''Ashkeron!'' is an
interactive fiction
Interactive fiction (IF) is software simulating environments in which players use text Command (computing), commands to control Player character, characters and influence the environment. Works in this form can be understood as literary narrati ...
video game developed by
Dorset
Dorset ( ; Archaism, archaically: Dorsetshire , ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by Somerset to the north-west, Wiltshire to the north and the north-east, Hampshire to the east, t ...
-based Texgate Computers and published by
Mirrorsoft
Mirrorsoft was a British video game publisher founded by Jim Mackonochie as a division of Mirror Group Newspapers. The company was active between 1983 and 1991, and shut down completely in early 1992.
History
In the early 1980s, Jim Macko ...
for the
Amstrad CPC
The Amstrad CPC (short for "Colour Personal Computer") is a series of 8-bit home computers produced by Amstrad between 1984 and 1990. It was designed to compete in the mid-1980s home computer market dominated by the Commodore 64 and the ZX Spec ...
and
ZX Spectrum
The ZX Spectrum () is an 8-bit computing, 8-bit home computer developed and marketed by Sinclair Research. One of the most influential computers ever made and one of the all-time bestselling British computers, over five million units were sold. ...
in 1985.
Gameplay
The player character is Stephen the Blacksmith who is set to recover five treasures from the castle of an evil wizard. The game has a graphic feature called "walk-thru" where screen pictures scroll in the direction the player travels. The game supports joystick control and has a randomising option where the objects appear in different places in each playthrough.
Reception
''
Computer Gamer
Argus Press was a British publishing company. It was acquired by British Electric Traction (BET) in 1966, and became the publishing arm of that company. It was the subject of one of the most hotly contested management buyouts of the 1980s when ...
'' said "''Askeron''
icisn't actually a bad game, just very average
...
''Home Computing Weekly'' called the game "complex, challenging and witty".
''
Sinclair Programs
''Sinclair Programs'' was a magazine published in the United Kingdom, initially by ECC Publications of London and subsequently by EMAP. It was originally dedicated entirely to listings for programs for the Sinclair Research ZX80, ZX81 and ZX Spectr ...
'' called it "
gripping game, excellent value for money".
''
Sinclair User
The ''Sinclair User'' was a magazine dedicated to the Sinclair Research range of home computers, most specifically the ZX Spectrum (while also occasionally covering arcade games). Initially published by ECC Publications, and later EMAP, it was pub ...
'' said "
..it doesn't have the detail which provides a compelling atmosphere".
''
Your Spectrum
''Your Sinclair'', originally ''Your Spectrum'' or ''YS'', is a discontinued British computer magazine for the Sinclair range of computers, mainly the ZX Spectrum. It was commercially published between 1984 and 1993.
History
The magazine was la ...
'' said that "''Ashkeron'' is well up to Mirrorsoft's usual standards".
References
External links
* {{moby game, id=/ashkeron
''Ashkeron!''at Spectrum Computing
1980s interactive fiction
1985 video games
Amstrad CPC games
Europe-exclusive video games
Fantasy video games
Mirrorsoft games
Single-player video games
Video games developed in the United Kingdom
ZX Spectrum games