In 1983, Milton Bradley released Dark Tower, an electronic board game that captivated players with its blend of strategic exploration and unpredictable encounters. The centrepiece was an impressive computerised tower that displayed animated sequences and tracked your quest to collect three keys and storm the Dark Tower itself. Though the game was discontinued following a lawsuit, its innovative gameplay left a lasting impression on a generation of players.
The Obsidian Spire brings that experience to your Commodore 64. While the names and setting have been reimagined, veterans of the original will recognise the core mechanics: explore four kingdoms, manage your resources carefully, collect the three keys, and ultimately challenge the Spire itself. Complete with SID chip sound effects and a simple but effective interface, this BASIC program delivers a faithful adaptation of the classic quest.
THE QUEST BEGINS
You command a band of warriors on a mission to recover the stolen Scepter from the Tyrant King. To reach his stronghold, the Obsidian Spire, you must first obtain three keys: Brass, Silver, and Gold. Each key is hidden in one of the four kingdoms: Arisilon, Brynthia, Durnin, and Zenon.
The game begins in your home kingdom with a small force of warriors, some gold, and limited food supplies. Each kingdom is represented as a four-by-four grid that you explore one territory at a time. Movement consumes food based on your army size, so larger forces require more careful supply management. Run out of food and your warriors begin to starve.
As you move through the territories, random events occur. You might travel safely, discover treasure, or face one of several dangers. Brigands ambush your party and must be fought or fled. A dragon may swoop down, stealing gold and warriors. Plague can decimate your forces. Getting lost costs precious food supplies. The probability of these events keeps every move tense.
LOCATIONS AND ACTIONS
Beyond simple movement, you can visit several location types in each territory. The Bazaar lets you spend gold on additional warriors, food, or special items. The Beast doubles your gold carrying capacity. The Scout prevents you from getting lost. The Healer not only protects against plague but actually gains you warriors when disease strikes. Haggling at the Bazaar can lower prices, but push too hard and you will offend the shopkeeper, closing that Bazaar permanently.
Tombs and Ruins offer opportunities to search for treasure, though both carry risks of brigand encounters. The Sanctuary provides aid to struggling adventurers, granting warriors, food, or gold if your supplies run critically low. The Frontier moves you to the next kingdom, though you will need the appropriate key to pass unless you are returning to your home kingdom. Finding a key requires exploring the correct territory in each kingdom. The key locations are randomised at the start of each game, so methodical exploration is essential. Once you possess all three keys, the option to assault the Obsidian Spire appears.
THE RIDDLE OF THE KEYS
The Obsidian Spire presents a final puzzle: you must insert the three keys in the correct order. The sequence is randomly determined at game start and remains hidden until you deduce it through trial and error. Guess wrong and you are turned away to try again, though you may flee if you wish. Successfully open the Spire and you face the Tyrant King’s guards in a final battle. Victory means the Sceptre is yours; defeat ends your quest.
Three difficulty levels adjust the challenge. Higher difficulties reduce starting resources, decrease treasure amounts, and strengthen the final battle. Your score reflects surviving warriors and accumulated gold, rewarding efficient play.
INSIDE THE PROGRAM
The program is organised into logical sections for easy modification. Lines 100-250 handle initialisation, setting up arrays for the four kingdoms and establishing starting values for warriors, gold, and food. The difficulty selection and key order randomisation occur in lines 300-740, along with scattering treasure across the kingdoms.
The main game loop runs from lines 800-860, alternating between the status display and action menu. Movement processing in lines 1200-1490 handles the random encounter system that forms the heart of gameplay. Each encounter type has its own subroutine: brigands at 3600, dragons at 4000, plague at 4200, and getting lost at 4400.
Location interactions occupy the middle portion of the code. The Bazaar subroutine at line 2000 implements the shopping and haggling system. Tombs and Ruins at lines 1600 and 1800 share similar treasure-hunting logic. The Sanctuary at 2400 provides its safety net for desperate players, while the Frontier at 2600 manages kingdom transitions.
The Obsidian Spire sequence begins at line 3000, presenting the key riddle and managing the final confrontation.
Combat resolution at line 3700 serves both brigand encounters and the climactic battle.
Sound effects are consolidated in lines 5000-5680. The SID chip provides atmospheric touches: creaking doors when entering tombs and ruins, marching footsteps during movement, clashing swords in combat, and triumphant fanfares for victory. Each sound routine properly releases the SID gate before triggering, ensuring reliable playback even when sounds are called in quick succession.
MAKING IT YOUR OWN
The straightforward BASIC structure invites customisation. Adjust the encounter probabilities in lines 1455-1466 to make travel safer or more dangerous. Modify treasure amounts in the Tomb and Ruins subroutines for richer or leaner rewards. The Bazaar prices in line 2040 can be tweaked for different economic balance.
More ambitious programmers might add new encounter types, expand the kingdom grid size, or implement a save game feature using tape or disk operations. The modular subroutine structure makes such enhancements straightforward.
THE ADVENTURE AWAITS
The Obsidian Spire captures the essence of its inspiration while standing on its own as an engaging strategy game. Resource management, risk assessment, and a bit of luck determine whether you will recover the Sceptre or fall to the Tyrant King’s forces. Load it up, choose your difficulty, and begin your quest. The kingdoms await their hero.