Word Rescue

Last updated
Word Rescue
Developer(s) Redwood Games
Publisher(s) Apogee Software
Programmer(s) Genus Microprogramming
Artist(s) Bud Pembroke
Composer(s) Voyetra Technologies
Platform(s) DOS, Windows, Mac OS
ReleaseMarch 18, 1992
Genre(s) Platform game, educational
Mode(s) Single-player

Word Rescue is an educational platform DOS game written by Karen Crowther (Chun) of Redwood Games and released by Apogee Software in March 1992. It was re-released in 2015 for Steam with support for Windows and Mac OS. The game can also allow the player interact with a pair of Stereoscopic Vision Glasses. [1]

Contents

Like many Apogee games of the time, Word Rescue includes three episodes, with only the first episode playable in the shareware version.

Apogee still sells the registered version of this game.

A companion game with similar gameplay, Math Rescue , was released in October 1992, while a sequel, Word Rescue Plus, was released in 1993.

Plot

The story centers on creatures called "The Gruzzles". Because the Gruzzles cannot read, they steal words out of books, preventing others from reading as well. Playing as a boy or girl, the player must help Benny Bookworm take back all the stolen words and match them with their meanings so he may put them back in the books.

Gameplay

The player moves around the screen in a platform shooter style environment. The player tries to match words with their corresponding pictures, which are located randomly in the level. In addition, the player must avoid both Gruzzles and dangers. Touching them will result in having to start the level over. Once all seven words are matched, Benny Bookworm magically turns the player's collected words into a key, which is used to open the door that takes the player to the next level.

If the player matches a word with the wrong picture, a "Gruzzle" appears. To deal with a Gruzzle the player must press the Space bar to order Benny the Bookworm to pour slime on it. The player only has a limited supply of slime but slime can be replenished by collecting slime buckets or completing the mystery word.

One word from the level is randomly chosen at the beginning of each level to be the mystery word, and the letters of that word are placed in a random order around the level, although the letters are in the same places every time. If the player completes the word by collecting the letters of that word in order, bonus points and full slime are awarded. Bonus points can also be earned by collecting books, sliming Gruzzles and matching words with their pictures.

Depending on the difficulty level, there are also a set number of Gruzzles on each level. The Easy difficulty is easy for young players, as there is only one predetermined Gruzzle in the level. The Hard difficulty, however, often has as many or more Gruzzles as there are words to find and 20 books must be collected to reveal the mystery word. This makes the game challenging even for adults.

Reception

Computer Gaming World called Word Rescue and Math Rescue "excellent choices for younger children ... though us older 'kids' will still find them entertaining. They are difficult to keep playing". [2]

Related Research Articles

<i>Rise of the Triad</i> 1995 first-person shooter video game

Rise of the Triad: Dark War is a first-person shooter video game, developed and published by Apogee Software in 1995. The player can choose one of five different characters to play as, each bearing unique attributes such as height, speed, and endurance. The game's story follows these five characters who have been sent to investigate a deadly cult, and soon become aware of a deadly plot to destroy a nearby city. Its remake was designed by Interceptor Entertainment and released by Apogee Games in 2013. The shareware version of the game is titled Rise of the Triad: The HUNT Begins.

<i>Wolfenstein 3D</i> 1992 video game

Wolfenstein 3D is a first-person shooter video game developed by id Software and published by Apogee Software and FormGen. Originally released on May 5, 1992, for DOS, it was inspired by the 1981 Muse Software video game Castle Wolfenstein, and is the third installment in the Wolfenstein series. In Wolfenstein 3D, the player assumes the role of Allied spy William "B.J." Blazkowicz during World War II as he escapes from the Nazi German prison Castle Wolfenstein and carries out a series of crucial missions against the Nazis. The player traverses each of the game's levels to find an elevator to the next level or kill a final boss, fighting Nazi soldiers, dogs, and other enemies with a knife and a variety of guns.

<i>Crystal Caves</i> 1991 video game

Crystal Caves is a side-scrolling platform game developed and published by Apogee Software for IBM PC compatibles. The game is divided into three episodes with the first distributed as shareware and the other two available for purchase. Designer Frank Maddin said the method worked "pretty well" for the time. Crystal Caves was inspired by the 1982 Atari 8-bit family game Miner 2049er.

<i>Duke Nukem</i> (video game) 1991 video game

Duke Nukem is a 1991 platform game developed and published by Apogee Software for MS-DOS. The 2D, multidirectional scrolling game follows the adventures of fictional character Duke Nukem across three episodes of ten levels each. The game's first episode was distributed as shareware. The name was briefly changed to Duke Nukum to avoid trademark issues.

<i>Monster Bash</i> 1993 video game

Monster Bash is a side-scrolling platform game developed and published by Apogee Software on 9 April 1993 for DOS. The game features 16-color EGA graphics and IMF AdLib compatible music. It was developed by Frank Maddin and Gerald Lindsly.

<i>Kroz</i> 1987 video game

Kroz is a series of Roguelike video games created by Scott Miller for IBM PC compatibles. The first episode in the series, Kingdom of Kroz, was released in 1987 as Apogee Software's first game. It was also published on Big Blue Disk #20. Kroz introduced the scheme of the first episode being free and charging money for additional episodes, a technique which defined the business model for Apogee and was adopted by other MS-DOS shareware publishers.

<i>Bio Menace</i> 1993 video game

Bio Menace is a 1993 game developed and published by Apogee Software for MS-DOS. A 2D multidirectional scrolling platform game, it was built on a licensed version of id Software's Commander Keen game engine. Apart from the engine and music, all in-game content was created by the game's designer, Jim Norwood. In 2014, the game was re-released on Steam, and in 2015 on GOG.com with support for Microsoft Windows, macOS, and Linux.

<i>Monuments of Mars</i> 1991 video game

Monuments of Mars is a third-person puzzle-platform game developed by Scenario Software for MS-DOS and compatible systems. It was published by Apogee Software. The game consists of four 20-level episodes, the first episode being shareware, the rest being commercial software. It is similar to the games Arctic Adventure and Pharaoh's Tomb but uses an unrelated engine.

<i>Boppin</i> 1991 video game

Boppin' is a puzzle-oriented video game created by Jennifer Diane Reitz in 1991, developed under the company name Accursed Toys and published by Karmasoft for the Amiga computer. Around that time Karmasoft held a level design contest. The game sold poorly with 284 copies, so Jennifer got it republished by Apogee Software with up to 256 colors on screen. Due to mature content containing blood and seppuku, Apogee included a disclaimer in the manual that the game contained potentially offensive imagery, as well as part of a manifesto from Accursed Toys stating that their games were produced for an audience of adult gamers who are mostly 25 and older.

<i>Bookworm</i> (video game) 2003 video game

Bookworm is a word-forming puzzle video game by PopCap Games. From a grid of available letters, players connect letters to form words. As words are formed, they are removed from the grid and the remaining letters collapse to fill the available space. Players earn more points by creating longer words or words which use less common letters and earn less for smaller words. In November 2006, PopCap Games released a sequel, Bookworm Adventures. Bookworm was released for the Nintendo DS digital distribution service DSiWare on November 30, 2009. It has also been released on the regular Nintendo DS cartridge.

<i>Pharaohs Tomb</i> 1990 video game

Pharaoh's Tomb is an MS-DOS platform game created by George Broussard and published by Apogee Software.

<i>Arctic Adventure</i> (video game) 1991 video game

Arctic Adventure is a platform game written for DOS, published by Apogee Software. It is the sequel to Pharaoh's Tomb. The protagonist, Nevada Smith, is an archaeologist searching for a Viking treasure in the Arctic. It was re-released on Steam in 2015 with support for Windows and macOS.

<i>Math Rescue</i> 1992 video game

Math Rescue is a 1992 educational platform game created by Karen Crowther of Redwood Games and published by Apogee Software. Its early pre-release title was "Number Rescue". Released in October 1992 for the MS-DOS platform, it is a loose successor to the earlier game Word Rescue, whose game engine was used to power the new game with minor changes. Math Rescue was initially released as shareware but later achieved a retail release. It was followed by Math Rescue Plus. There were plans to have a sequel to the game called "Gruzzle Puzzles" but it was never started.

<i>Bookworm Adventures</i> 2006 video game

Bookworm Adventures is a word-forming puzzle video game, the follow-up to Bookworm from PopCap Games. Released in November 2006, Bookworm Adventures combines the "create words from sets of letters" aspect of Bookworm with several elements of a role-playing video game. In the 2007 Interactive Achievement Awards, Bookworm Adventures won the "Downloadable Game of the Year". The game also won three Zeeby awards for Best Word & Trivia Game of 2006, Best Game Design of 2006 and Best Story/Narrative of 2006.

Pickle Wars is an MS-DOS platform game created in 1993 by Karen Crowther through Redwood Games and published by MVP Software. A planet gets invaded by pickles. The player goes on a journey to find hidden weapons. The player needs to collect all the SaladShooters in the level to pass through the exit door. The player can then shoot salad at the aliens, and the aliens will faint. Junk food and pickles are collectible for points, and carrots are for health.

<i>Words of Gold</i> 2014 video game

Words of Gold is a multiplayer word game developed by Cupcake Entertainment. It was released in November 2014 for Facebook, December 2015 for Android, and February 2016 for iOS.

<i>Commander Keen in Goodbye, Galaxy</i> 1991 video game

Commander Keen in Goodbye, Galaxy is a two-part episodic side-scrolling platform video game developed by id Software and published by Apogee Software in 1991 for DOS. It consists of the fifth and sixth episodes of the Commander Keen series, though they are numbered as the fourth and fifth, as Commander Keen in Keen Dreams is not part of the main continuity. The game follows the titular Commander Keen, an eight-year-old child genius, as he first journeys through the Shadowlands to rescue the Gnosticenes so they may ask the Oracle how the Shikadi plan to destroy the galaxy, and then through the Shikadi's Armageddon Machine to stop them. The two episodes feature Keen running, jumping, and shooting through various levels while opposed by aliens, robots, and other hazards.

<i>Commander Keen in Aliens Ate My Babysitter</i> 1991 video game

Commander Keen in Aliens Ate My Babysitter is a side-scrolling platform video game developed by id Software and published by FormGen in December 1991 for DOS. It is the seventh episode of the Commander Keen series, though it is numbered as the sixth, as Commander Keen in Keen Dreams is outside of the main continuity. The game follows the titular Commander Keen, an eight-year-old child genius, as he journeys through an alien world to rescue his kidnapped babysitter. The game features Keen running, jumping, and shooting through various levels while opposed by aliens, robots, and other hazards.

Karen Chun is an American computer game designer and programmer. The president of Redwood Games, she has created educational games including Math Rescue, Word Rescue, as well as the game Pickle Wars.

References

  1. ↑ "Aero the Acro-Bat - UK Review". 3D World . Vol. 1, no. 8. Future Publishing. October 1997. p. 17.
  2. ↑ Miller, Chuck (July 1993). "Edutainment 101". Computer Gaming World. p. 116. Retrieved 12 July 2014.
  1. ^ Word Rescue page at Classic DOS Games
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.