''Knot in 3D'' is a

ZX Spectrum The ZX Spectrum () is an 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 the ''ZX81 Colou ...

action game by Malcolm Evans published in 1983 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 computers. It was conceived in the spring of 1982 shortly after the lead developer, Malcolm Evans creat ...

. It resembles a three-dimensional (i.e. with three degrees of freedom instead of only two) version of the Light cycles game from the film ''

Tron ''Tron'' (stylized as ''TRON'') is a 1982 American science fiction action-adventure film written and directed by Steven Lisberger from a story by Lisberger and Bonnie MacBird. The film stars Jeff Bridges as Kevin Flynn, a computer programme ...

''.

Gameplay

left, Gameplay screenshot The game takes place in a 16 × 16 × 16 three-dimensional grid with the display being a first-person view of what the player can see in front of them. Initially empty, this space is filled up by the player (who constantly moves forward) leaving a trail behind them. There are a number of computer-controlled "chasers" doing the same thing who leave a differently coloured trail behind them. As the player and the chasers move through the grid, it becomes more and more densely filled, and therefore there is a greater likelihood of crashing into a trail and need to change direction to avoid the trails.

Reception

Crash Crash or CRASH may refer to: Common meanings * Collision, an impact between two or more objects * Crash (computing), a condition where a program ceases to respond * Cardiac arrest, a medical condition in which the heart stops beating * Couch s ...

'' magazine commented that it was hard to see how ''Knot'' worked at first, but described it as extraordinary and addictive. ''ZX Computing'' also said that ''Knot'' was initially confusing until the player is used to the perspective. The graphics were highlighted as some of the best fast-action colour graphics on the

. In 1997, ''

Next Generation Next Generation or Next-Generation may refer to: Publications and literature * ''Next Generation'' (magazine), video game magazine that was made by the now defunct Imagine Media publishing company * Next Generation poets (2004), list of young ...

'' reflected on ''Knot in 3D'' as "a landmark title blighted by the inability of most players to think in terms of three dimensions fast enough." In 1991

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 Th ...

magazine ranked the game 60th in their top 100 Spectrum games of all time.

References

External links

*
New Generation Software tribute
created by Malcolm's daughter Rachel (archived) {{New Generation Software series 1983 video games Action games Europe-exclusive video games New Generation Software games Snake video games Video games developed in the United Kingdom ZX Spectrum games ZX Spectrum-only games