''Dun Darach'' is an

action-adventure game An action-adventure game is a video game hybrid genre that combines core elements from both the action game and adventure game genres. Definition An action adventure game can be defined as a game with a mix of elements from an action ...

developed and published in 1985 by Gargoyle Games for the

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. ...

and

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 ...

computers. It is a

prequel A prequel is a literary, dramatic or cinematic work whose story precedes that of a previous work, by focusing on events that occur before the original narrative. A prequel is a work that forms part of a backstory to the preceding work. The term ...

to the 1984 game '' Tir Na Nog''. The plot has

Celt The Celts ( , see Names of the Celts#Pronunciation, pronunciation for different usages) or Celtic peoples ( ) were a collection of Indo-European languages, Indo-European peoples. "The Celts, an ancient Indo-European people, reached the apoge ...

ic hero Cuchulainn on a search to find his companion Lóeg in the mysterious city of Dun Darach. Inspiration for the game came from the works of

Fritz Leiber Fritz Reuter Leiber Jr. ( ; December 24, 1910 – September 5, 1992) was an American writer of fantasy, horror, and science fiction. Along with Robert E. Howard and Michael Moorcock, Leiber is one of the fathers of sword and sorcery. Life ...

and

Michael Moorcock Michael John Moorcock (born 18 December 1939) is an English writer, particularly of science fiction and fantasy, who has published a number of well-received literary novels as well as comic thrillers, graphic novels and non-fiction. He has wo ...

. The background history is based on Celtic folklore about the

demigod A demigod is a part-human and part-divine offspring of a deity and a human, or a human or non-human creature that is accorded divine status after death, or someone who has attained the "divine spark" (divine illumination). An immortality, immor ...

Cuchulainn and his battles against the people of

Connachta The Connachta are a group of medieval Irish dynasty, dynasties who claimed descent from the legendary High King of Ireland, High King Conn of the Hundred Battles, Conn Cétchathach (Conn of the Hundred Battles). The modern western Provinces of ...

in ancient

Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

. ''Dun Darach'' was critically acclaimed upon its original release, with praise singling out its graphics. Retrospective reviews were less than positive, with one reviewer preferring ''Tir Na Nog''. It was re-released on different game compilations and cover tapes in issues of British video game magazines.

Plot and gameplay

One day Cuchulainn travels home with his charioteer companion Lóeg from a battle against the

. On the way, they stop off at an

inn Inns are generally establishments or buildings where travelers can seek lodging, and usually, food and drink. Inns are typically located in the country or along a highway. Before the advent of motorized transportation, they also provided accomm ...

and Lóeg is persuaded to help a young woman named Skar, whose

chariot A chariot is a type of vehicle similar to a cart, driven by a charioteer, usually using horses to provide rapid Propulsion, motive power. The oldest known chariots have been found in burials of the Sintashta culture in modern-day Chelyabinsk O ...

is damaged. Cuchulainn realizes that Lóeg is missing after taking refreshment at the inn. He later discovers that Skar is a sorceress and ally of the Connachta, and has taken Lóeg to the Secret City of Dun Darach in retribution for the death of Prince Amhair, who perished in the battle. Cuchulainn goes on a long search for the mysterious city, eventually discovering it and entering to find Lóeg. ''Dun Darach'' is an

. The player guides Cuchulainn through Dun Darach and interacts with the environment by performing

keyboard Keyboard may refer to: Text input * Keyboard, part of a typewriter * Computer keyboard ** Keyboard layout, the software control of computer keyboards and their mapping ** Keyboard technology, computer keyboard hardware and firmware Music * Mus ...

commands. The main objective is to find Lóeg, taking side quests from

non-player character A non-player character (NPC) is a character in a game that is not controlled by a player. The term originated in traditional tabletop role-playing games where it applies to characters controlled by the gamemaster (or referee) rather than by a ...

s (NPCs). These NPCs can give short hints to Cuchulainn, rob him, and confiscate his belongings if he carries stolen goods. Commands the player inputs can have him buy, steal and sell from shops in the city, bet at a casino (Iomain Ludum), and deposit money at a bank with daily

compound interest Compound interest is interest accumulated from a principal sum and previously accumulated interest. It is the result of reinvesting or retaining interest that would otherwise be paid out, or of the accumulation of debts from a borrower. Compo ...

. Dun Darach is large and consists of different quarters. The current time of the day is indicated by torches in the wall and by the greetings of characters.

Development and release

''Dun Darach'' was developed by Greg Follis and Roy Carter, the co-founders of game developer Gargoyle Games, as a prequel to their previous title, ''Tir Na Nog''. It had the working title ''Cú Chulainn – The Early Years''. Development first began on 10 February 1985. Follis claimed that the biggest complaint for ''Tir Na Nog'' was its huge setting, resulting in it being scaled back to one city. Inspiration for ''Dun Darach'' came from the works of

and

, with Gargoyle wanting the atmosphere to be similar to Leiber's book '' The Swords of Lankhmar''. It was showcased at the LET trade show at the

Olympia London Olympia Events, formerly known as Olympia London and sometimes referred to as the Olympia Exhibition Centre, is an exhibition centre, event space and conference centre in West Kensington, in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, L ...

, showing screenshots of the game. One area had to be censored before release. There is an empty area in the centre of the city, the pleasure quarter "Iomain" which was originally intended to be a

brothel A brothel, strumpet house, bordello, bawdy house, ranch, house of ill repute, house of ill fame, or whorehouse is a place where people engage in Human sexual activity, sexual activity with prostitutes. For legal or cultural reasons, establis ...

called "Lady Q's" and would have opened into a whole

red-light district A red-light district or pleasure district is a part of an urban area where a concentration of prostitution and sex industry, sex-oriented businesses, such as sex shops, strip clubs, and adult theaters, are found. In most cases, red-light district ...

. This was replaced with a sign saying "Forbidden". ''Dun Darach'' was launched for the

in 1985. It was ported to the

later that year. Carter remarked that it took ten days to do the conversion for the system. It was re-released by different software companies;

Hewson Consultants Hewson Consultants were one of the smaller software companies which produced video games for home computers in the mid-1980s. They had a reputation for high-quality games which continually pushed the boundaries of what the computers were capable ...

' Rebound imprint in 1986, Gremlin Graphics in 1986 as part of their ''4 Crash Smashes'' compilation, and on cover tapes in issues of ''

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 ...

'' and ''

Your Sinclair ''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 ...

''.

Reception and legacy

The original release of ''Dun Darach'' received critical acclaim, particularly for its graphics. The ZX Spectrum version was voted number 57 in the ''

Official Top 100 Games of All Time''. Richard Price for ''Sinclair User'', while describing the game as "less abstract" as ''Tir Na Nog'', said it was more interesting and eventful than its predecessor. ''

Computer And Video Games ''Computer and Video Games'' (also known as ''CVG'', ''Computer & Video Games'', ''C&VG'', ''Computer + Video Games'', or ''C+VG'') is a British-based video game magazine, published in its original form between 1981 and 2004. Its offshoot web ...

'' considered it a worthy successor to the first, calling it "entertaining". A reviewer for ''Crash'' declared it an essential purchase for ZX Spectrum owners and saw it as a contender for game of the year. Retrospective appraisals were less agreeable. ''

Eurogamer ''Eurogamer'' is a British video game journalism website launched in 1999 alongside parent company Gamer Network. In 2008, it started in the formerly eponymous trade fair EGX (Eurogamer Expo until 2013) organised by its parent company. Fr ...

'' contributor Peter Parrish offered an average score overall, dubbing it "mystifying". Ian Marks from ''

Retro Gamer ''Retro Gamer'' is a British magazine, published worldwide, covering Retrogaming, retro video games. It was the first commercial magazine to be devoted entirely to the subject. Launched in January 2004 as a quarterly publication, ''Retro Gamer'' ...

'' compared it to ''Tir Na Nog'', saying both were fun to play but ''Dun Darach'' was not as good. Marks also noted the novelty of the graphics wore off.

Notes

References

External links

*
LunySoft technical details
* * {{WoS game, id=0001538 1985 video games Action-adventure games Amstrad CPC games Europe-exclusive video games Gargoyle Games games Single-player video games Video game prequels Video games based on Celtic mythology Video games developed in the United Kingdom ZX Spectrum games