''Dread Dragon Droom'' (popularly known as Droom) is an

educational game Educational games are games explicitly designed with educational purposes, or which have incidental or secondary educational value. All types of games may be used in an educational environment, however educational games are games that are design ...

designed and published by HUMMEC (

Humberside Humberside () was a non-metropolitan and ceremonial county in Northern England from 1 April 1974 until 1 April 1996. It was composed of land from either side of the Humber Estuary, created from portions of the East Riding of Yorkshire, West ...

Microelectronics in Education Centre) in 1985. The game was used widely in

schools A school is an educational institution designed to provide learning spaces and learning environments for the teaching of students under the direction of teachers. Most countries have systems of formal education, which is sometimes compulsor ...

throughout the United Kingdom in the 1980s and was one of the first examples of

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

educational software designed specifically for schools. HUMMEC was the educational support centre of the then

local education authorities Local education authorities (LEAs) were local councils in England that are responsible for education within their jurisdiction. The term was used to identify which council (district or county) is locally responsible for education in a system wit ...

of Humberside. Humberside was part of a consortium of LEAs (the others being

Barnsley Barnsley () is a market town in South Yorkshire, England. As the main settlement of the Metropolitan Borough of Barnsley and the fourth largest settlement in South Yorkshire. In Barnsley, the population was 96,888 while the wider Borough has ...

Sheffield Sheffield is a city status in the United Kingdom, city in South Yorkshire, England, whose name derives from the River Sheaf which runs through it. The city serves as the administrative centre of the City of Sheffield. It is Historic counties o ...

Doncaster Doncaster (, ) is a city in South Yorkshire, England. Named after the River Don, it is the administrative centre of the larger City of Doncaster. It is the second largest settlement in South Yorkshire after Sheffield. Doncaster is situated in ...

Rotherham Rotherham () is a large minster and market town in South Yorkshire, England. The town takes its name from the River Rother which then merges with the River Don. The River Don then flows through the town centre. It is the main settlement of ...

and, for a time,

Wakefield Wakefield is a cathedral city in West Yorkshire, England located on the River Calder. The city had a population of 99,251 in the 2011 census.https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/census/2011/ks101ew Census 2011 table KS101EW Usual resident population, ...

) which established a regional support centre called RESOURCE, based in Doncaster.

Plot

The plot of the game is classic

fairy-tale A fairy tale (alternative names include fairytale, fairy story, magic tale, or wonder tale) is a short story that belongs to the folklore genre. Such stories typically feature magic, enchantments, and mythical or fanciful beings. In most cult ...

fantasy: the princess Arminda has been captured by the Dreaded

Dragon A dragon is a reptilian legendary creature that appears in the folklore of many cultures worldwide. Beliefs about dragons vary considerably through regions, but dragons in western cultures since the High Middle Ages have often been depicted as ...

Droom, and held in his

dungeon A dungeon is a room or cell in which prisoners are held, especially underground. Dungeons are generally associated with medieval castles, though their association with torture probably belongs more to the Renaissance period. An oubliette (from ...

, while her suitor Prince Henry has been turned into a

frog A frog is any member of a diverse and largely Carnivore, carnivorous group of short-bodied, tailless amphibians composing the order (biology), order Anura (ανοὐρά, literally ''without tail'' in Ancient Greek). The oldest fossil "proto-f ...

. The user has to rescue Arminda, aided by a

witch Witchcraft traditionally means the use of Magic (supernatural), magic or supernatural powers to harm others. A practitioner is a witch. In Middle Ages, medieval and early modern Europe, where the term originated, accused witches were usually ...

, a wizard,

fairies A fairy (also fay, fae, fey, fair folk, or faerie) is a type of mythical being or legendary creature found in the folklore of multiple European cultures (including Celtic, Slavic, Germanic, English, and French folklore), a form of spirit, o ...

and the ever-helpful Little Bit on the way. The game is divided into a number of chapters, each containing a particular puzzle (mathematical, verbal, or logical). Chapters can be practised individually, or the game can be completed from the beginning. Although the tightly-structured format and educational purpose of the game meant that it was highly linear, the game is notable for its variety of puzzles, colourful

graphic Graphics () are visual images or designs on some surface, such as a wall, canvas, screen, paper, or stone, to inform, illustrate, or entertain. In contemporary usage, it includes a pictorial representation of data, as in design and manufacture, ...

s and playful storyline.

Development

This software was written and created by Derek Allen, who was one of the pioneers of ICT in Education. After "Droom" he went on to write various software packages including "Albert's House", "Pond" and "Rainbow Stories", all marketed through RESOURCE. Derek Allen also wrote sequels to the program: "Dragon Droom's Revenge" and "Stardust" (early versions were known simply as "Dust"). Many of his programs continued to be available for PC from Resource Education, which had become a private company based in

Derbyshire Derbyshire ( ) is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands, England. It includes much of the Peak District National Park, the southern end of the Pennine range of hills and part of the National Forest. It borders Greater Manchester to the nor ...

. It closed in mid-2015.Resource Education Website (Internet Archive backup showing closure notice)
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References

{{Reflist

External links

Resource Education Website (Internet Archive backup)
Europe-exclusive video games Children's educational video games Acorn Archimedes games BBC Micro and Acorn Electron games 1985 video games Video games developed in the United Kingdom