THE SPECTRUM GAME DATABASE

ARCHON

PUBLISHER
Ariolasoft

AUTHOR

YEAR
1985

CATEGORY
Strategy

DESCRIPTION
ARCHON is an abstract strategy game superficially similar to
chess; the aim is simply to win.

CONTROLS
Keyboard, Kempston, Sinclair.
 KEYS : Up     - Q
        Down   - A
        Left   - Z
        Right  - X
        Fire   - C

INSTRUCTIONS
As with chess you have two opposing forces facing each other, but
unlike chess the forces are not matched. Each of the two armies
have different pieces, each having individual strengths and
weaknesses. Before the game begins you must decide which side to
contol - you can play against the computer or another human
player.  Although each side has different pieces, in overall
terms the armies are about equal. Some pieces are able to move
ahead only two or three squares while others may be able to pass
over other pieces or even, with the aid of a spell, teleport to
any location on the board.

To move, you simply place the cursor square over a piece, press
fire, then move the square to the position you desire. If the
move is over a distance greater than is allowed, or is illegal
for some reason, perhaps because it is blocked by other pieces
or has been imprisoned by the enemy, then the computer will tell
you. When playing against the computer it moves its pieces in
exactly the same way, so it's very easy to follow its moves.

The object of the game is to take and hold the five power points,
but to do that you must destroy the enemy forces and that takes
a lot of good planning. Apart from having to know the strengths
and weaknesses of each of the pieces and remembering how best to
use them, it's good to take advantage of situations unique to
this game.  For example, perhaps you have just lost a major piece
and in doing so have severely wounded an opposing piece, are you
in a position to send in a minor piece and finish the job before
the enemy has time to heal his wounds? When you are ready to
attack all that is required is to move the piece over to the
occupied square, and the computer will ask if you want to
challenge the occupant. If you answer yes, the main display will
change to the battle screen.

This has a life strength indicator for each of the pieces in
combat - the first-time player will notice that the life bar of
his enemy's piece is three times greater than that of his own.
At the start of a battle the two pieces are positioned on
opposite sides. At various and constantly changing locations
around the screen blocks are located, which can be used as
defensive barriers.  The two icons must fight to the death, with
the winner gaining control of the disputed square.

Depending on the nature of the piece, the mode of attack will
vary - some are able to fire bolts to cause damage at a distance
while others must fight at close quarters. This is where the
strategy element comes in - try not to attack a much stronger
opponent. While some pieces are able to move at great speed, they
are only weak fighters, while some move very slowly but a direct
hit from one could be fatal. Others may have both strength and
speed but require long intervals between firing. The minor icons
are not very strong, but they are more numerous and with luck and
good play you may inflict a lethal blow.

To make the strategy element even more complex, there are also
"luminosity cycles" and "power points". If you decide to attack
a piece on a power point, that piece will be much stronger than
normal as well as being protected from magical attacks. The 
luminosity cycle dictates that while pieces on squares of their 
own colour are stronger (dark on black, for example), some of
the squares will change in colour. The effects of the magic used
by the magician pieces vary too; they can only be used once and
their use weakens the piece. The revive spell allows you to
resurrect a useful piece that has been killed, while the summon
spell allows you to call a piece that did not previously exist.
Other spells include teleport, heal, exchange and imprison. Since
the use of a spell at the appropriate game can change the whole
course of a battle, you must make sure that your magician is
protected whilst trying to find ways to destroy your enemy's
magician.

SCORES RECEIVED
Crash: "An involved game, very good" RATING : 83% (CRASH #18,
July 1985)