Treasure Island (video game)
| Treasure Island | |
|---|---|
 Title screen (Commodore Plus/4) | |
| Developer(s) | Greg Duddle |
| Publisher(s) | Mr. Micro |
| Platform(s) | ZX Spectrum, Commodore 64, Commodore Plus/4, Commodore 16 |
| Release date(s) | 1984 |
| Genre(s) | Action-adventure |
| Mode(s) | Single-player |
Treasure Island was a computer game made in the mid-1980s, based on the book by Robert Louis Stevenson. In the game, the player takes on the role of Jim Hawkins (the protagonist of the book), and has to battle through hordes of pirates before a final showdown with Long John Silver. The game view did not scroll, but used a flip-screen style, as was popular in the 1980s.
Gameplay
None of the pirates moved around, but some of them would throw a cutlass at Jim if he moved in range. The pirate in question did not lose his cutlass if he does so - he always had another to use himself. A pirate would very rarely throw more than one cutlass.
If Jim was hit by a cutlass thrown at him, or if he touched a pirate, he would lose a life and start again from the beginning of the screen. However, if he moved out of the way in time, the cutlass would land on the ground, and he would be able to throw it at a pirate of his choosing to kill him. A killed pirate disappeared, thus allowing Jim to pass.
At the start of the game, Jim had just escaped the stockade. He was unarmed, and had only one possible exit to the next screen, to the right. Here he would find a throwing pirate, whom he could trick into throwing a cutlass, and thus obtain it for himself. However, it would be foolhardy to kill that same pirate with it, since that pirate was not blocking access to anything.
Instead, the player should find a pirate who was blocking access to an exit (or perhaps a power-up) and kill him with it, thus advancing progress through the game. This strategic rationing of cutlasses (i.e. knowing where to pick them up and where to use them) in order to progress around the island was a major gameplay element.
Credits
The programming was done by Greg Duddle, and the music was rendered by David Whittaker.[1] The version for the Commodore 64 and MSX was released in 1984, and the Commodore Plus/4 version was from 1985.
The Willow Pattern Adventure
Having changed the theme from pirates to Asia, the game was rereleased as The Willow Pattern Adventure.
See also
Another adventure game named Treasure Island was published by Windham Classics in the year 1985.[2]
References
- ↑ C64 Game Guide
- ↑ Treasure Island at GameFAQs; Sol Guber: Treasure Island, Antic Vol. 5 Nr.1, 5/1986, p.81.
External links
Windham Classics version
- Treasure Island at MobyGames
- Treasure Island can be played for free in the browser at the Internet Archive