Gift from the Gods
| Gift from the Gods | |
|---|---|
 ZX Spectrum cover | |
| Developer(s) | Denton Designs |
| Publisher(s) | Ocean |
| Designer(s) | John Gibson |
| Platform(s) | ZX Spectrum |
| Release date(s) |
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| Genre(s) | Adventure |
| Mode(s) | Single-player |
| Distribution | Cassette |
Gift from the Gods is a British computer game that was published in 1984 for the ZX Spectrum. Written by Denton Designs, a group of programmers and artists who worked on the unfinished Bandersnatch for the ill-fated software company Imagine Software.
Plot
In the game you control your character Orestes, who must avenge his father's murder by returning to the palace of Mycenae, entering its catacombs, and solving a puzzle. The game is based loosely on a Greek myth attributed to Homer, in which Agamemnon, the father of Orestes, is murdered by his wife Clytemnestra. In the myth, Orestes along with his sister Electra, avenge their father's death by killing their mother, Clytemnestra.
Gameplay
Hidden in 16 rooms are Euclidean shapes, six of which must be collected and assembled in the Guardians Chamber to reveal the exit from the Catacombs. To help Orestes in his quest his sister Electra will point him in the direction of the shapes, but it is up to the player which ones to take. Orestes mother also appears in the game from time to time to hinder his progress, as it is suggested that she had a hand in her husbands murder.
Orestes can walk, run and fly with the aid of wings on his boots. The clever controls in this game allow the player to make movements easily - for instance the game knows when you need to fight so that mode is automatically selected.
The game can be lost if Orestes' stamina depletes to zero, however this can be restored by locating life giving water drips that drop down from the ceilings in certain locations.