Horace.-Published works:*Games** Horace Goes Skiing ** Hungry Horace ** Horace & The Spiders ** HURG...
for Beam Software. The series comprised Hungry Horace, Horace Goes Skiing and Horace and the Spiders.
Hungry Horace and Horace and the Spiders were two of the very few Spectrum games also available in ROM format for use with the Interface 2
ZX Interface 2
The ZX Interface 2 was a peripheral from Sinclair Research for its ZX Spectrum home computer released in September 1983. It had two joystick ports and a ROM cartridge slot, which offered instant loading times. The joystick ports were not compatible with the popular Kempston interface, and thus...
.
Hungry Horace
- "Hungry Horace" is also the name of an unrelated character from the UK's DandyThe DandyThe Dandy is a long running children's comic published in the United Kingdom by D. C. Thomson & Co. Ltd. The first issue was printed in 1937 and it is the world's third longest running comic, after Detective Comics and Il Giornalino...
, Sparky and Topper comics.
The original Horace game, Hungry Horace was written as a simple Pacman clone, published in 1982
1982 in video gaming
-Events:* December 27 - Starcade, a video game television game show, debuts on TBS in the United States.-Notable releases:*October 13 - Mystique releases the Custer's Revenge adult video game for the Atari 2600 home console....
. In it, Horace must gather food from around a park and move onto the next section while avoiding park guards. It is possible for him to collect a bell to panic the guards and render them vulnerable, like the power pills in Pacman. This title was available on the ZX Spectrum
ZX Spectrum
The ZX Spectrum is an 8-bit personal home computer released in the United Kingdom in 1982 by Sinclair Research Ltd...
, Commodore 64
Commodore 64
The Commodore 64 is an 8-bit home computer introduced by Commodore International in January 1982.Volume production started in the spring of 1982, with machines being released on to the market in August at a price of US$595...
and Dragon 32. The ZX Spectrum original was marketed and distributed by Sinclair themselves, the Commodore 64 and Dragon 32 versions by Melbourne House
Melbourne House
Krome Studios Melbourne, originally Beam Software, was a video game development studio founded in 1980 and based in Melbourne, Australia. The studio operated independently from 1987 until 1999, when it was acquired by Infogrames, who changed the name to Melbourne House...
.
The Commodore 64 version also included a level editor which allowed the game owner to create, edit and save to cassette tape their own levels of the game. These could be shared with other owners of the game.
A DOS-hosted level editor was written for the ZX Spectrum version in 2009.
Horace Goes Skiing
In 1982 Tang also produced Horace Goes Skiing. In it, Horace must cross a dangerous road teeming with traffic to rent out a pair of skis, à la FroggerFrogger
Frogger is an arcade game introduced in 1981. It was developed by Konami, and licensed for worldwide distribution by Sega/Gremlin. The object of the game is to direct frogs to their homes one by one. To do this, each frog must avoid cars while crossing a busy road and navigate a river full of...
, get back over the road and successfully navigate a ski course.
This title is not a true sequel, as it does not follow on from an original story and is only really similar in that it features the same character. In this sense, the game is a spin-off
Spin-off (media)
In media, a spin-off is a radio program, television program, video game, or any narrative work, derived from one or more already existing works, that focuses, in particular, in more detail on one aspect of that original work...
, although such concepts were unheard of in video gaming in the early 1980s. Like Hungry Horace, this title was available on the ZX Spectrum, Commodore 64, and Dragon 32. As before, Sinclair distributed the Spectrum version, Melbourne House the Commodore 64 and Dragon 32 versions. Horace Goes Skiing was rated at 8.9 in one magazine back in 1983.
Horace and the Spiders
In 19831983 in video gaming
-Events:* A major shakeout of the video game industry begins. By 1986, total video games sales will decrease from US$3.2 billion to US$0.1 billion.* MCA Universal files suit against Nintendo, claiming that the latter company's video arcade hit Donkey Kong violated Universal's copyright on King Kong...
, Tang produced the third title in the series, Horace And The Spiders. This was primarily a platform game, although the sprites had been retained from the top-view of the first two games. The first level sees Horace climbing a hill while jumping over spiders. The second level involves crossing a bridge by swinging on spider threads. The third level is the final confrontation with the spiders - he must create holes in the web, luring the spiders into the holes to fix them and consequently jumping on them.
Unlike the earlier two titles, this game was only released for the ZX Spectrum. The first stage of this game shared similarities with both Pitfall
Pitfall!
Pitfall! is a video game released by Activision for the Atari 2600 in 1982. It is the second best selling game made for the Atari 2600, with over 4 million copies sold.-Gameplay:...
and the Colecovision
ColecoVision
The ColecoVision is Coleco Industries' second generation home video game console which was released in August 1982. The ColecoVision offered arcade-quality graphics and gaming style, and the means to expand the system's basic hardware...
game Smurf: Rescue in Gargamel's Castle, whilst the third platform stage is essentially a Space Panic
Space Panic
Space Panic is a 1980 arcade game designed by Universal, which Chris Crawford calls the first ever platform game, as it pre-dates Nintendo's Donkey Kong which is often cited as the original platform game. Space Panic lacks Donkey Kongs jump mechanic, disqualifying it as a platformer for some...
clone.
Horace to the Rescue
This title was announced in 19851985 in video gaming
-Notable releases:* Brøderbund releases Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?, the first game of the prolific Carmen Sandiego series* Nintendo releases Super Mario Bros. on September 13, 1985, which eventually sells 40 million copies making it the best-selling video game of all time until 2008.*...
but the game never appeared. It was rumoured that Tang suffered serious health problems (believed to be a collapsed lung) and was unable to continue his work, although this was never confirmed.
Horace in the Mystic Woods
Horace made a comeback in 1995 with the platform based game Horace in the Mystic Woods for the Psion 3-Series of palmtop computers. This fourth entry in the Horace series is a platform game split into one-screen levels in the style of Manic MinerManic Miner
Manic Miner is a platform game originally written for the ZX Spectrum by Matthew Smith and released by Bug-Byte in 1983 . It is the first game in the Miner Willy series and among the pioneers of the platform game genre. The game itself was inspired by the Atari 800 game Miner 2049er...
and was coded by Michael Ware of Proteus Developments. It is Series 3/3A/3C and 3mx compatible.
In 2010, a conversion of the game to the ZX Spectrum was released by indie coder Bob Smith.
Other appearances
In the Spectrum version of the 19871987 in video gaming
-Notable releases:* January 14, Nintendo releases Zelda II: The Adventure of Link in January for the Famicom Disk System in Japan only. The game would go unreleased in America for nearly two years afterwards.* February 20, Konami releases Contra...
game Inspector Gadget
Inspector Gadget
Inspector Gadget is an animated television series that revolves around the adventures of a clumsy, simple-witted cyborg detective named Inspector Gadget – a human being with various bionic gadgets built into his body. Gadget's arch-nemesis is Dr...
and the Circus of Fear, Gadget has to make his way through several scrolling worlds. In the first of these, he is hindered by Horaces travelling in the opposite direction; if he trips over too many of them, he loses a life.
A reference to Horace is also present in the 2003
2003 in video gaming
-Events:*February 27 — Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences hosts 6th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards; inducts Yu Suzuki of Sega to the AIAS Hall of Fame....
PlayStation 2
PlayStation 2
The PlayStation 2 is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Sony as part of the PlayStation series. Its development was announced in March 1999 and it was first released on March 4, 2000, in Japan...
game Dog's Life
Dog's Life
Dog's Life is a video game published by Sony Computer Entertainment Europe for the Sony PlayStation 2.Dog's Life received mostly average review scores, with critics praising the game for its originality and fun factor, while criticising its audiovisuals.According to the Guinness World Records...
, which features a shop named Horace's Ski Shop. The name is written in a font similar to the one used on the ZX Spectrum, and is accompanied by a Spectrum-style rainbow pattern.