Repton (computer game)

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For the Defender-inspired computer game written by Dan Thomson and Andy Kaluzniacki and published by Sirius Software in 1983, see Repton.

The Repton Series

Developer(s)	Tim Tyler (Repton 1 & 2), Matthew Atkinson (Repton 3), David Lawrence and David Acton (Repton Infinity)
Publisher(s)	Superior Software
Designer(s)	Tim Tyler
Release date(s)	1984
Genre(s)	Puzzle game
Mode(s)	Single player
Platform(s)	BBC Micro ZX Spectrum Acorn Electron Commodore 64 Acorn Archimedes Microsoft Windows Nokia Series 60 Linux / KDE MS-DOS Game Boy Advance Sony PSP
Input	Keyboard

Repton is a British computer game originally developed by Tim Tyler for the BBC Micro and Acorn Electron and released by Superior Software in the 1980s. The eponymous protagonist, Repton, is a lizard who crawls around in an underground maze in a quest to find all the diamonds (some being held in safes, their release being triggered by finding and collecting a key) within a time limit in each of several levels, while avoiding being trapped or killed by falling rocks and monsters hatched from eggs. The original Repton game was released in 1984 and has 12 levels, with passwords making it possible to jump directly to later levels.

The sequel to the game, Repton 2 (1985), is much bigger. It introduces several new features: spirits (that follow walls and objects to their left and must be guided into cages, turning them into diamonds) and skulls, both of which are fatal to Repton on collision. There are also jigsaw puzzle pieces to collect, which eventually spell out the message "Repton 2 is ended". There are no levels as such in Repton 2, instead 'transporters' move Repton between different screens which, subject to a few restrictions, can be completed in any order desired. The entire game is in effect one very large level without passwords, meaning that it must be completed in one attempt. Finally, certain screens also contain an exposed 'roof', where meteors (predictably fatal to Repton) fall from the sky.

Repton's requirements in Repton 2 are onerous: Repton must not only collect all diamonds (including those held in safes and behind cages), but also collect all earth, kill all the monsters, collect all puzzle pieces and use all transporters. Once these substantial tasks have been completed, Repton must then negotiate the roof of the entire length of the final screen, avoiding meteors falling from the sky in order to collect the completion piece and thus complete the game. This part is particularly tricky, since the meteors fall from the sky in a random fashion, making it difficult for the gamer to guide Repton to safety. This long list of requirements, coupled with the fact that the game must be completed in one attempt, is unique among the Repton series and makes Repton 2 by far the hardest Repton game to successfully complete. To add to the inevitable frustration suffered by anyone attempting this, a bug in the original version of Repton 2 meant that the game contained one diamond less than the stipulated number needed to complete the game. This means that successful completion of these versions is, in fact, impossible.

Repton 2 and Repton were subsequently ported to a number of other 8bit computers including the ZX Spectrum and Commodore 64. Modern versions for Microsoft Windows and Nokia Series 60 mobile phones are available from Superior Interactive and Masabi respectively.

Repton 3 (1985) was developed by Matthew Atkinson at Superior's invitation since Tim Tyler wasn't interested in programming it—although he did design some of the levels for the new game. It reverts to the form of a series of limited time password-protected levels. A few new features were introduced: fungus (a substance that spreads wherever it finds space and kills Repton on contact), time capsules (resetting the current level's time limit each time one is collected), crowns, and a time-bomb which must be defused to complete each level. Repton 3 includes a map editor along with the game, so that it became possible to create data files with alternate maps and new graphics for the levels. Three themed sets of such files were released as expansions for Repton 3, with the titles Around the World in 40 Screens (1985), The Life of Repton (1987) and Repton Thru Time (1987).

Repton Infinity was released in 1988, by which time the BBC Micro's popularity as a games platform was beginning to wane. It was developed by Dave Acton and Dave Lawrence (who wrote the user-submitted program section *INFO in Acorn User Magazine) It supplements the map editor and graphics editor with a powerful game logic editor which made it possible to alter the way all game objects behaved using a purpose-designed language called Reptol. Four different example games are included to demonstrate its flexibility:

Repton 3–Take 2, with a couple of small technical differences in gameplay from Repton 3;
Repton 4, with imaginative new objects including photocopiers and moving jewels;
Robbo, “a crazy robot in a strange topsy-turvy world”, according to the game inlay; and
Trakka, a chaotic game in which a bulldozer-driving protagonist must destroy various monsters by pushing fruit at them, and all scores are multiples of 17.

(There was a long-running problem, infamous amongst owners of the B+, the updated BBC B with 64k, when the newly released Repton Infinity ran on the original BBC B but refused to load on the updated B+. A string of unsuccessful replacements were issued before one that was compatible with both was eventually released.)

The music for Repton is Black and White Rag, by George Botsford, which has been well known in Britain at least since its 1969 popularization as the theme tune to the long-running TV snooker programme Pot Black. The Scott Joplin ragtime intermezzo The Chrysanthemum is used as the music for Repton 2. The music for Repton 3 was composed especially for the game by Paul Hughes and Peter Clarke.

1 Repton ports and clones
2 Games that are not Repton clones
3 Gallery
4 External links

[edit] Repton ports and clones

Superior Software released ports of Repton games for the Commodore 64 and ZX Spectrum, though these never achieved the sales of the BBC original, and later for the Acorn Archimedes. Under the name "Superior Interactive" (as of 2005) they have re-released versions of Repton 1, Repton 2 and Repton 3 (including all of the expansion games) for modern PCs. They have also released a large pack of new levels for all three modern Repton ports, named Repton Spectacular

Other individuals and companies are also developing their own versions: such as the version for wireless devices (from Masabi), and 3D enhanced multimedia version such as Repton Returns. Repton 3 seems to be seen as the definitive Repton game and to have attracted the most interest, including a free version for Linux.

A deliberate clone called Ripton, extremely faithful apart from different level design and several humorous digs at the original game, was written by Kenton Price and submitted to A&B Computing but the magazine never dared to publish it. It is, however, now available at BBC software Internet sites.

The original BBC Micro games are also freely available to download from several websites. They can be used on a PC with a BBC Micro Emulator (also freely available to download).

There was also a PD clone for the ZX Spectrum called Riptoff, which included a level editor and was arguably superior to the original game. It was developed by Rick O'Neill and Craig Hunter, and was released exclusively on a 1991 Your Sinclair covertape.

[edit] Games that are not Repton clones

Although Repton did not invent the rocks-and-diamonds genre (the author was inspired by a description of the recently-released Boulder Dash, but had never seen the game [1]) it is far from being, as is sometimes erroneously assumed, a clone of Boulder Dash. (The perception that it was may have hurt sales when Superior, buoyed by a huge success in the BBC/Electron market, released the C64 and Spectrum conversions.) Repton was a much more calm and organized playing experience with the emphasis on puzzle-solving, as opposed to arcade-style improvisation prevalent in other games; this remained true as more types of object were added in the sequels.

Likewise, because of Repton's ubiquity on the platform it became impossible not to compare any later commercial scrolling-map game for the BBC/Electron (the notable ones being Bonecruncher, Ravenskull, Pipeline, Clogger) to the Repton series, though only Bonecruncher and Clogger had comparable puzzle-based gameplay.

A game marketed as Ego: Repton 4, released for the Acorn Archimedes, bears little relation to the Repton series, particularly in that contrary to the spirit of the original it relies on "secret" traps and passages which can only be discovered by walking onto them. (The objects and objectives in all the previous Repton games are visible and there are no hidden secrets to be discovered, although in some advanced episodes - notably "OAP" in Life of Repton, "Oceans" in Around the World and "Future" in Repton Thru Time - some objects and enemies are invisible or appear identical to desirable or innocuous objects. The difference can only be discovered by walking onto them, sometimes with fatal results.)

Repton's original author has written a freeware Java rocks-and-diamonds game, Rockz, which owes approximately equal amounts to Repton 2 and to Boulder Dash.