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Dracula(1986 video game)

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Dracula
Publisher(s)CRL Group
Designer(s)Rod Pike
Ian Ellery
Platform(s)Amstrad CPC,Commodore 64,ZX Spectrum
Release1986
Genre(s)Interactive fiction
Mode(s)Single-player

Draculais atext adventuregame byCRLreleased in 1986 for theCommodore 64,Amstrad CPC,andZX Spectrumhome computers. The game is based on the novelDraculabyBram Stoker.It was the first video game to be rated by theBBFC.The game received a15 certificate.[1]

Plot

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An English lawyer travels toCarpathiato meetCount Dracularegarding a routine property transaction, but soon learns that his client has sinister ulterior intentions.

Gameplay

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The game is a standard text adventure with static graphics in some locations. It is divided into three parts:

  • "First Night" - The young solicitor arrives in Count Dracula's country, staying at the Golden Krone Hotel; strange events are observed
  • "The Arrival" - After an eventful journey, he arrives at Dracula's castle, and soon learns the real nature of his host's intentions; he realizes that he must escape if he is to survive...
  • "The Hunt" - A psychiatrist at an insane asylum in England receives a strange letter from a friend on business overseas, warning of "boxes of earth" and the "undead"; meanwhile a patient at the asylum grows increasingly disturbed...[2]

Reception

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The game received a "15" certificate from theBritish Board of Film Censorsbecause of the gory images it contains.[3]However, CRL expressed disappointment with this as they had hoped for an"18" certificate.[4]

Legacy

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CRL followedDraculawith three further adventures of a similar style,Frankenstein,Jack the RipperandWolfman,all of which also received BBFC ratings.[5]

References

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  1. ^Reed, Kristan (26 October 2007)."Bram Stoker's Dracula Review • Reviews • Retro •".Eurogamer.net.Retrieved10 March2014.
  2. ^Game manual
  3. ^BBFC rating of DraculaArchived6 November 2010 at theWayback Machine
  4. ^"Censored",Sinclair User,December 1986
  5. ^"Dracula unbound: The story behind the first 18 certificated video game".Eurogamer.March 2015.
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