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Denton Designs:Gift from the Gods

Introduction

The game is based loosely on a Greek myth attributed to Homer, in which Agamemnon, the father of Orestes, is murdered by his wife Clytemnestra. You play Orestes and must avenge your father's murder by returning to the palace of Mycenae, entering its catacombs in order to solve a puzzle.

Hidden in 16 rooms are Euclidian shapes, six of which must be collected and assembled in the Guardians Chamber to reveal the exit from the Catacombs. To help Orestes in his quest his sister Electra will point him in the direction of the shapes, but it is up to the player which ones to take. Orestes mother also appears in the game from time to time to hinder his progress, as it is suggested that she had a hand in her husbands murder.

As well as being an early game using large animated sprites, it also had a unique control system. The clever controls allowed many different movements from only five keys. Orestes has many movements, he can walk, run, fly with his winged boots or attack the many nasties scattered around the catacombs.

This game also had a destinct style and architecture used by Denton Designs in their games, including the zooming out windows not seen before on the Spectrum.