Computer Gamer


Gandalf The Sorcerer

Author: Naresh Daswani
Publisher: Tymac
Machine: Commodore 64

 
Published in Computer Gamer #1

Gandalf The Sorcerer

There's a saying, that a man's home is his castle but to Gandalf, his castle is his home. So, when a bunch of marauding lizardmen try to make his castle their home, the Sorcerer retaliates. The player's task is therefore to help Gandalf to protect his home by using a joystick to control his movements when launching his wrath against the lizardmen.

The sorcerer's wrath is displayed by the casting of a power bolt from the wizard's magic wand, thereby annihilating the attackers with a blast of fire. The lizardmen on the other hand have only one aim, that being to kidnap the wizard's apprentices and hold them for ransom. The ransom being a treasure which is protected by an ancient spell. If the lizardmen capture all three of the apprentices then Gandalf is forced to release the spell that protects the treasure.

So, the object of the game is to protect the three apprentices from being kidnapped by the lizardmen who constantly attack in waves from the forest beyond the castle gates. The only means of defence is to use your wizard's power to hit the lizardmen with a bolt from your wand, and consequently turn them into gold coins as a side effect. Once having amassed a reasonable number of gold coins, the wizard will need to collect them.

Gandalf The Sorcerer

The way in which this can be accomplished is by allowing one of the lizardmen to enter the castle and kidnap the apprentice. This allows the wizard to follow the lizard, dragging the apprentice out of the castle and back to the open forest. Whilst the forced portcullis remains open, the wizard can leave the castle in order to scoop up the gold coins by walking over them and thereby add to the wizard's treasure.

Hazards on this screen include fire-breathing lizards and yellow ostriches whose task is to steal your gold coins if you take too long in collecting them. In the meantime the apprentice is being dragged away by the lizardmen to a fate worse than death. So what do we do? I hear you all cry. Well, a Power Bolt trap in the path of the lizardmen will cause the oncoming creature to be destroyed, leaving you free to retrieve the apprentice by brushing against him and returning to the castle, post haste.

Having returned to the castle the level of play steps up as another horde of lizardmen attack. There are six levels of attacking lizardmen in all. Each level being indicated by the differing colours of the lizardmen as well as their speed of attack.

As you use your power, it decreases and must be renewed by the star from the castle towers. Whilst moving within the confines of the castle, a deadly spider wanders along the levels and must be avoided as a sting will cause the loss of power. If the wizard is stung whilst his power is low then a life will be lost.

Naresh Daswani

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