''Asterix and the Magic Cauldron'' is a

computer game A video game or computer game is an electronic game that involves interaction with a user interface or input device (such as a joystick, controller, keyboard, or motion sensing device) to generate visual feedback from a display device, mo ...

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 ...

Commodore 64 The Commodore 64, also known as the C64, is an 8-bit computing, 8-bit home computer introduced in January 1982 by Commodore International (first shown at the Consumer Electronics Show, January 7–10, 1982, in Las Vegas). It has been listed in ...

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. ...

home computer Home computers were a class of microcomputers that entered the market in 1977 and became common during the 1980s. They were marketed to consumers as affordable and accessible computers that, for the first time, were intended for the use of a s ...

s based on the popular French ''

Asterix ''Asterix'' ( or , "Asterix the Gauls, Gaul"; also known as ''Asterix and Obelix'' in some adaptations or ''The Adventures of Asterix'') is a Franco-Belgian comics, French comic album book series, series about a Gaulish village which, thanks ...

comic book A comic book, comic-magazine, or simply comic is a publication that consists of comics art in the form of sequential juxtaposed panel (comics), panels that represent individual scenes. Panels are often accompanied by descriptive prose and wri ...

s. The game was released in 1986. In North America, the Commodore 64 version was released as ''Ardok the Barbarian'', without the Asterix license.

Gameplay

''Asterix and the Magic Cauldron'' is a graphical adventure game, where the player takes the role of Asterix, who has to find all the pieces of the missing

cauldron A cauldron (or caldron) is a large cookware and bakeware, pot (kettle) for cooking or boiling over an open fire, with a lid and frequently with an arc-shaped hanger and/or integral handles or feet. There is a rich history of cauldron lore in r ...

, so that Getafix the

druid A druid was a member of the high-ranking priestly class in ancient Celtic cultures. The druids were religious leaders as well as legal authorities, adjudicators, lorekeepers, medical professionals and political advisors. Druids left no wr ...

can brew magic potion and the

Gaul Gaul () was a region of Western Europe first clearly described by the Roman people, Romans, encompassing present-day France, Belgium, Luxembourg, and parts of Switzerland, the Netherlands, Germany, and Northern Italy. It covered an area of . Ac ...

ish village can stand against the

Romans Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of Roman civilization *Epistle to the Romans, shortened to Romans, a letter w ...

. The game takes place in several interconnected "rooms", each of which take up one screen. The game starts at the Gaulish village, and Asterix can also travel out to the

forest A forest is an ecosystem characterized by a dense ecological community, community of trees. Hundreds of definitions of forest are used throughout the world, incorporating factors such as tree density, tree height, land use, legal standing, ...

, and to Roman camps. When Asterix meets a wild

boar The wild boar (''Sus scrofa''), also known as the wild swine, common wild pig, Eurasian wild pig, or simply wild pig, is a Suidae, suid native to much of Eurasia and North Africa, and has been introduced to the Americas and Oceania. The speci ...

or a Roman

legionary The Roman legionary (in Latin ''legionarius''; : ''legionarii'') was a citizen soldier of the Roman army. These soldiers would conquer and defend the territories of ancient Rome during the Republic and Principate eras, alongside auxiliary and c ...

, a separate fight scene ensues. Defeated wild boar can be eaten to provide extra sustenance.

Reviews

* '' Jeux & Stratégie'' #43 (as "Asterix et le Chaudron Magique") * https://archive.org/details/Computer_Gamer_Issue_20_1986-14_Argus_Press_GB/page/n21/mode/2up * https://www.kultboy.com/index.php?site=t&id=1501 * https://archive.org/details/crash-magazine-34/page/n141/mode/2up * https://archive.org/details/zzap64-magazine-019/page/n141/mode/2up * https://archive.org/details/commodore-user-magazine-38/page/n35/mode/2up * https://www.kultpower.de/archiv/heft_happycomputer_spielesonderteil_1986-12_seite94

References

External links

* * 1986 video games Amstrad CPC games Beam Software games Commodore 64 games Single-player video games Video games based on Asterix Video games developed in Australia ZX Spectrum games {{adventure-videogame-stub