''Castle of Riddles'' is a

text adventure '' Interactive fiction, often abbreviated IF, is software simulating environments in which players use text commands to control characters and influence the environment. Works in this form can be understood as literary narratives, either in the ...

released by

Acornsoft Acornsoft was the software arm of Acorn Computers, and a major publisher of software for the BBC Micro and Acorn Electron. As well as games, it also produced a large number of educational titles, extra computer languages and business and util ...

for the

BBC Micro The British Broadcasting Corporation Microcomputer System, or BBC Micro, is a series of microcomputers and associated peripherals designed and built by Acorn Computers in the 1980s for the BBC Computer Literacy Project. Designed with an emphas ...

(in 1982) and

Acorn Electron The Acorn Electron (nicknamed the Elk inside Acorn and beyond) was a lower-cost alternative to the BBC Micro educational/ home computer, also developed by Acorn Computers Ltd, to provide many of the features of that more expensive machine at a ...

(1984) home computers. The game was written by

Peter Killworth Professor Peter D. Killworth (27 March 1946 – 28 January 2008) was an English scientist known for his work on oceanography and on the study of social networks. A prolific writer, he published more than 160 scientific papers over the course o ...

and was one of a series of text adventures written for, or ported to the BBC Micro by the same author (others including ''

Countdown to Doom ''Countdown to Doom'' is a text adventure game written by Peter Killworth for the BBC Micro and published by Acornsoft in 1982. It is set on the planet Doomawangara, which is coyly shortened to "Doom". An Acorn Electron version was released in 19 ...

'' and ''Philosopher's Quest''). As with all such games, only text is used. The player must use a simple 'verb-noun' format (e.g. 'Go North', 'Get lamp') to control the game. Unlike Killworth's other Acornsoft adventures, ''Castle of Riddles'' was not updated and reissued by

Topologika Topologika Software Ltd was an independent British publisher of educational software. Established in Stilton, Cambridgeshire in 1983, the company spent most of its life in Penryn, Cornwall before moving to Brighton, Sussex. The company was d ...

so became unavailable after 1985 when

Acorn Computers Acorn Computers Ltd. was a British computer company established in Cambridge, England, in 1978. The company produced a number of computers which were especially popular in the United Kingdom, UK, including the Acorn Electron and the Acorn Archi ...

(parent company of Acornsoft) pulled out of the games publishing market. Some of the puzzles however were included in the Topologika version of ''Philosopher's Quest'

Plot

The player takes the role of a 'professional adventurer' who is 'down to his last silver piece'. His services are hired by a Wizard (fantasy), wizard whose

castle A castle is a type of fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by military orders. Scholars debate the scope of the word ''castle'', but usually consider it to be the private fortified r ...

has been taken over by a

warlock A warlock is a male practitioner of witchcraft. Etymology and terminology The most commonly accepted etymology derives ''warlock'' from the Old English '' wǣrloga'', which meant "breaker of oaths" or "deceiver" and was given special applicatio ...

. The warlock has also found the wizard's ''Magic Ring of Power'' which must be returned. The player must navigate the castle, solve problems and avoid booby traps set by the warlock in order to recover the

magic ring A magic ring is a mythical, folkloric or fictional piece of jewelry, usually a Ring (jewellery), finger ring, that is purported to have Magic (supernatural), supernatural properties or powers. It appears frequently in fantasy and fairy tales. M ...

for the wizard. The adventurer must also search for

treasure Treasure (from la, thesaurus from Greek language ''thēsauros'', "treasure store") is a concentration of wealth — often originating from ancient history — that is considered lost and/or forgotten until rediscovered. Some jurisdictions leg ...

and deposit it in a

safe A safe (also called a strongbox or coffer) is a secure lockable box used for securing valuable objects against theft or fire. A safe is usually a hollow cuboid or cylinder, with one face being removable or hinged to form a door. The body and ...

which he can then keep as payment.

Gameplay

Points are awarded for picking up treasure and again for depositing it in the safe as well as completing certain tasks. The maximum possible score is 250.

References

External Links

* {{Acornsoft 1980s interactive fiction 1983 video games Acornsoft games BBC Micro and Acorn Electron games BBC Micro and Acorn Electron-only games Europe-exclusive video games Video games developed in the United Kingdom Single-player video games