''Halls of the Things'' is a

video game Video games, also known as computer games, are electronic games that involves interaction with a user interface or input device such as a joystick, controller, keyboard, or motion sensing device to generate visual feedback. This fee ...

developed by Design Design 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 ...

and released by

Crystal Computing Crystal Computing, later renamed Design Design, was a British video game developer founded in 1982 by Chris Clarke and Ian Stamp while students at the University of Manchester. Graham Stafford, Neil Mottershead, Simon Brattel and Martin Horsley, j ...

in 1983. It was ported to the Amstrad CPC and

Commodore 64 The Commodore 64, also known as the C64, is an 8-bit home computer introduced in January 1982 by Commodore International (first shown at the Consumer Electronics Show, January 7–10, 1982, in Las Vegas). It has been listed in the Guinness ...

. The player travels through seven floors of a tower, searching for seven rings, with each floor being a complex maze of corridors and rooms. Once the player has the rings they must then find the magical key hidden in the dungeon, which opens the drawbridge allowing the player to escape. To hinder the player's progress they are attacked by "things," but the player is armed with a sword, arrows, fireballs and lightning to aid you in the quest. The game was re-released by Design Design Software and

Firebird Software Telecomsoft was a British video game publisher and a Division (business), division of British Telecom. The company was founded by Ederyn Williams, Dr. Ederyn Williams in 1984 and operated three separate labels: Firebird, Rainbird, and Silverbir ...

. A sequel, '' Return of the Things'', was released in 1984.

Reception

The game was well received when it was released. "Excellent and dangerously addictive it could change the Spectrum games scene overnight". ''

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 ...

'' "Spectacular. One of the best games i've seen, finely balanced between simplicity and addictiveness - superb graphics and colour - I CAN'T RECOMMEND IT HIGHLY ENOUGH". '' Popular Computing Weekly'' ''ZX Computing'' magazine, featured ''Halls of the Things'' as the best game of 1983. The ZX Spectrum version was voted the 27th best game of all time in a special issue of ''

Your Sinclair ''Your Sinclair'', or ''YS'' as it was commonly abbreviated, was a commercially published and printed British computer magazine for the Sinclair range of computers, mainly the ZX Spectrum. It was in circulation between 1984 and 1993. History The ...

'' magazine in 2004.

References

External links

* *
''Halls of the Things original source code''
at Design Design {{Crystal Computing series 1983 video games Amstrad CPC games Commodore 64 games Crystal Computing games Video games developed in the United Kingdom ZX Spectrum games