Pharaoh's Curse

[6502dude]

Somebody made a nice little video of Pharaoh's Curse gameplay and posted it on YouTube.

I have never spent much time with the game. These screens look amazing.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9dH8LnPzp0E&NR=1

[gklinger]

It's a fantastic game. It fits right in with two other of my favourites, Lode Runner and Tutankham. The golden age of gaming.

[eslapion]

Wow! There's a huge number of screens in this game.

Wish somebody would make the same kind of clip for Shamus.

[Iltanen]

I love the sounds!

[Boray]

I love the sounds!

Haha! I was just about to say "Annoying sounds"...

[nbla000]

And who know this game ?

Sonar (c) 1984 by Program

Is it an hacked version of SUB CHASE (C) 1982 by UMI or is it licensed ?

It's a tape or a cartridge ?

I've not found Sonar on Zimmer or Arma's 6502dude mirror.

[6502dude]

And who know this game ?

Sonar (c) 1984 by Program

Is it an hacked version of SUB CHASE (C) 1982 by UMI or is it licensed ?

It's a tape or a cartridge ?

I've not found Sonar on Zimmer or Arma's 6502dude mirror.

The graphics are close to Vic-20, but I'm guessing this is from a different platform. The explosions look a little too colourfull.

[Kweepa]

Wish somebody would make the same kind of clip for Shamus.

There's always this:
http://video.aol.com/video-detail/vic-2 ... 1331229577

[Boray]

And who know this game ?

Sonar (c) 1984 by Program

Is it an hacked version of SUB CHASE (C) 1982 by UMI or is it licensed ?

It's a tape or a cartridge ?

I've not found Sonar on Zimmer or Arma's 6502dude mirror.

"This neat game required the 8k memory expansion. I don't know the real name of this game. I transferred an old tape I bought back in 84 to a TAP file. The tape came with a magazine an had 5 games on it. Back in the 80s there were no copyright laws for software in Italy so magazines just changed the name of games and published them as they where original stuff."

[Boray]

Wish somebody would make the same kind of clip for Shamus.

There's always this:
http://video.aol.com/video-detail/vic-2 ... 1331229577

That vic-20 needs someone to turn his finetuning screws by the vic chip...

[akator]

Another necrobump because I've just discovered Pharaoh's Curse. What a great game!

There were several fun games like this back then (although not necessarily for the VIC). I spent many summer days playing similar adventure multiscreen platform games. We used to copy the games onto our own disks and go to the university computer lab so we call all play at once on separate computers, finding secrets and helping each other through the games.

[Ola H]

Yes, I was astonished when I found Pharaoh's Curse for the Vic back in 1985. It played just as well as the C64 version (i.e. superbly!) and looked almost as good (i.e. incredible for a Vic 20 game). Only the title screen music was a let down but that was such a minor point that I thought it mostly endearing.

[AndyH]

This game is really amazing. Wish I'd had this one back in the day.

[hasseapa]

Perhaps The Best from the original VIC-game catalogue of the (early) 80s. It was released a little too late to achieve widespread recognition and earn the same reputation as Tom Griner's superb output.

In the January 1985 issue of Personal Computer Games it is awarded VIC game of the year :

VIC GAME OF THE YEAR:

Pharaoh's Curse

This game so impressed us here at PCG that it almost beat Quo Vadis in the battle for the Game of the Month slot,

Fifteen gripping screens of treasure-gathering, mummy-blasting, rope-climbing, trap-dodging, spine-chilling action make Hesware's program an outright winner for the expanded Vic.

In the same issue there is a reader letter:

I am writing to you as a point of sympathy for us Vic 20 owners. When I go into a computer shop and ask for a newly released Vic game (not
many about) I am looked at as though I'm a loony from another planet. The problem is that there are very few newly released Vic 20 games and if there is one, its highly unlikely you'll find it in a computer shop.

The real problem is the manufacturers - they've forgotten us! They use the excuse that we Vic owners are a dying breed, but Vics are still
being made AND bought! Even if they do stop selling them there's still millions, of us out here in the darkness that need light - and that means NEW games.

Games like Pharaoh's Curse and Shamus prove that the Vic has the capabilities. So hear our plea! Software companies every where, PLEASE get programming!

PauI Burton, Durham

Originaly an Atari 800 game and also ported to C64, the game itself did achieve widespread recognition and enjoys high status today. There has been a unofficial C64-sequel, Pharaoh's Return, in the making for many years: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j2hS3zk0GME

The developer is still very active developing mini-metroid-like games for both NES & C64 and I think/hope he will return to Pharaoh's Return one day.