Spellbound

Okay, let’s get the nerdy aspects of this game out of the way for all you who informational completes out there. This game was released initially in 1985 by Mastertronic, although a further edition was released in 1986 as a part of the “Mastertronic Added Dimension” (M.A.D) series and it is this version you will doubtless be downloading owing to it being the one released on Commodore 64 format. Said version was still programmed by David Jones and benefited from music composed by Rob Hubbard, while the edition with sharpened graphics and sound was also released on the Spectrum 128 edition.

So, now that we have that out of the way, what’s this game all about? The character you control is Magic Knight, friend and student of the character in trouble, Gimbal the Wizard. Gimbal has managed to trap himself in a spell as a result of his trying to create a better tasting rice pudding. It is owing to this that Magic Knight is left to solve the problem of rescuing Gimbal in addition to helping all of the characters in his castle to get back to their respective times. Magic Knight must do this using a combination of: his own initiative (i.e – using items he happens upon to create beneficial situations for himself); his magical powers (via the casting of spells by taking advantage of some of the objects in his possession); and the help of those trapped within the walls of Gimbal’s castle (whom you will meet should you take up the option of downloading this gem).
As regards the gameplay, Magic Knight is moved via either a keyboard or joystick, however, there is more to Spellbound than simple platform game jumping, moving and shooting. It is essential during the playing of this game that the player familiarises themselves with other commands, which are possible to access via the “Windimation” function, i.e – upon discovering something or someone with which to interact, Magic Knight can call up a list of commands similar to later puzzle games such as the first two “Monkey Island” games or “Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis”, e.g – ‘give’, ‘pick up’, ‘throw’, etc. This permits Magic Knight to interact with his environment and to seek assistance from the characters he finds himself surrounded by.
Concerning the graphics and sound, Spellbound is remarkably well catered for a game of its time. The graphics aren’t fantastic, but they work if only for the fact that you can tell the characters from objects and can study any objects encountered via use of the command system in place to gain further information as regards their status, e.g – what they are, how much they weigh, their magical value, etc. Sound quality is fantastic for a mid – 1980s game and I know of several people who have opted to play the soundtrack via modern forms of acquisition owing to its distinctive nature.
All in all, my conclusion would be that this game represents a classic of its time, if only owing to its addictive value. What must be borne in mind before downloading though is the VERY abstract nature of some of the puzzles, even in comparison to some of the later PC-based point and click adventures. Nevertheless, it is more than worth a download, if only to educate oneself as regards pre – PC puzzle adventures.