Ultimate Play the Game

Drifting through the cosmos, a lone starship nears the end of its long journey towards a distant galaxy. On board, the records of a dying civilization are kept for posterity; their crew kept cryogenically frozen and in stasis to survive the trip measured in light-years. Their stewardship is owed to a small robotic emissary, Alien 8, who has been programmed to keep the life support systems active. As the starship approaches its new home world however, it is immediately set upon by hostile alien forces and all systems of the ship are compromised. With an entire civilization resting on his mechanical shoulders, Alien 8 will need to restore all of the life support systems before it’s too late! Utilizing the Filmation technique that had been pioneered with Knight Lore, this latest isometric release from Ultimate is just as visually stunning!

The sound of the heavy oak doors of Castle A.C.G. slamming shut reverberates through all five floors of the elaborate manor, and somewhere off in the darkness, it seems to have awoken the unspeakable horrors that had laid previously dormant for centuries. Locked inside the haunted stronghold, your only means of escape rests in reuniting the three pieces of the Golden Key of A.C.G. which have been hidden about the labyrinthine Castle. Take command of three intrepid adventurers as you explore each floor, facing off against the monstrous denizens that manifest in each room with the spell-casting Wizard; the axe-wielding Knight; and the Serf turned swordsman. Uncover secret passageways that serve as unique shortcuts for each warrior and retrieve the baneful items to ward off particularly fearsome guardians – if you wish to see daylight once more, you must survive the night and escape with the Golden Key of A.C.G. intact!

On June 6th, 1666, Captain Richard Cavendish and the crew of the Blackwyche explored the sprawling caverns of an uncharted island and discovered an ancient artifact; The Crystal Skull of Souls. The crew paid dearly for their greed in attempting to snatch the Skull away from its resting place, as the accursed relic condemned their spirits to perpetual unrest, forever to embark on a voyage that would never reach its end. Centuries later, the Blackwyche would be discovered sailing on a silent, foggy night by swashbuckler Sir Arthur Pendragon, whom had already proven himself during the events of The Staff of Karnath and Entombed. Drawn towards the haunted galleon in his third adventure, Sir Pendragon must search for the Captain’s soul and liberate the crew, or become trapped on the Blackwyche forever…

For centuries, the malevolent sorcerer Vadra has cast his wicked magic over the city of Irkon, enslaving its population and transfiguring the physical forms of anyone who should stand in his way. The would-be revolutionaries are kept locked away in Vadra’s prison, guarded by the fearsome otherworldly creatures called ‘Bubblers’ that have been brewed inside of cauldron-like bottles. The only hope resides in Kintor, whom acted as Vadra’s apprentice before he too was incarcerated – and in his cunning, has plotted an escape for one of Irkon’s prisoners. With a wave of his hand, Kintor casts a spell on a transfigured bubble, imbuing it with movement and providing magical corks to stopper Vadra’s bottles. In this final release from Ultimate, players are tasked with escaping the prison, culling Vadra’s forces and ending his vicious sorcery in Bubbler.

Inside his kitchen, Charlie the Chef keeps all of his ingredients organized and locked away in his large pantry, keeping each one in a separate drawer. Unfortunately, his sentient supplies aren’t satisfied with this arrangement, and have decided to clear out while Charlie isn’t looking! When the Chef returns to the kitchen, he sees that all of his ingredients are running amok, and have managed to get mixed in with the ‘Nasties’; a collection of scrap metal and old tat that had previously been discarded in the bottom of the cabinet drawers! Armed with a collection of flour bag bombs, Charlie will need to sort out his ingredients by knocking them into the mixing bowl while sending the Nasties into the rubbish bin. If Charlie hopes to keep a cool head amidst the culinary chaos, he’ll need to clear out all five drawers of his towering pantry before his recipe is ruined!

Skyrocketing away from the faithful ZX Spectrum home console and into the uncharted frontier of the BBC Micro, Cosmic Battlezones served as the first compilation collection from Ultimate featuring three of their space-faring adventure games in one smart package. Ultimate’s first release in Jetpac would see BBC Micro owners piloting Jetman across the planets surface to pilfer rare isotopes and refuel his ship to make an escape. The direct sequel, Lunar Jetman could be found next, where the Chief Test Pilot would be tasked with defending his rover after being stranded on yet another alien world. Lastly, players would see the Filmation-driven mission on a compromised space station with Alien 8, which tasked a small cybot with restoring the cryonaught life support system following a hostile alien encounter!

In the Amobeus Nebula, the Zebarema System contains the only known source of the anti-matter element Cybertron and by extension the crystallized Cybernite, the hardest substance in the Universe. The allure for even an ounce of Cybernite has extended beyond the farthest fringe galaxies, though the magnetronic pull on the surface is even greater, refusing to surrender its prized ore to anyone. The solution is to be found in the Crystal Ship; an immense craft delivered to the Cybertron Planet in pieces which when assembled on the surface is capable of reaching escape velocity with the precious cargo. The galaxy is depending on you to explore the planet to find the scattered fragments of the Crystal Ship and begin reconstruction – whoever manages to capture the Cybernite will control the Universe, the Cyberun arms race has begun…

In his forth and final adventure following the events of Blackwyche, Sir Arthur Pendragon arrives at the Isle of Dragonskulle – a mountainous uncharted land owing its namesake to the fierce dragons that guard the resting place of the accursed Crystal Skull of Souls. Following in the footsteps of Captain Richard Cavendish before him, the aristocratic adventurer will need to navigate through the labyrinthine caverns and volcanic passages of the Isle, matching his powerful sorcery against the malicious creatures who have been manifested and corrupted by the Skulls’ arcane influence. With his own soul hanging in the balance, Arthur Pendragon embarks on his most crucial quest to destroy the Crystal Skull once and for all, in a destined adventure that began long ago in The Staff of Karnath.

Beneath the intense heat of the Egyptian sun, the Giza Plateau glints like a jewel in the desert; rogues and treasure hunters have searched the Pyramids extensively, but for Sir Arthur Pendragon, the keys to the kingdom rest in one ancient artifact – the Eye of Osiris. Discovering the relic at the base of the Great Sphinx, the aristocratic adventurer witnesses its otherworldly power only briefly before he is swallowed up by the earth and cast into a forgotten tomb far below the sand! Having narrowly escaped disaster in his previous adventure, The Staff of Karnath, Sir Arthur now finds himself trapped in an underground chamber with the threat of every breath being his last. Aided only by the sacred scrolls left behind by the Egyptian God, Set, he must decipher each riddle that will lead him up towards the surface before his fate is sealed.

High-noon arrives at the town of Black Rock as the thunderous galloping of horses ridden by bandits, thieves and outlaws can be heard approaching from the dusty, desert plains. The townsfolk know there’s only one man who can protect Black Rock – the newly appointed Marshall and fastest gun in all the town – Sheriff Quickdraw. Armed with his Super-Slung Six Shot Slinger and ready at the reins with his trusty steed, Panto the Pantomime horse, the Sheriff will need to search the town for wandering marauders wanted dead or alive, and lay down the law with iron-clad justice. Developed with the improved Filmation II engine seen in Nightshade that had earned pioneering Knight Lore deserved praise, Gunfright sets the bar further still with an entire isometric Western town open to exploration and fast-paced gunslinging.

In the sand-swept lands of Egypt, the great Pharaoh Zoser is worshiped as a God by his people, leading to a golden age of prosperity that would last for ten long years under his dynasty. However, the wrath of the neglected Egyptian Gods in the presence of a mortal Pharaoh manifest in pestilence, and the lands of the Nile are soon blighted by drought and famine when the decade reaches its end. Turning to the wise Imhotep for salvation for his people, the Pharaoh is told of the Souls of Ra; a sacred text found in the city of Thebes that will restore the Nile to its former glory. Granted passage into the city, Imhotep soon discovers that the Princess of Thebes has disappeared with the Souls of Ra – he’ll need to cross the vicious lands of the Jawi Nomads and rescue the missing Princess in order to save the city and the Nile from certain destruction.

In a future where space has been entirely commodified, the ACME Interstellar Transport Company have begun to deliver disassembled spaceships to primitive planets for profit. Chief Test Pilot, Jetman, has been tasked with acting as an astronaut ambassador, touching down on the planets surface to reassemble each rocket before jettisoning off to the next world. Capitalizing on his unique position however, Jetman soon decides to ransack the planets surface for rare isotopes, gold ores and other valuables as he fuels the ship to make an escape! Unfortunately the alien inhabitants of each world take umbrage with his plan, and a race against time for survival properly begins! Serving as Rare‘s first game developed under Ultimate, Jetpac marks the beginning of an unstoppable era lead by the Stamper brothers on the ZX Spectrum and beyond.

Narrowly escaping from the treacherous depths of Underwurlde, Sabreman has breached daylight and finds himself inside Castle Knight Lore. While the jungles of his first expedition had seen the nimble explorer avoiding Sabre Wulf, their chance encounter had cursed him with lycanthropy, forcing a grotesque transformation every night under the full moon. The only hope for salvation lies in Castle Knight Lore, where the ancient Wizard, Melkhior, can brew a potion that will cure Sabreman from the Wulf’s curse. Tasked with exploring the sprawling fortress and solving elaborate puzzles for the far-flung ingredients, Sabreman has but forty days and forty nights to break the curse, or become trapped in the body of a Werewulf forever. Developed with the revolutionary Filmation engine in its first outing, Knight Lore‘s isometric visuals were nothing short of ground-breaking, placing Ultimate leagues ahead of anything else found on the ZX Spectrum.

Finished with his planet-sized pilfering offered in the previous Jetpac adventure, the opportunistic Jetman hastily constructs his final multi-stage rocket and blasts off as the richest pilot in the known galaxy in Lunar Jetman. Unfortunately his plans to escape to Earth go a bit pear-shaped when his make-shift craft falls to pieces in warp space, leaving him stranded on another hostile alien world that serves as a defense station. In a bid to botch Jetman’s escape plans for good and in retribution for their lifted resources, the interstellar opposition prepares to destroy the planet Earth with their powerful Multitronic Warheads that dot the alien landscape. As Earth’s last chance for survival, Jetman will need to traverse the defense station in his Hyperglide Moon Rover, bridging the gaps of sprawling craters and using his salvaged supplies to annihilate all of the missile installations before it’s too late!

Amidst the distant constellations and beacon-like pulsars, a gargantuan starship sets a course high above the Orion Nebula. While its size may appear imposing, its journey is one fueled and celebrated by the peaceful Markon Empire, who have devoted themselves to the consecration of knowledge to be found throughout the cosmos. Heralded as “The Markon Dawn”, the ship will usher in a new era upon return from its maiden voyage, where the “Brain of Markon”, an on-board supercomputer, will reveal the best kept secrets of space and time. On-route to its journey back home, The Markon Dawn is suddenly set upon by the Martianoids, a race of nefarious Alien interlopers who begin to obliterate the ship and the Brain of Markon in the process. As a Guardian of the Brain, it is imperative that you travel to each sector and repair the damage caused by the Martainoids before the knowledge and the starship of the Markon Empire is lost forever.

Nestled in a hidden valley, the once-idyllic village of Nightshade is visited by four malevolent spirits of Death and Pestilence, together they cast a pall that shrouds the settlement in darkness and curses all within its walls. Many years have passed while Nightshade has been embraced by death and scourged with disease, and many noble Knights have entered its gates to quell the spectres – but they too have been claimed by the encroaching epidemic, transfigured into unspeakable creatures afflicted with contagion themselves. The redemption of Nightshade is destined to one who will enter the village to vanquish the four immortal wraiths to dispel the Plague and liberate Nightshade. Developed with the improved Filmation II engine that proceeded Knight Lore, the latest offering from Ultimate allows all of Nightshade to be openly explored.

Before the West was won, it was contested by a posse of marauders and bandits on horseback and inflamed with reckless abandon. The fledgling town of Black Rock was powerless against the merciless Outlaws, who would ride in on a wave of chaos and wanton destruction, overtaking the Saloon, the Bank and the Livery Stables – the town was all but lost to the lawless men from the East. Restitution would come swiftly however, as an intense storm brought with it the thundering hooves of a white stallion, and riding atop was a mysterious stranger calling himself the Lone Rider. Galloping across the dusty plains of the Sioux Territory and into Black Rock, the Lone Rider must square off against the Outlaws himself, hunting down each member of the Dalton Gang and delivering justice on horseback from the barrel of a gun.

Indebted to the ancient wizard Melkhior after curing his cursed lycanthropy in Knight Lore, Sabreman is told of an ancient and arcane magic that has faded into legend; its power sought by those who dare speak its name, and feared by those who knew wiser. In his advanced years, Melkhior has resigned himself to Castle Knight Lore, unable to venture out and complete the quest he had begun many years ago, instead he tasks the rejuvenated Sabreman with entering the mystifying woods of Conjour Town, dredging the wells of forgotten magic and enchanting the five Rune stones to harness the power of the Pentagram. Cloaking himself in sorcerers robes, and mastering the art of spellcasting, Sabreman dedicates himself to the dying wizards final wishes as he embarks on his forth and final adventure.

Robbie the Robot knew that his Thyrgodian Megga Chrisanthodil flower would garner some attention, especially after he had run his servos ragged nurturing the garden prize. His worst fears were realized however, when it had managed to attract the likes of Interstellar Space Slugs, Menacing Midges and Scuttling Leeches who swarmed into his arboretum and put a damper on his budding ambitions. Fortunately, Robbie has come to his Chrisanthodil prepared, drawing three trusty cans of the most potent pesticide fit to be sprayed, each one capable of dealing with a single species of insect to send them packing, while merely delaying the rest in a thick pungent cloud. If Robbie the Robot hopes to save his precious prize from the pests, he’ll need to work quickly and spray effectively in Pssst.

Deep in the jungle, Sabreman began his inaugural expedition in earnest, until uneasy footing caused him to plummet far off of the beaten path. Worse still, the intrepid explorer soon discovers an ominous glyph that warns of the perils ahead in the lair of Sabre Wulf; his only escape will rely on recovering a lost amulet that has been broken into four pieces, scattered about the dense, vibrant wilderness. Steeling himself for the treacherous quest ahead, Sabreman clutches his blade as the jungle comes alive around him – he must explore the vast tropical expanse and restore the amulet to its former glory whilst encountering its deadly creatures, hostile natives and poisonous orchids. All the while, the Wulf hungrily stalks his every move, prepared to give chase and poised to strike at any moment.

Before the dawn of man, a race of callous, barbaric creatures called Sarnathians domineered the planet Earth – in their pursuit of ascendancy, they forged an orb of light and seeded it with evil. Without restraint, the orb’s power soon outgrew the Sarnathians and eventually created a rift that imprisoned them in another dimension. Millions of years later, the orb was discovered by Karnath, a malicious warlock who placed it on the head of his staff and cast a spell that would re-open the rift for the Sarnathians when the orb achieved its full power. In the time since Karnath had perished, the enchantment remains with the staff, found deep within his castle. In the hours leading to midnight, the future of humanity relies on aristocratic adventurer Sir Arthur Pendragon to explore the castle in order to find and destroy The Staff of Karnath.

The harsh desert sun sends refracted light across the chrome and crimson sheen of the Red Rider, the engine growls with intense fury under the hood as it’s brought to life. In an instant, it rockets across the landscape with ease, its treads digging into what was once the United States, but now looks hardly recognizable in 3472. What remains the same is the hunt for competition and the will to survive, and in Tranz Am, the Eight Great Cups of Ultimate are the true driving force. For too long, the ‘Deadly Black Turbos’ have possessed the Cups, but now as the Red Rider’s engine snarls with newfound passion, there’s one chance to capture the Cups for yourself. The fuel gauge blinks, the doleful reminder of your only weakness out here – you’ll need to keep your ride supplied with petrol found in every city if you want to survive.

Unveiled as the swan song for the ZX Spectrum, The Collected Works was a compilation collection that showcased eleven of Ultimate Play the Game’s most iconic titles in one commemorative release. Starting with the critically acclaimed Jetpac in 1983, players could experience the year over in good company with Pssst, Cookie, Atic Atac, Tranz Am and Lunar Jetman. Two milestones would be acknowledged next, with Sabre Wulf introducing the fearless Spectrum explorer in his first adventure, and the follow-up Knight Lore establishing the ground-breaking Filmation technique. The isometric visuals would continue still with Alien 8, before the Filmation II engine was properly experienced in both Nightshade and Gunfright. A masterpiece in and off itself, The Collected Works championed Ultimate’s legacy on the classic Sinclair machine.

Blinking as his eyes adjusted to the darkness of the cavern, Sabreman ventured further still into the Black Void as light faded from view. Having restored the Sabre Wulf amulet in his previous adventure, Ultimate’s fearless explorer continues his expedition into the Underwurlde, a sprawling network of subterranean chambers and pitfalls that tunnel deep into the earth. The creatures in the virgin passages that had been undisturbed for years are awoken suddenly as Sabreman’s footfalls echo through their domain; Gargoyles and Harpies take flight, aiming to swoop down on the pith-helmeted trespasser. The only means for salvation rests in navigating through the spanning abyss of the Underwurlde, defeating the three demonic Guardians and discovering the escape routes that lead to Knight Lore, Pentagram, or Mire Mare.