384:..." if the parser recognises the object in question but not the verb. Entering "TALK" or "SPEAK" will cause the response "Actions speak louder than words". One amusing feature of this is that the parser always uses the full name of an item, such that the command "TOUCH STEWPOT" will cause the response "Do WHAT to a large iron stewpot". There are also a number of tempting rooms or locations that look as though they can be visited at sea, but on attempting to visit them the computer responds with "The natives won't help" or "Erik finds nothing but
262:, through the northern seas. He visits a number of different islands to collect the necessary items and meet the necessary characters to rescue his family and win the game. These characters include an enchantress in a cave hidden in a forest, the wizard Al Kwasarmi on a stone quay, and the enchanter's daughter Freya. The enchanter's study contains a list of the items that Erik needs to complete the game, and Al Kwasarmi makes them into the ribbon that Erik needs to rescue his family. A dragon may also interrupt Erik's quest.
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If the parser cannot recognise a command, the game will respond to the player with one of a number of phrases with which the gamer will be very familiar by the game's end. These include "Eh?", the response to a nonsense phrase; "Try again" for a command that is almost recognisable; and "Do WHAT to
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There are a number of particularly challenging and occasionally frustrating puzzles for the gamer. One of the more clever examples includes finding the enchanter's study. This requires following a particular pattern of moves through seemingly endless corridors of yellow, red, and blue rooms. The
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is difficult to complete, having a linear plot typical of adventure games of this era. Failing to collect an object early in the game often means that a later puzzle cannot be solved. As in other games of the time, it is all too easy to die. For example, at one point in the game the
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is a text-based adventure, in which the player inputs simple commands which Erik follows. As in similar adventure games, the world is divided into a number of screens or "rooms", all of which have simple pictures to enhance the atmosphere. The game's graphics were reminiscent of
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amusing solution to this is that the colours are political: a red room requires Erik to move left, a blue room right, and a yellow room straight ahead. At one point, the instruction "Knock like
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The game has a scoring system out of 1000, and when Erik dies a message appears stating how many points the player has scored and gives the player a Viking title accordingly, the lowest being
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As with its other adventure games, Level 9 Computing issued a "Clue Sheet" that could be ordered. This provided gamers with much-needed help to solve some of the more difficult puzzles.
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222:. A number of characters and items in the game are drawn from the novel, although the plot is completely different. Jones also directed the 1989 film
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380:" requires Erik to use a hammer. The aforementioned needle that Erik uses to mend his sail is found in the unlikeliest of places: a haystack.
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version of the game which was supposed to be based on the book and the film, though the game was ultimately cancelled in late 1992.
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sail will start to rip, and if you have not found the needle in the byre by that stage, you will drown.
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Most of the game is set on the sea, with Erik steering his ship, the
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416:"The Saga of Erik The Viking - Software - Game - Computing History"
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and published by Mosaic
Publishing in 1984. The game runs on the
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772:Video games set in the Viking Age
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333:The Saga of Erik the Viking
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72:The Saga of Erik the Viking
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49:may contain suggestions.
34:may need to be rewritten
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551:The Worm in Paradise
189:adventure video game
178:(popularly known as
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156:Interactive fiction
732:Commodore 64 games
581:The Price of Magik
515:Colossal Adventure
508:Jewels of Darkness
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621:Other games
220:Terry Jones
209:ZX Spectrum
201:BBC model B
197:Amstrad CPC
132:Amstrad CPC
124:ZX Spectrum
119:Platform(s)
113:Pete Austin
109:Designer(s)
701:Categories
657:Scapeghost
643:Knight Orc
425:2021-11-16
402:References
356:The Hobbit
348:The Hobbit
343:The Hobbit
294:improve it
186:text-based
500:Trilogies
298:verifying
136:BBC Micro
55:June 2016
47:talk page
650:Lancelot
574:Red Moon
540:Snowball
266:Gameplay
151:Genre(s)
681:Infocom
455:in the
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