''Escape'' is maze video game for the

ZX Spectrum The ZX Spectrum () is an 8-bit computing, 8-bit home computer that was developed by Sinclair Research. It was released in the United Kingdom on 23 April 1982, and became Britain's best-selling microcomputer. Referred to during development as t ...

developed by

New Generation Software New Generation Software was a firm best known for the computer games with innovative graphics it produced for the Sinclair ZX81 and ZX Spectrum The ZX Spectrum () is an 8-bit home computer that was developed by Sinclair Research. It was rele ...

and published in 1982. The cassette inlay reads: "Can you ESCAPE from the monsters? You must search through the maze to find the axe which will enable you to break down the door and ESCAPE. But it is not that easy—the

Triceratops ''Triceratops'' ( ; ) is a genus of herbivore, herbivorous Chasmosaurinae, chasmosaurine Ceratopsidae, ceratopsid dinosaur that first appeared during the late Maastrichtian stage of the Late Cretaceous Period (geology), period, about 68 m ...

hides behind the hedges and the

Pteranodon ''Pteranodon'' (); from Ancient Greek (''pteron'', "wing") and (''anodon'', "toothless") is a genus of pterosaur that included some of the largest known flying reptiles, with ''P. longiceps'' having a wingspan of . They lived during the late Cr ...

soars over the maze to swoop down upon you"

Gameplay

The player has to search a maze displayed in primitive 3D for an axe, which will allow him to break the exit, and escape. He is chased by initially a single

dinosaur Dinosaurs are a diverse group of reptiles of the clade Dinosauria. They first appeared during the Triassic period, between 243 and 233.23 million years ago (mya), although the exact origin and timing of the evolution of dinosaurs is t ...

- each successful escape increases the number of dinosaurs roaming the maze, until level 5, which introduces a

pterosaur Pterosaurs (; from Greek ''pteron'' and ''sauros'', meaning "wing lizard") is an extinct clade of flying reptiles in the order, Pterosauria. They existed during most of the Mesozoic: from the Late Triassic to the end of the Cretaceous (228 to ...

that will occasionally take off and fly over the hedges, not being restricted to the maze paths. Upon finding the axe, which is randomly placed for each level, the player slows down allowing the dinosaurs to catch up.

Reception

Sinclair User ''Sinclair User'' was a magazine dedicated to the Sinclair Research range of home computers, most specifically the ZX Spectrum (while also occasionally covering arcade games). Initially published by ECC Publications, and later EMAP, it was publi ...

'': "The game was written by the author of the J K Greye ''

3D Monster Maze ''3D Monster Maze'' is a survival horror computer game developed from an idea by J.K. Greye and programmed by Malcolm Evans and released in 1981 for the Sinclair ZX81 platform with the 16 KB memory expansion. The game was initially released ...

'' and is one of the best and most original games we have seen for the Spectrum so far" ''ZX Computing'': "This is not, as it may sound a jump on the 'Pacman' bandwagon, but rather an original and absorbing game which can become extremely difficult and frustrating" '' Popular Computing Weekly'': "I would rate two of the games here ''Escape'' and ''Dictator'' as being amongst the best Spectrum games I have played"

References

External links

* 1982 video games New Generation Software games Video games developed in the United Kingdom ZX Spectrum games ZX Spectrum-only games {{maze-videogame-stub