''Hercules'' is a platform video game written by Steve Bak 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 ...

and published by Interdisc in 1984. It was reissued in 1986 by Alpha Omega and ported to the

Acorn Electron The Acorn Electron (nicknamed the Elk inside Acorn and beyond) was introduced as a lower-cost alternative to the BBC Micro educational/home computer, also developed by Acorn Computers, to provide many of the features of that more expensive mach ...

BBC Micro The BBC Microcomputer System, or BBC Micro, is a family of microcomputers developed and manufactured by Acorn Computers in the early 1980s as part of the BBC's Computer Literacy Project. Launched in December 1981, it was showcased across severa ...

Commodore 16 The Commodore 16 is a home computer made by Commodore International with a 6502-compatible 7501 or 8501 CPU, released in 1984 and intended to be an entry-level computer to replace the VIC-20. A cost-reduced version, the Commodore 116, was ...

, Plus/4, 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. ...

. Alpha Omega changed its name to The Power House shortly after publishing the game.

Gameplay

Hercules Hercules (, ) is the Roman equivalent of the Greek divine hero Heracles, son of Jupiter and the mortal Alcmena. In classical mythology, Hercules is famous for his strength and for his numerous far-ranging adventures. The Romans adapted the Gr ...

, the player must complete the '' Twelve Deathly Labours of Hercules''. The player traverses from each screen's starting point to its goal by jumping between platforms, moving along them, and climbing ropes. The platforms are not as they seem when the level begins. Some turn to fire when walked on (killing the player) and others cannot be seen until walked on. The game can begin with any one of eleven of the twelve labours (the twelfth is always kept until the end) and then every time the player dies or completes a labour, a different random labour begins. There are fifty screens in total.

Release

The original Commodore 64 version was first released in 1984 by Interdisc. Although it received good reviews, the publisher was short-lived and the game was not widely promoted. It was later picked up by Alpha Omega (part of the

CRL Group CRL Group plc was a Great Britain, British video game development and publishing company. Originally CRL stood for "Computer Rentals Limited". It was based in King's Yard, London and run by Clem Chambers. at World of Spectrum They released a numb ...

) and reissued in 1986 (at the £4.99 price point) when it was reviewed more widely. In late 1986, Alpha Omega became The Power House selling at the lower budget price point of £1.99. The game was ported and released by The Power House for the

in 1986 and the

and

/ Plus/4 in 1987. The Power House release includes an audio track by H.E.X. on the cassette after the game data.

Reception

Personal Computer Games ''Personal Computer Games'' was a multi-format UK computer games magazine of the early/mid-1980s published by VNU. History ''Personal Computer Games'' was launched in July 1983. The magazine was part of VNU and had its headquarters in London ...

'' reviewed the Commodore 64 version on original release. They particularly praised the fact the game restarts with a random task and the hidden and disappearing platforms which made playing the game "...very dicy - and very exciting". They concluded "Hercules is a game that requires perseverance and patience to get started, but it's well worth the effort" giving an overall score of 8/10."Hercules"
Personal Computer Games, Issue 10, September 1984 ''

Zzap!64 ''Zzap!64'' is a computer games magazine covering games for computers manufactured by Commodore International, especially the Commodore 64 (C64). It was published in the UK by Newsfield Publications Ltd and later by Europress Impact. The magazi ...

'' also gave a positive review of the C64 version on reissue in 1986. Despite criticising the graphics and sound, the game was praised praise for being tricky, fast paced and addictive. The review concluded: "Don't judge a book by its cover–beneath the awful exterior lies a superb platform game" and awarded a score of 92%."Hercules"
Zzap!64, Issue 17, September 1986 Reviews of the Spectrum port were at best mixed, with the poor graphics and sound called-out. ''

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 ...

'' awarded the game 3/10 with the author claiming he gave up in frustration."Hercules"
Your Sinclair, Issue 13, January 1987 ''

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 ...

'' found the game similarly "unfair" with "unspeakably bad" graphics but said it had some "neat twists" awarding an overall score of 2/5."Hercules"
Sinclair User, Issue 58, January 1987 ''ZX Computing'' was more positive, giving a rating of "good". Although acknowledging the "dreadful" presentation and "unplayable" key sequence, the reviewer claimed the game "proves the point that you don't have to have great graphics for it to be addictive"."Hercules"
ZX Computing, January 1987

References

External links

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''Hercules''
at ''Plus/4 World'' {{Hercules media 1984 video games BBC Micro and Acorn Electron games Commodore 16 and Plus/4 games Commodore 64 games Platformers Video games developed in the United Kingdom ZX Spectrum games Video games set in antiquity Video games based on Greek mythology Video games about Heracles