Macbeth

Macbeth is a video game in the adventure genre developed by Oxford Digital Enterprises Ltd. and published by Creative Sparks originally released in 1984. It is currently playable on Commodore 64.

As detailed and careful as any historical military simulation, Macbeth recreates the challenges faced by Lord and Lady Macbeth in their ruthless quest for the crown of Scotland. Their progress through Shakespeare's play is divided into three textual and graphic adventures, with a middle adventure-similar to one of the Bard's comic scenes-of a witch's assistant on the hunt for ingredients (eye of newt?!) on the cursed heath. Those who want a deeper analysis can sit down with Shakespeare himself, who digs into the words and motivations of the Macbeths in four interviews uncomfortably akin to graduate oral exams.

The command-line parser, largely the same in each adventure, expects prepositions and even the occasional adverb. The best way to find the correct noun is with the play in hand, but the parser repeats commands it doesn't understand, highlighting problematic words. In fact, a copy of the 1623 play is included in the box and is required in all adventures and interviews.

The first adventure alternates graphic scenes with text descriptions, guiding the player through the steps and battles of Macbeth in the first four scenes of the play. There are enough variations to make it a real adventure, with riddles and an ancient script to decipher that could allow you to alter the fate of the future king.

The second adventure covers the next seven scenes from the perspective of Lady Macbeth, all in text and increasing the challenge considerably. With a stopwatch that counts down an hour in real time, you must manage a banquet and rooms for the king and his entourage, prepare a sleeping drink, and finally goad your trembling husband to murder. Don't worry; this last part was also difficult for him. The castle you must make your way through closely resembles the real Cawdor Castle, of course.

The third adventure offers its clues only in the form of riddles and graphic scenes as you search for the ingredients of the witches' enchantment that locks Macbeth in his fate. However, victory there does not quite seal his doom. You can challenge him in the fourth adventure, in which Macbeth runs through Dunsinane Castle, preparing for the siege. For the most part, the interface returns your attention to the timer, which not only counts down the fifty minutes until MacDuff's fatal arrival, but burns and flickers with chasing fire and murderous troops. Success lies in solving puzzles and finding secret rooms and, yes, more Shakespearean experience.

It is possible that we have multiple downloads available when different versions exist.