Dungeons & Dragons Computer Labyrinth Game
| Dungeons & Dragons Computer Labyrinth Game | |
|---|---|
| Game data | |
| publishing company | Mattel Electronics |
| Publishing year | 1980 |
| Art | Fantasy hybrid game |
| Teammates | 1 to 2 |
| Duration | 20 minutes |
| Age | from 8 years |
Dungeons & Dragons Computer Labyrinth Game is a hybrid game developed by Mattel Electronics and released in 1980 . It is a licensed product based on the role-playing game rules Dungeons & Dragons .
Gameplay
One or two players compete to explore a labyrinth and to recover the hidden treasure, which is guarded by a dragon. The game board is square and is divided into 8x8 playing fields. Two die-cast warrior figures symbolize the players, there is also a dragon figure and a treasure chest, also made of die-cast. There are also 50 plastic plugs that symbolize the walls of the labyrinth.
At the beginning each player chooses a starting point for his character, the personal secret room, to which the treasure must later be brought. From there, the players explore the maze game board in turns, whereby each figure can move eight spaces per turn. The structure of the maze is calculated randomly for each game by an integrated computer and remains invisible to the players for the time being. The playing fields are touch-sensitive. Every time a pawn advances to the next space, the electronics provide information about the nature of the environment through light and sound signals. In this way, the building blocks can gradually be attached and gradually a picture of the playing field emerges. The dragon, which is initially in sleep mode, is also randomly positioned. Only when a character has approached a certain distance does it become active. He follows the closest player figure and tries to attack it. In contrast to the warriors, he can fly over walls. If a warrior is hit by the dragon, he suffers a wound and his movement is reduced. The fourth wound means the end of the game for the player.
If you play with another player and the treasure has been found, the other player can try to take the treasure from him. To do this, both characters must collide. The computer then indicates which game character emerges as the winner of the clash. Alternatively, the Dungeons & Dragons Labyrinth Game can also be played alone against the computer. The game also has two different game modes. In the advanced mode, the game also includes secret doors.
reception
Mattel launched the game in 1980 for around 50 US dollars, and in addition to the original English edition, there was also a French version of the game. It appeared in a difficult market environment. After a prolonged shortage, the market for electronic chips was oversaturated in the same year due to overproduction, which had an impact until the following year. While game consoles were still able to record high sales in 1981, the market for electronic hybrid games stagnated between 30 and 60% of the previous year. However, some titles such as Dungeons & Dragons Computer Labyrinth Game , Milton Bradley's Dark Tower and other so-called educational electronic games bucked the trend and also posted good sales figures. Mattel had already sold all of its stocks of the game two months before the Christmas business in 1981, thanks to the high income from license fees, among other things, TSR was able to double its annual sales to 27 million US dollars in 1981/82; in December 1981, the US business magazine Inc . TSR at No. 6 of its top 100 fastest growing private companies in the United States. According to author Mark Bellomo, Mattel sold "tens of thousands of units of this aesthetically pleasing electronic adventure." The toy manufacturer advertised the game with TV commercials, among other things. In 2008, the US online magazine Dvice listed the game among the 13 best electronic D&D implementations .
Mattel continued its license series in 1981 with the LCD game Dungeons & Dragons Computer Fantasy Game and in 1982 with its two console games Advanced Dungeons & Dragons: Cloudy Mountain and Advanced Dungeons & Dragons: Treasure of Tarmin for the in-house game console Intellivision .
Web links
- James Maliszewski: Retrospective: Dungeons & Dragons Computer Labyrinth Game ( English ) In: Grognardia . April 18, 2012. Retrieved April 27, 2013.
- Dungeons & Dragons Computer Labyrinth Game in the board game database BoardGameGeek (English)
Individual evidence
- ↑ Benrice Kanner: The Toys Most Likely to Succeed: The Big Money in Kid Stuff . (Article scan) In: New York Magazine . 14, No. 46, November 23, 1981, p. 26.
- ↑ Why Tsr Hobbies Is So Profitable ( English ) In: Inc . Retrieved April 24, 2013.
- ↑ Stewart Alsop II: TSR Hobbies Mixes Fact and Fantasy ( English ) In: Inc . February 1, 1982. Retrieved April 24, 2013.
- ↑ Mark Bellomo: Totally Tubular '80s Toys . Krause Publications, Iola, Wisconsin 2010, ISBN 978-1-4402-1647-3 , pp. 32 ( online view ).
- ↑ Dungeons & Dragons Computer Labyrinth Game Commercial from 1982 ( English ) In: Retroist . May 3, 2010. Retrieved April 24, 2013.
- ↑ Kevin Hall: The 13 best electronic versions of Dungeons & Dragons ( English ) In: Dvice . March 18, 2008. Archived from the original on August 6, 2012. Retrieved on April 24, 2013.