The Warlock of Firetop Mountain (video game)
Encyclopedia
The Warlock of Firetop Mountain is an arcade adventure video game released in 1984 for the Sinclair ZX Spectrum
home computer
. It is loosely based on the adventure gamebook of the same name (the first in the Fighting Fantasy
series) written by Steve Jackson
and Ian Livingstone
, and published by Puffin Books
in 1982.
The game was sold both as a regular cassette-only release, and (at a higher price) as a "software pack" edition that included a copy of the original Fighting Fantasy title.
, hidden deep within Firetop Mountain. The treasure is stored in a chest with fifteen locks, with the keys guarded by various monsters (e.g. orc
s, slime mould
s and spiders) in the dungeons of Firetop Mountain. The adventurer (equipped with a bow and a sword) must attempt to retrieve the keys, with an added feature being the ability to open and close doors to block the path of pursuing monsters. Gameplay varies with each new game as the maze is randomly generated.
children's imprint Puffin
into the science fiction
software market with the video game The Warlock of Firetop Mountain, hoping to emulate the success of the book title. The game was announced as the first in the "Puffin Personal Computer Collection" line together with three other unrelated titles (based on science fiction titles by author Peter K. McBride).
Puffin contracted Crystal Computing
, who had developed the fantasy game Halls of the Things
, to create the game. Game designer simon Brattel stated "We ended up doing it quite by accident — we simply bumped into Steve Jackson, one of the authors of the book, in Currys
one day — we got talking, he came back and looked at Halls and liked it."
According to hidden text within the game's code the developers only had three weeks to complete the project. The Peter Andrew Jones
artwork for the original title was used for the video game cover.
Puffin Books briefly continued the trend of adapting the Fighting Fantasy titles into video games, with early titles The Citadel of Chaos
and The Forest of Doom
being released for the ZX Spectrum
and Commodore 64
respectively.
CRASH
magazine criticized the control scheme (the number of control keys and the developer's decision to use the horizontally adjacent N and M keys to move the player's character up and down) but also claimed the game less difficult and confusing, and with better graphics. Computer and Video Games
expressed disappointment that the game had little resemblance to the original Fighting Fantasy title.
ZX Spectrum
The ZX Spectrum is an 8-bit personal home computer released in the United Kingdom in 1982 by Sinclair Research Ltd...
home computer
Home computer
Home computers were a class of microcomputers entering the market in 1977, and becoming increasingly common during the 1980s. They were marketed to consumers as affordable and accessible computers that, for the first time, were intended for the use of a single nontechnical user...
. It is loosely based on the adventure gamebook of the same name (the first in the Fighting Fantasy
Fighting Fantasy
Fighting Fantasy is a series of single-player fantasy roleplay gamebooks created by Steve Jackson and Ian Livingstone. The first volumes in the series were published by Puffin in 1982, with the rights to the franchise eventually being purchased by Wizard Books in 2002...
series) written by Steve Jackson
Steve Jackson (UK)
Steve Jackson is a game designer, writer and game reviewer.-History:In early 1975, Steve Jackson co-founded the company Games Workshop with John Peake and Ian Livingstone....
and Ian Livingstone
Ian Livingstone
Ian Livingstone OBE is an English fantasy author and entrepreneur. He is a co-writer of the first Fighting Fantasy gamebook, The Warlock of Firetop Mountain, and co-founder of Games Workshop....
, and published by Puffin Books
Puffin Books
Puffin Books is the children's imprint of British publishers Penguin Books. Since the 1960s it has been the largest publisher of children's books in the UK and much of the English-speaking world.-Early history:...
in 1982.
The game was sold both as a regular cassette-only release, and (at a higher price) as a "software pack" edition that included a copy of the original Fighting Fantasy title.
Gameplay
As a third-person arcade adventure game, the player takes the role of an adventurer on a quest to find the treasure of a powerful warlockWarlock
The term warlock in origin means "traitor, oathbreaker".In early modern Scots, the word came to be used as the male equivalent of witch ....
, hidden deep within Firetop Mountain. The treasure is stored in a chest with fifteen locks, with the keys guarded by various monsters (e.g. orc
Orc
An orc is one of a race of mythical human-like creatures, generally described as fierce and combative, with grotesque features and often black, grey or greenish skin. This mythology has its origins in the writings of J. R. R. Tolkien....
s, slime mould
Slime mould
Slime mold or mould is a broad term describing protists that use spores to reproduce. Slime molds were formerly classified as fungi, but are no longer considered part of this kingdom....
s and spiders) in the dungeons of Firetop Mountain. The adventurer (equipped with a bow and a sword) must attempt to retrieve the keys, with an added feature being the ability to open and close doors to block the path of pursuing monsters. Gameplay varies with each new game as the maze is randomly generated.
Development
The Warlock of Firetop Mountain was announced in issue two of Micro Adventurer magazine, which published a feature on the expansion of Penguin BooksPenguin Books
Penguin Books is a publisher founded in 1935 by Sir Allen Lane and V.K. Krishna Menon. Penguin revolutionised publishing in the 1930s through its high quality, inexpensive paperbacks, sold through Woolworths and other high street stores for sixpence. Penguin's success demonstrated that large...
children's imprint Puffin
Puffin Books
Puffin Books is the children's imprint of British publishers Penguin Books. Since the 1960s it has been the largest publisher of children's books in the UK and much of the English-speaking world.-Early history:...
into the science fiction
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
software market with the video game The Warlock of Firetop Mountain, hoping to emulate the success of the book title. The game was announced as the first in the "Puffin Personal Computer Collection" line together with three other unrelated titles (based on science fiction titles by author Peter K. McBride).
Puffin contracted Crystal Computing
Crystal Computing
Crystal Computing, later renamed Design Design, was a British video game developer founded in 1982 by Chris Clarke and Graham Stafford while students at the University of Manchester. Neil Mottershead, Simon Brattel and Martin Horsley, joined the company as it expanded...
, who had developed the fantasy game Halls of the Things
Halls of the Things
Halls of the Things is a ZX Spectrum video game developed by Design Design and released by Crystal Computing in 1983.In this game you have to guide your hero through seven floors of a tower, searching for seven rings, each floor is a complex maze of corridors and rooms...
, to create the game. Game designer simon Brattel stated "We ended up doing it quite by accident — we simply bumped into Steve Jackson, one of the authors of the book, in Currys
Currys
Currys is an electrical retailer in the United Kingdom and Ireland and is owned by Dixons Retail plc. It specialises in selling home electronics and household appliances, with 295 superstores and 73 high street stores...
one day — we got talking, he came back and looked at Halls and liked it."
According to hidden text within the game's code the developers only had three weeks to complete the project. The Peter Andrew Jones
Peter Andrew Jones
Peter Andrew Jones is a British artist and illustrator perhaps best known for his many fantasy and science fiction genre illustrations...
artwork for the original title was used for the video game cover.
Puffin Books briefly continued the trend of adapting the Fighting Fantasy titles into video games, with early titles The Citadel of Chaos
The Citadel of Chaos
The Citadel of Chaos is a single-player adventure gamebook written by Steve Jackson and Ian Livingstone, and illustrated by Russ Nicholson. Originally published by Puffin Books in 1983, the title is the second gamebook in the Fighting Fantasy series. It was later republished by Wizard Books in 2002...
and The Forest of Doom
The Forest of Doom
The Forest of Doom is a single-player adventure gamebook written by Ian Livingstone, and illustrated by Malcolm Barter. Originally published by Puffin Books in 1984, the title is the third gamebook in the Fighting Fantasy series. It was later republished by Wizard Books in 2002...
being released for 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...
and 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...
respectively.
Reception
ZX Computing described the game as simply a "variation" of Halls of the Things, but praised the inclusion of the book as it encouraged children to read. Micro Adventurer also commented on the similarities, stating that "it is so similar that it would be pointless buying both games".CRASH
CRASH (magazine)
Crash was a magazine dedicated to the ZX Spectrum home computer. It was published from 1984 to 1991 by Newsfield Publications Ltd until their liquidation, and then until 1992 by Europress.-Development:...
magazine criticized the control scheme (the number of control keys and the developer's decision to use the horizontally adjacent N and M keys to move the player's character up and down) but also claimed the game less difficult and confusing, and with better graphics. Computer and Video Games
Computer and video games
A video game is an electronic game that involves human interaction with a user interface to generate visual feedback on a video device. The word video in video game traditionally referred to a raster display device, but following popularization of the term "video game", it now implies any type of...
expressed disappointment that the game had little resemblance to the original Fighting Fantasy title.