 | |
| Publishers | Mattel |
|---|---|
| Players | 1–2 |
| Chance | Medium |
| Skills | Strategy |
The Dungeons & Dragons Computer Labyrinth Game is an electronic board game released by Mattel in 1980.
| | |
| Publishers | Mattel |
|---|---|
| Players | 1–2 |
| Chance | Medium |
| Skills | Strategy |
The Dungeons & Dragons Computer Labyrinth Game is an electronic board game released by Mattel in 1980.
The board resembles a plastic castle superstructure with a grid in the middle the size of a chess board. Underneath this is a drawer which holds two metal warrior figures, a dragon, a treasure chest, a number of plastic pieces that are used for walls, and a pair of markers for secret rooms. [1] The castle is computerized, and the playing surface is touch sensitive. Each time the game is started the computer randomly generates an invisible labyrinth containing the treasure and the dragon. [1]
The Dungeons & Dragons Computer Labyrinth Game is a simple electronic board game, representing a dungeon with a dragon residing in it. The computer randomly places 50 walls throughout the board, and then two players compete to hinder each other as they try to advance, while searching each room for the treasure. [2] If a player encounters the dragon, the player is injured and returns to his or her secret room.
The game can be played with one or two players who take the role of warriors searching for a treasure to take it back to the player's secret room. [1] The player chooses either the basic level or advanced level, and then each player chooses a secret room. The warrior can move up to 8 squares per turn, and the game makes an electronic sound each time a warrior enters a square. If the sound indicates that the warrior walks into a door or wall then movement stops for that turn. The dragon starts the game asleep and when a player is three squares away from the treasure, the game makes a sound to warn players that the dragon has awoken. The game also makes a sound to alert that a player has found the treasure, and to warn that the invisible dragon is flying towards a warrior or attacking. [1] A warrior dies from three attacks by the dragon, and attacks also reduce the movement of the warrior in squares. The dragon moves only one square per turn. In the two player game the warriors can attack one another, and the computer assigns a variable strength to each warrior. [1]
A player moves his figurine from square to square; depending on what is in the square, an electronic sound would be triggered, allowing a player to figure out where walls were located. Another sound would indicate that the dragon's treasure hoard had been located, and between player turns, the "Dragon" sound would indicate that the dragon had moved one square. When the dragon first wakes, it is not possible to know exactly where the dragon is on the board (although one can make a reasonable guess by choosing a square three spaces away in a direction that has not been previously approached). Once the dragon attacks a player, the dragon's position is known for the remainder of the game and can be marked with the included dragon figurine. The algorithm for the dragon's movement is well explained: it moves one space per turn towards a target, going diagonal and over walls if necessary. The dragon's target is the player who has the treasure, or, if no player has the treasure, the closest player. If two players are equally close, the dragon follows the player it was following in the previous move. If both players are hidden in their secret rooms, the dragon moves toward the treasure room.
Jamie Thompson reviewed the game for White Dwarf , giving the game an overall rating of 4, stating that "the low rating is an assessment of the game for all age groups, but it is more suitable for the very young". [1] Thompson was critical of the game, and quipped: "Not, as you can see, the TSR version but merely a small electronic game of the same name. I wonder how much Mattel paid TSR for using the name". [1] Thompson described the board as "a cheap looking plastic castle" that came with "two cheap metal warrior figures [and] a tinny-looking dragon". [1] Thompson commented that when moving into a space that is not clear, "you might find that your heroic warrior is blundering into yet another invisible wall". [1] Thompson found that players attacking each other in a two player game "providing a bit more interest to the quest" and determined that a single solitaire game will last about 10–15 minutes at most, two player games a little longer. [1] Thompson concluded the review by saying: "All in all it provides some initial light fun - hearing the dragon wake, take to the air and then suddenly find he's upon you and the like - but it soon loses its flavour. I would say not a good buy for the serious or experienced adult gamer, especially when you consider the ridiculous price. I'd never go into a shop and actually buy this (unless I had spare cash to throw around and a kid to buy it for). The game appears to make no reference to any suitable age groups, but, I suspect it is really quite a good game for the under 12s (at least), being simplicity itself to learn. The code sounds soon become familiar and rules are clear and well laid out. Its major drawback is its price". [1]
A dungeon crawl is a type of scenario in fantasy role-playing games (RPGs) in which heroes navigate a labyrinth environment, battling various monsters, avoiding traps, solving puzzles, and looting any treasure they may find. Video games and board games which predominantly feature dungeon crawl elements are considered to be a genre.
HeroQuest, is an adventure board game created by Milton Bradley in conjunction with the British company Games Workshop in 1989, and re-released in 2021. The game is loosely based around archetypes of fantasy role-playing games: the game itself was actually a game system, allowing the gamemaster to create dungeons of their own design using the provided game board, tiles, furnishings and figures. The game manual describes Morcar/Zargon as a former apprentice of Mentor, and the parchment text is read aloud from Mentor's perspective. Several expansions have been released, each adding new tiles, traps, artifacts, and monsters to the core system.
Warhammer Quest is a fantasy dungeon, role-playing adventure board game released by Games Workshop in 1995 as the successor to HeroQuest and Advanced HeroQuest, set in its fictional Warhammer Fantasy world. The game focuses upon a group of warriors who join to earn their fame and fortune in the darkest depths of the Old World.
Temple of Apshai is a dungeon crawl role-playing video game developed and published by Automated Simulations in 1979. Originating on the TRS-80 and Commodore PET, it was followed by several updated versions for other computers between 1980 and 1986.
An owlbear is a fictional creature originally created for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. An owlbear is depicted as a cross between a bear and an owl, which "hugs" like a bear and attacks with its beak. Inspired by a plastic toy made in Hong Kong, Gary Gygax created the owlbear and introduced the creature to the game in the 1975 Greyhawk supplement; the creature has since appeared in every subsequent edition of the game. Owlbears, or similar beasts, also appear in several other fantasy role-playing games, video games and other media.
Advanced Dungeons & Dragons: Heroes of the Lance is a video game released in 1988 for various home computer systems and consoles. The game is based on the first Dragonlance campaign module for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, Dragons of Despair, and the first Dragonlance novel Dragons of Autumn Twilight. Heroes of the Lance focuses on the journey of eight heroes through the ruined city of Xak Tsaroth, where they must face the ancient dragon Khisanth and retrieve the relic, the Disks of Mishakal.
Dungeons & Dragons: Shadow over Mystara is an arcade game developed and published by Capcom in 1996 as a sequel to Dungeons & Dragons: Tower of Doom. The game is set in the Dungeons & Dragons campaign setting of Mystara.
Merlin is a handheld electronic game first made by Parker Brothers in 1978.
Labyrinth is a board game for two to four players, published by Ravensburger in 1986.
The Immortal is an isometric action-adventure game originally created by Will Harvey and released by Electronic Arts in 1990 for the Apple IIGS. It was soon ported to the Amiga, Atari ST, DOS, Nintendo Entertainment System, and Genesis. A wizard is attempting to find his mentor in a large and dangerous labyrinth. It has a high degree of graphic violence. In 2020, the NES port was re-released on the Nintendo Switch Online service, while the Genesis port was re-released on the Piko Collection Collection 1 cartridge for the Evercade.
Advanced Dungeons & Dragons: Treasure of Tarmin is a video game for the Intellivision video game console and the Mattel Aquarius computer system. This game was a licensed Dungeons & Dragons adaptation. It is a successor game to Advanced Dungeons & Dragons: Cloudy Mountain (1982).
Advanced Dungeons & Dragons is an Intellivision game and was one of the first Advanced Dungeons & Dragons games to be licensed by TSR, Inc. It was later retitled to Advanced Dungeons & Dragons: Cloudy Mountain to distinguish it from the sequel, Advanced Dungeons & Dragons: Treasure of Tarmin. It is the first Intellivision cartridge to use more than 4K of ROM.
Dungeonquest is a fantasy adventure board game originally published in Sweden in 1985 by Alga AB as Drakborgen, and subsequently published in English by Games Workshop in 1987.
Dungeon! is an adventure board game designed by David R. Megarry and first released by TSR, Inc. in 1975. Additional contributions through multiple editions were made by Gary Gygax, Steve Winter, Jeff Grubb, Chris Dupuis and Michael Gray. Dungeon! simulates some aspects of the Dungeons & Dragons (D&D) role-playing game, which was released in 1974, although Megarry had a prototype of Dungeon! ready as early as 1972.
Dungeons & Dragons Computer Fantasy Game is a handheld electronic game released by Mattel in 1981. Designer Peter Oliphant claims that it was one of the more basic projects he worked on during his career.
Dunjonquest is a series of single-player, single-character fantasy computer role-playing games by Automated Simulations. Temple of Apshai was the most successful and most widely ported game in the series. The games relied on strategy and pen & paper RPG style rules and statistics.
The Magic Labyrinth is a 2009 children's fantasy board game designed by Dirk Baumann, for two to four players. The Magic Labyrinth is a labyrinth game with the objective of finding treasures hidden in the labyrinth. The labyrinth's walls are invisible, so players must memorize the locations of the walls in order to successfully claim treasure pieces.
Wizard's Quest is a fantasy board wargame published by Avalon Hill in 1979.
Labyrinthine is a fantasy board game published by Wee Warriors in 1977. Based on themes taken from the then-newly published Dungeons & Dragons, Labyrinthine was the first "dungeon crawler" board game to use a totally modular board that was reconfigured for each game.
Dragon Quest, is an adventure board game created by TSR, inc. in 1992, designed as a children's introduction to fantasy role-playing, using a simplified form of the Basic rules for Dungeons & Dragons. It was conceived as a commercial competitor for the popular fantasy board game HeroQuest.