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Website
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(c) 2000 James Burrows
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At last, Elite have
released a decent arcade conversion on the 64,
in fact the best to date. Chris Butler has made
a marvellous job of converting the game -- just
think what he could have done with Commando
if he had been given more time. Mark Cooksey's
music and FX are also superb -- very atmospheric
-- which surprised me somewhat since his Bomb
Jack music was
poor to say the least. Anyway, I love Ghosts
'n' Goblins, it's
brilliant. I've played it and played it, and completed
it and completed it, and I still play it.
.
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After playing the
arcade game at the local fair I've been waiting
for this with baited nostrils. When it finally
arrived I was amazed, it's absolute perfection!
In fact, if it was a female I'd ask it back to
my place! The graphics are really brilliant, with
the best sprites I've ever seen outside an arcade,
and the backdrops are just stunning, something
I thought wasn't possible with the Commodore's
sixteen colours. The game plays incredibly well
too, and although in places it's not completely
faithful to its arcade counterpart, it's more
absorbing than anything else I've played this
year -- I was glued to it for hours and hours
and hours. Dropzone
was previously my favourite game on the Commodore,
now I can safely say that a year later, Ghosts
and Goblins has
ousted it from its position. And that's about
the highest recommendation I can give.
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| Welcome
to Game of the Week! Each week there will be a
new featured game on this page. The game may be good,
average or diabolically bad, it really doesn't matter!
Just look at the pics, read the text and enjoy the nostalgia!
:-) Game of the Week! is open to contributions so if you
would like to contribute
a game article for this page you're more than welcome
to! Every article we receive will be considered! |
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Ghosts
'n Goblins
1986 Elite
Programmed
by Chris Butler
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| Most
text of the present article comes from the review published
in the seventeenth issue of the British C64 magazine ZZAP!64
(street date: July 21st, 1986). |
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GHOSTS 'N' GOBLINS
Elite,
£9.95 cass, £14.95
disk, joystick only
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September
1986 |
It was a cold, harsh and miserable night in the
middle of winter (ah! cold, harsh and miserable
it was!), and Mr Knight was sitting in his cosy
semi-detached hut, enjoying the company of his
prospective spouse, Ms Damsel. There they were,
talking about the weather (cold, harsh, miserable),
when suddenly, in burst Mr Demon, a fat, red Demon
King with an acne problem. With a look of abject
lust in his eyes, he whisked away the frail form
of the distressed Ms Damsel into the night, without
so much as a by your leave.
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'Dastard!', proclaimed Mr Knight, and off he strode
after Mr Demon, determined to reclaim his property (bit
of a chauvinist is Mr Knight). But, he soon found that
the path to true love is a long one, and fraught with
ghosts 'n' goblins . . .
Clad
only in a pair of brown underpants and a suit of armour,
Mr Knight has to make his way through the Demon King's
domain which comprises of four different areas, full
of evil creatures which must be shot or avoided. He
has three minutes to pass through each area, and failure
to do so within this time limit results in the loss
of a life.
The
first time Mr Knight collides with one of the Demon
King's underlings he loses his armour, and has to continue
with only his undies to cover his modesty. So amused
by this are the undead (ha ha! he he!), that they temporarily
forget about Mr Knight, thus allowing him safe passage
for a few, vital seconds. However, they quickly recover
their composure, and a second encounter proves fatal
for the knight in shining undies.
Fortunately,
Mr Knight is initially armed with an infinite supply
of sawn-off lances which can be thrown at anything that
looks remotely ominous. Other weapons can be picked
up along the way, such as fire, swords, hatchets and
shields. Some weapons are more convenient than others,
but only the most recently acquired weapon can be used.
If Mr Knight manages to rescue Ms Damsel, then, just
like a bad dream, he has to start all over again . .
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THE
DEMON KING'S UNDERLINGS
ZOMBIES
rise out of the ground and take a quick stroll, some
brandishing pots which contain either a valuable item,
such as a statuette or a bag of coins, or another weapon.
If the zombie is shot or returns to its resting ground,
then the contents of the pot are left behind for the
taking.
LARGE
RED RAVENS usually attack Mr Knight on sight.
CARNIVOROUS
PLANTS spit deadly venom on sighting Mr Knight.
DEMONS
lie in wait and must be shot many times.
GHOSTLY KNIGHTS bob up and down across the screen,
some carrying pots.
GHOSTLY MONKS fly overhead, brandishing -- and
occasionally dropping -- spears.
THREE FAT OGRES guard the entrances to further
levels, and must be shot several times. A key then falls
from the sky, and when collected it allows access to
the next level.
SMALL FAERIES flit about the screen, some carrying
pots.
BOMB JACKS hide inside derelict buildings, and
on espying Mr Knight they attack.
FAT GHOULS pace back and forth derelict buildings,
dribbling evil white phlegm on passers by.
BATS hang from the ceiling of the cave, and
swoop down when they smell Mr Knight.
TWO-HEADED STATUES turn slowly from side to side,
spitting deadly spheres as they do so.
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THE
DEMON KING'S DOMAIN
THE
GRAVEYARD 
Several gravestones to jump and zombies to kill. Watch
out for the ravens and carnivorous plants, and the demon
at the end.
THE
FOREST
A couple of small pools to jump, and many ghostly knights
and monks to kill. Beware the fat ogre!
THE
ICE PALACE
A devious arrangement of platforms to negotiate, and
umpteen faeries to kill or avoid. There's also a carnivorous
plant to contend with.
THE
GHOST TOWN
Lots of ladders, platforms, Bomb Jacks, fat ghouls,
and ravens. And then there's a fat ogre . . .
THE
CAVERNS
Two sets of moving platforms to negotiate.
THE
BRIDGE
A dilapidated bridge runs over a flaming pit. Flames
and asbestos faeries shoot up along the way. At the
end of the bridge there is a fat ogre.
THE
SUBTERRANEAN PASSAGES
More ladders and platforms, zombies, bats, spitting
statues, ghostly monks and demons galore.
THE
DEMON KING'S CASTLE
The final frontier . . . One demon and a rather large
'Chinese Dragon' to kill.
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I've
been waiting for this since I saw the Spectrum
version, and the wait has been worth it. Ghosts
'n' Goblins is a brilliant translation of the
arcade game, and well worth a tenner. The sound
complements the game perfectly and it grows on
you the more you listen to it. Ghosts 'n'
Goblins is very playable and addictive, I've
ended up playing it all day. After the disappointing
Bomb Jack, the people at Elite seem to
have got the right Commodore mixture. Ghosts
'n' Goblins is one of the best arcade-Commodore
conversions of this year. One to break the summer
blues, if you miss it you'll regret it.
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Presentation
93%
Arcade quality, which sadly means no restart option
or pause facility.
Graphics
98%
Varied backdrops and sprites with
first class definition and animation.
Sound
96%
Arcade quality tunes and spot effects
create a gripping atmosphere.
Hookability
98%
Immediately impressive and playable.
Lastability
95%
Addictive and compulsive, although
interest may wane once the game is completed.
Value
For Money 96%
A worthy investment.
Overall
97%
An outstanding arcade conversion.
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Htmlized
by Dimitris
Kiminas (17 Feb 2007)
Other
"Games of the Week!"
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