''Dracula'' is a

text adventure 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 ...

game by CRL released in 1986 for the

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 ...

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. ...

home computers. The game is based on the novel ''

Dracula ''Dracula'' is an 1897 Gothic fiction, Gothic horror fiction, horror novel by Irish author Bram Stoker. The narrative is Epistolary novel, related through letters, diary entries, and newspaper articles. It has no single protagonist and opens ...

'' by

Bram Stoker Abraham Stoker (8 November 1847 – 20 April 1912), better known by his pen name Bram Stoker, was an Irish novelist who wrote the 1897 Gothic horror novel ''Dracula''. The book is widely considered a milestone in Vampire fiction, and one of t ...

. It was the first video game to be rated by the

BBFC The British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) is a non-governmental organisation founded by the British film industry in 1912 and responsible for the national classification and censorship of films exhibited at cinemas and video works (su ...

. The game received a 15 certificate.

Plot

An English lawyer travels to Carpathia to meet

Count Dracula Count Dracula () is the title character of Bram Stoker's 1897 gothic horror novel ''Dracula''. He is considered the prototypical and archetypal vampire in subsequent works of fiction. Aspects of the character are believed by some to have been i ...

regarding a routine property transaction, but soon learns that his client has sinister ulterior intentions.

Gameplay

The game is a standard text adventure with static graphics in some locations. It is divided into three parts: *"First Night" - The young solicitor arrives in Count Dracula's country, staying at the Golden Krone Hotel; strange events are observed *"The Arrival" - After an eventful journey, he arrives at Dracula's castle, and soon learns the real nature of his host's intentions; he realizes that he must escape if he is to survive... *"The Hunt" - A psychiatrist at an insane asylum in England receives a strange letter from a friend on business overseas, warning of "boxes of earth" and the "undead"; meanwhile a patient at the asylum grows increasingly disturbed...

Reception

The game received a "15" certificate from the

British Board of Film Censors The British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) is a non-governmental organisation founded by the British film industry in 1912 and responsible for the national classification and censorship of films A film, also known as a movie ...

because it contains the gory images. However, CRL expressed disappointment with this as they had hoped for an "18" certificate.

Legacy

CRL followed ''Dracula'' with three further adventures of a similar style, ''Frankenstein'', ''Jack the Ripper'' and '' Wolfman'', all of which also received BBFC ratings.

References

External links

* * * {{CRL Group 1980s horror video games 1980s interactive fiction 1986 video games Adventure games Amstrad CPC games Commodore 64 games CRL Group games Interactive fiction based on works Single-player video games Video games about vampires Video games based on Dracula Video games developed in the United Kingdom Video games set in castles ZX Spectrum games