211:"Black Crystal is the most ambitious adventure game I've seen for the ZX81, with elements of Lord Of The Rings grafted on to the adventure format. ...The program is large and is divided into six segments preceded by a short load test...it takes some time to master the use of keys controlling movement and weapons, and to discover the right tactics for various monsters. Still, Black Crystal has impressed me by its sheer quantity and generally high quality of presentation. I'm afraid I've become an addict."
214:"...Black Crystal is a great graphic adventure that sees you traversing a variety of different environments to destroy the gem of the title. Spread across six impressive-looking maps, you’re given a variety of tasks ranging from retrieving keys to fighting dragons. ...the gripping gameplay will constantly push you forward for one more go."
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The player takes the role of an adventurer who must traverse the fantasy
Kingdom of Beroth to defeat Tobias. Tobias has summoned a Black Crystal and this can only be destroyed by visiting six maps and retrieving seven rings of power. Once collected, the player must defeat Tobias in a final showdown.
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The game featured an epic story spanning many locations; Kingdom of Beroth, Castle of
Shadows, The Shaggoth's Lair, The Temple of the Fire Demon, The Tower of Beroth, The Sea of Sand, The Underground Swamp, Gold Mine, Bridge Over Abyss, Temple Maze, Room of Pits, Lords of Chaos and finally The Black
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As the game-world was very big, the player could save and load progress, and could revisit locations by entering co-ordinates. The player would rely on a mix of Purity, Physical
Strength and Spiritual Strength to succeed the many tasks needed to reach the Black Crystal.
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Completing a map allows the player to advance, while failure means a restart of the current map. Each map is loaded in sequence from the tape and as such makes this ZX81 title feel unique.
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208:"There are only two graphics adventures which stand out in the market at the moment. The first to be produced was Black Crystal from Carnell Software..."
217:"...There are a few of these games that have gone down is history... 3D defender, Black Crystal, QS Scramble and Galactic Trooper are all worth a play."
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Due in-part to its innovative multi-load approach, the game has been frequently cited as one of the best ZX81 adventure games.
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The player would have to enter commands to complete parts of the map, with different sections having different controls.
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computers by
Carnell Software Ltd. It was the first in the "Third Continent Trilogy" of adventure games; followed by
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To load all of these locations on such early computers, the program employed a
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376:"Graphic action takes adventures into new areas of interest"
357:"Black Crystal; Cassette Inlay Instructions, Controls"
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431:"The Spectrum Show, feature: The Sinclair ZX81"
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550:Video games developed in the United Kingdom
413:"Retro Gamer, feature: Top Ten ZX81 Games"
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477:"ZX Computing Magazine (December 1983)"
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463:"Sinclair User Magazine Issue 013"
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374:Heath, Quentin (September 1983).
339:"Black Crystal: Hints and Tips"
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515:1980s interactive fiction
449:"Crash Magazine Issue 01"
395:"Black Crystal (Carnell)"
321:"Third Continent Trilogy"
183:The game was primarily a
127:released in 1982 for the
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393:C., C. (5 April 1983).
187:with a graphical map.
525:Carnell Software games
520:Action-adventure games
496:at Spectrum Computing
399:Home Computing Weekly
125:action-adventure game
111:Action-adventure game
545:Top-down video games
535:Fantasy video games
419:. 13 February 2024.
555:Video game sequels
530:Commodore 64 games
303:"TI-99/4A version"
264:The Wrath of Magra
152:The Wrath of Magra
56:Stuart A. Galloway
565:ZX Spectrum games
435:The Spectrum Show
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510:1982 video games
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40:Publisher(s)
417:Retro Gamer
343:The Tipshop
166:mechanism.
133:ZX Spectrum
81:ZX Spectrum
72:Platform(s)
66:Roy Carnell
54:Roy Carnell
50:Designer(s)
560:ZX81 games
504:Categories
325:Moby Games
289:Moby Games
271:References
164:multi-load
201:Reception
159:Crystal.
250:See also
179:Gameplay
141:TI-99/4A
106:Genre(s)
89:TI-99/4A
221:Reviews
95:Release
307:Tezxas
123:is an
228:Crash
170:Plot
149:and
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Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
