The Dragon's Eye (Commodore 64, 1981), I (†)

Dragon's Eye is a fantasy RPG in which you are cast as a valiant warrior tasked with saving the lands by completing an epic quest. The lands in question are the "Seven Provinces" and the quest itself involves finding and retrieving the "Dragon's Eye" amulet before its evil power corrupts the entire countryside. 

The game is played from a strategic map view from which you select which area to adventure into, rest and make your necessary equipment purchases. After that it's off to explore the realm and battle all enemies you might encounter from a side view perspective. Battles are turn-based and you can issue several different orders to be carried out in queue when your turn ends. You can explore the land as you see fit, but beware the time limit imposed by the Dragon's Eye.

Source: Moby Games 

This is my new crux desperationis and its name is The Dragon's Eye, CRPG originally produced by Southern Software and distributed by Automated Simulations (later renamed Epyx) for Atari 400/800, Apple II and Commodore PET during the 1981. Looking more in details at all the versions released, I have noticed that there is no actual trace around of a dumped copy of the PET version, but - surprisingly -  version for Commodore 64 is quite easy to find.

So what's the problem?
The discrepancy I found is that there is no mention of the version C64 on all the official publications even if it is existent and easy to download. And that sounded really odd to me.

Although I couldn't find anything helpful on all the major magazines, after a quick scan the the first clear reference seems to come from the official Epyx catalogues:

According to what Epyx claimed, there was no Commodore 64 version planned but only for PET. Unfortunately I couldn't find a dumped copy and I'm not surprised me since usually PET software is quite hard to retrieve.

Assuming that the scarcity of PET copies is a given by only by low circulation or other factors, still can't have a clue from where the C64 comes from.

However I had the chance to test Apple II version, just to make a comparison with the Commodore 64 and they look quite similar except for the fact that the c64 version contains probably a clue on its main titles.

Dragon's Eye, Apple II Main Titles

Dragon's Eye, Commodore 64, Main Titles

Surprisingly all the copyright and release indications have been taken out from the C64 version and this drives me to assume that it might be just a conversion made unofficially from PET. Since the game itself has been programmed in Basic, making the a conversion from PET to C64 would be a quite easy task and it could have been done by anyone who probably decided to remove any reference of the original publisher. Quite weird I know, by it's a possibility.

I tried the check either if I could find any artwork, manual or even a cover for the C64 version but every attempt done has failed miserably, reinforcing the idea that it has been never officially released by Epyx.

Trying to recap, my conclusion has been dictated by these factors:

• C64 version not presented in all the Epyx official catalogues;
• C64 version apparently never reviewed by any magazine;
• On the available conversion, there's no mention of any copyright note;
• There's no trace at all of any boxed or budget version of the game.

Next Steps:

• Try to find who converted the version from from PET to C64;
• Retrieve a PET version of the game and compare the two Basic listings;
• Try to date the C64 conversion, since I believe the one reported on Gamebase64 could be incorrect. 

This is obviously only the first step of the research, because I need at least of one actual proof to support this theory. Having a PET version of the game will be relevant to check if two versions are consistent or something has been modified intentionally.

Last but not least.  if anyone has more information about it, just leave a comment or email me. I will be happy to complete this case and remove the infamous crux desperationis from the title of the next post.

The Temple of Apshai Trilogy, Advertisement (1985)

The Temple of Apshai Trilogy, Advertisment, ZZAP! Issue 09, December 1985 

Here's another impressive advertisement from Epyx for the Dunjonquest series. Epyx throughout all its history has shown an incredible attention to details and taste for all the advertisement, artwork and the aesthetics related to all their CRPG productions. This is another bright example which has been used to promote the release of the Temple of Apshai Trilogy for Commodore 64 on ZZAP! back in the 1985. Also I found quite interesting the full review of the game published on the same issue which awarded the game with a rating of 90%. 

Sorcerer of Siva (1981), I

Main TRS 80 Cover,   Source : Hardcore Gaming 101

The most obscure game of the Dunjonquest series is, in my opinion, Sorcerer of Siva. Developed as a standalone piece from all the main series, SOS was released only for TSR-80 and Apple II and conceptually slightly different from all the remaining part of the Epyx CRPGs. 

The game itself is quite rare to find on the collection market and even more surprisingly it's almost impossible to find an actual dump of the disk. I have managed to find all the scans of the manual (nice laid out and illustrated), instructions, various reference card but no trace of a working .dsk playable on an emulator. 

Apart from my frustration for never having tested this game, I quite enjoyed all related material and the excellent cover artwork which reminds the earliest Role Playing Games published in the seventies. 

Story wise, here's an extract from the back of the original box. 

Amulets, rings, necklaces, scepters, -oh, yes, and a pair of old boots - await you in the magical mines of Siva. Magic and riches abound. But wealth is not all you seek. 

The only entrance seals behind you as you enter the dark stillness of the mine. Armed with only a dagger and your magical abilities, you have but a few short hours to seek out the secret exit (hidden somewhere on the fifth level) before you are sealed in for all time. But beware the wandering soulless creatures that dwell in the more than 300 chambers of the magical mine, guarding every treasure and lurking beneath every trap door. 

A wizard you are, yes, who can hurl a fireball or lightning bolt to slay the blood-thirsty banshee; put an end to the deadly demon, or goad the goblin waiting to waylay you.

Your spells can create openings in solid walls and sealed entrances, heal your wounds, restore your strength, or give you the gift of weightlessness which lets you move effortlessly from room to room. Your own bravery will decide how many spells you shall bring into the mines. But beware the evil Sorcerer, who is waiting to cast his favorite spell - forgetfulness - to deprive you of your most valuable magic. 

But all is not lost... You may regain a spell or two or, perhaps, if you can discover the wondrous touchstones no archaeologist has yet found - stones with powers to increase your magical abilities. Though, expect not that these, or others, always lie still, for the Sorcerer and his minions are afoot. 

Be warned, too, that not all treasures you might find are true. Mysterious items might drain your life's blood and leave you in blackness. Will a ring bring you only wealth? Can a pair of old boots do more than protect your soleful feet? In experience lies wisdom.

Good luck! And happy mining...

Sorcerer of Siva is likely a wizard versus wizard bidimensional dungeon crawling game, where the main character has to struggle through a complex of caves: 

The Mines of Siva consist of five floors or levels containing a total of more than three hundred chambers and passages. You begin each game on the bottommost floor (Level 1) and finally exit the mines, if you are lucky, from the top floor (Level 5). Each level except the top one has several stairways leading to the next higher level. You can go up a staircase simply by using the I (or A) command.
Once you have ascended the stairs, the computer will load in the new level automatically. (If you have a cassette version of the game, you should leave your recorder in PLAY mode for this purpose.) You cannot go back down stairs. However, you may be forced to start over from the first level—from below the first level, in fact. If you step on a trapdoor, it may open beneath your feet, prompting the computer to announce, TRAPDOOR!! You will then find yourself plunging through darkness into an uncharted area of the mines called the Underworld.

Source: Sorcerer of Siva, Instructions Manual, p 20

The aim of the quest is to face The Sorcerer who is able to control many of the wandering creatures in the Caves of Siva.

Apple II Screenshot,  Source : Hardcore Gaming 101

The Sorcerer

Your nemesis in the Mines of Siva is the sorcerer. He will not attempt to kill you directly nor even inflict physical harm. Rather, from a safe and hidden vantage he directs his monstrous minions to come at you with fang and claw. Still worse, his personal attacks are directed at the very source and substance of your magic power. Each time he appears and casts a spell of forgetting, you lose your most powerful remaining spell! 

The only way to kill the sorcerer is with a well-aimed bolt of lightning. Unfortunately for you, the sorcerer (being more than a bit of a coward) will not dare confront you unless you are already battling for your life against one of the monsters of the mine! Then you must choose between defending your powers or your life! If you are unable to cast a bolt of lightning, you have no choice but to flee whenever the sorcerer appears.  

If you manage to slay the sorcerer, you will not only prevent any further loss of your magical abilities, but you will also, indirectly, eliminate those monstrous beings (such as an efreet, a djinn, or an elemental) that are summoned or created by the magic of the sorcerer.

Source: Sorcerer of Siva, Instructions Manual, p 22 

Sorcerer of Siva will be one of my main quests and in the next months along with more aesthetics and exegetical details about the manual and the game itself, I will try to source an original boxed version of the game and a playable dumped disk.

Hellfire Warrior (1980): How Epyx brought the Hell on Earth.

This is the first in a long series of posts dedicated to the Epyx earliest artwork and manuals.  I always found very fascinating the artistic choices made for all their Automated Simulations Series published from the 1979. 

The duo tone colour spectrum was very common for most of all the Epyx artworks and even now they still look very archaic and evocative. Considering that almost all CPRGs from the late seventies and early eighties were monochromatic, bidimensional and quite basic, the artwork side and all the literature around were fundamental to create a credible suggestion.

We all literally started to play from the cover and Hellfire is a very "bright" example of what Epyx was capable to hallucinate. 

Hellfire Warrior, Cover Manual, 1980

Source: Museum of Computer Games History