Jeremy Spencer (former editor of Amtix magazine), worked at Newstar and with the purpose of launching disc-based games for each and every Amstrad model on the market. In his involvement with this company, he made it possible for various games to appear on the PCW 8256 that would otherwise never have seen the light of day.

Acheton is one of them. Originally programmed and released by Acornsoft, Acheton is a traditional text adventure with all the trimmings needed to create a good game. The plot is dated, but so is the game. However, it is executed with such polish that any self-respecting adventurer should take a close look at it.

Acheton is a home computer conversion from the mainframe adventure of the same name. Similar to Zork (which was released on the VAX mainframe shortly before Acheton's original appearance), it's a fantasy scavenger hunt set in a claustrophobic dungeon. It has more than 400 rooms and 200 objects, making it much larger than Zork.

As with many games of this type, most of the time is spent exploring the environment and solving item-based puzzles. Everything is described only in plain text and the player interacts with the game by writing sentences that describe the desired action, for example, “take the bottle”. It also has a help function with graded suggestions.

We hereby challenge the greatest adventurers in the known universe to uncover the fearsome secrets of our kingdom.

Acheton is not just any land. While explorers are welcome, you may find that death is the only reward. It will require deeds of heroic courage and feats of intellect that Newton and Einstein would have astonished. An understanding of the arcane science known as Magic will be mandatory …

For the successful adventurer, the rewards will be great: immense riches, supernatural power, and the knowledge that he has succeeded where others have failed …

Acheton is an old adventure game for PCW. The game contains several mazes. It is an imaginative and fun game in which you embark on a quest to find the jewels. The game takes place in a closed cell. It consists of more than 200 elements and 400 territories. In the game, the player defines everything using simple verses to narrate their activities.

As you may have guessed, the basic premise of the game is for the player to wander through a series of underground dungeons and mazes in an attempt to retrieve treasures long lost by people who generally should have known better.

The game loads from CP / M in a matter of moments. The upper part of the screen contains double height characters to show the current location and score. The rest of the screen is used conventionally for displaying text.

The parser and vocabulary are respectable given the age of the product and make interaction easy. If the show really has nothing to do with what you're looking for, it goes out of its way to ask for an explanation. However, one of the most interesting features of this game is its Help function.

The game comes with a list of numbered problems. When you hit one of these problems and can't find the solution, the game offers a way out. When you type help, the computer displays the problem number. When entered, a hint appears. Depending on the complexity of the solution, multiple suggestions for a problem may be offered, but only one is displayed at a time, when you request them. Finally, Mr Analways alerts you when a solution is about to be presented.

This feature handles so well that it makes the game an excellent throttle for those unfamiliar with adventures. The devious logic employed by most adventure authors can be analyzed in detail and make the process of playing such games much easier for the uninitiated.

Ultimately, the game appeals to all skill levels. There are flaws. The game crashed every time I tried to enter a mine shaft, for example, and it is unclear if this bug has been fixed. However, in part, the game ran smoothly. It may be too traditional for veterans, but I think this literate effort, coupled with something from the Infocom range, would provide an excellent package for PCW owners looking for a new challenge.

How to Play

The start of the excitement takes place in the forest, which is located near an abandoned mansion. While exploring the forest, you can explore many things, which increases the excitement and curiosity of the game. After searching some discarded quarries, he falls into a pit. As you go through the pit, you land at the initial main junction in Achet

• Original cover.

Here you have the front of the original cover.

• Retouched cover.

Its measurements are: Width 30.40 x Height 21.10 cm.

The manual is shown below, double-sided thick card stock in red with black printing. Its dimensions are: height 10.50 cm x width 29.60 cm.

Original disk supplied with Acheton.

Custom labels to print them. Over the years due to their use, the labels are spoiled and lose their color and quality. Now we try to adapt the closest thing to the best of our ability, the labels so that they can be printed and replaced or for those who work with a copy of the program and preserve the original disk. Measure in 3 “high: 7.00 cm - width: 7.10 cm. The first image corresponds to the original label of the game, the second is the same label modified to replace the broken one and the third and fourth image is for the 3.5 “discs.

Soon.

Notes

Here you have the documentation that accompanies the game. Its dimensions are width 14.70 cm x height 21.00 cm.

Help guide

Here you have the help guide that accompanies the game. Its dimensions are width 14.70 cm x height 20.90 cm.

Game

The disk images, obtained from the original version of Acheton, have been recorded and verified.

• Acheton (Compressed .DSK file in ZIP format)

Various

You can then download the manual, guide and notes for the Acheton game.

• Acheton Manual (PDF File)
• Acheton Help Guide (PDF File)
• Acheton technical notes (PDF file)
• Acheton's solution (PDF file)

• Play Acheton online