''Star Maze'' is a space-themed shooter taking place in a multidirectional scrolling maze published by
Sir-Tech
Sir-Tech Software, Inc. was a video game developer and publisher based in the United States and Canada.
History
In fall 1979, Sirotech Software was founded by Norman Sirotek, Robert Sirotek and Robert Woodhead. Sirotech Software published ''Info ...
in 1982. It was written by Canadian programmer Gordon Eastman for the
Apple II
The Apple II (stylized as ) is an 8-bit home computer and one of the world's first highly successful mass-produced microcomputer products. It was designed primarily by Steve Wozniak; Jerry Manock developed the design of Apple II's foam-m ...
, based on a design by
Robert Woodhead
Robert J. Woodhead is an entrepreneur, software engineer and former game programmer. He claims that a common thread in his career is "doing weird things with computers".
Career
In 1979 he co-founded Sirotech (later known as Sir-Tech) with ...
.
[ ]Atari 8-bit family
The Atari 8-bit family is a series of 8-bit home computers introduced by Atari, Inc. in 1979 as the Atari 400 and Atari 800. The series was successively upgraded to Atari 1200XL , Atari 600XL, Atari 800XL, Atari 65XE, Atari 130XE, Atari 800XE, ...
[ 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 ...
[ versions followed in 1983.
]
Gameplay
The object of ''Star Maze'' is to collect the nine jewels in a large, randomly generated, maze-like structure.[
The player flies through the maze in a spaceship that looks and controls like the ship from ]Atari, Inc.
Atari, Inc. was an American video game developer and home computer company founded in 1972 by Nolan Bushnell and Ted Dabney. Atari was a key player in the formation of the video arcade and video game industry.
Based primarily around the Sunny ...
's ''Asteroids
An asteroid is a minor planet of the inner Solar System. Sizes and shapes of asteroids vary significantly, ranging from 1-meter rocks to a dwarf planet almost 1000 km in diameter; they are rocky, metallic or icy bodies with no atmosphere.
...
'' arcade game. One button applies thrust, the other button shoots in the direction the ship is pointing. The joystick orients the ship. A hyperspace key drops the ship in a random location in the maze, and a finite number of antimatter bombs destroy all visible enemies.[ Unlike ''Asteroids'', the ship has limited fuel, and the hyperspace option uses a significant amount of it. A jewel can only be collected it the ship's speed is below a certain threshold, then the jewel can be flown to the mothership in exchange for additional fuel.][
Completing a maze gives a bonus based on how much time it took.][ There are 16 levels.
]
Development
According to a 1983 article in ''TODAY'' magazine, ''Star Maze'' took ten months of weekends to create.[
]
Reception
Russell Sipe reviewed the game for ''Computer Gaming World
''Computer Gaming World'' (CGW) was an American computer game magazine published between 1981 and 2006. One of the few magazines of the era to survive the video game crash of 1983, it was sold to Ziff Davis in 1993. It expanded greatly through ...
'', and stated that "''Star Maze'' is a well-designed game that should provide you with many hours of enjoyable game playing."[
'']Electronic Games
An electronic game is a game that uses electronics to create an interactive system with which a player can play. Video games are the most common form today, and for this reason the two terms are often used interchangeably. There are other common ...
'' was impressed with the visuals and called ''Star Maze'', "a totally fascinating space epic worthy of every Apple-gamer's attention."[ ''Arcade Express'' pointed out the difficulty of the control scheme, but called it "so fascinating and varied in its play-action that it overcomes any such learning difficulties with ease," giving a 10/10 score.][ '']Computer and Video Games
''Computer and Video Games'' (also known as ''CVG'', ''Computer & Video Games'', ''C&VG'', ''Computer + Video Games'', or ''C+VG'') was a UK-based video game magazine, published in its original form between 1981 and 2004. Its offshoot website ...
'' scored ''Star Maze'' a 10 for playability, with the reviewer writing, "Once I mastered the controls the game became more and more fascinating and I can confidently recommend it as one of the best games now on sale for the Apple."[
The reviewer for '']Creative Computing
''Creative Computing'' was one of the earliest magazines covering the microcomputer revolution. Published from October 1974 until December 1985, the magazine covered the spectrum of hobbyist/home/personal computing in a more accessible format th ...
'' found the controls difficult to manage:
See also
*'' Bolo'', another Apple II multidirectional shooter in a large maze
References
{{Reflist, refs=
[{{cite web , title=Star Maze , url=http://www.atarimania.com/game-atari-400-800-xl-xe-star-maze_4988.html , website=Atari Mania]
[{{cite web , title=The Giant List of Classic Game Programmers, url=https://dadgum.com/giantlist/ , last1=Hague , first=James]
[{{cite magazine , last1=Davidson , first1=Steve , title=Computer Gaming: Star Maze , magazine=Electronic Games , date=March 1983 , volume=1 , issue=13 , pages=68–70 , url=https://archive.org/details/Electronic_Games_Volume_01_Number_13_1983-03_Reese_Communications_US/page/n67]
[{{cite magazine , last1=Lee , first1=Monty , title=Star Maze , magazine=Peelings II , date=1983 , volume=4 , issue=8 , pages=26–27 , url=https://archive.org/details/peelings-ii-v4n8-1983/page/n29?]
[{{cite magazine , title=The Hotseat: Star Maze , magazine=Arcade Express , date=November 21, 1982 , volume=1 , issue=8 , page=7 , url=https://archive.org/details/arcade_express_v1n8/page/n5]
[{{lemon64 game, id=4126, name=Star Maze]
[{{cite magazine , title=Software Reviews: Star Maze , magazine=Computer and Video Games , date=June 1983 , issue=20 , page=105 , url=https://archive.org/details/ComputerAndVideoGamesIssue020Jun83/page/n105]
[{{cite magazine , last1=Hohmann , first1=Kaye , title=Software Creators and Crooks Play Hardball , magazine=TODAY , date=January 1983 , volume=2 , issue=3 , page=10 , url=https://archive.org/details/TODAYV02N03/page/n9]
[{{cite magazine , last1=Salmons , first1=Jim , title=Exec Sir-Tech: Wizzing to the Top , magazine=SoftTalk , date=August 1982 , volume=2 , issue=12 , page=36 , url=https://archive.org/details/softalkv2n12aug1982/page/36]
1982 video games
Apple II games
Atari 8-bit family games
Commodore 64 games
Maze games
Multidirectional shooters
Video games developed in the United States