Archon (computer game) - Definition and Overview

Archon on the C64

Archon is a computer game developed by FreeFall Associates and distributed by Electronic Arts. It was originally developed for Atari 8-bit computers in 1983, but was later ported to several other systems of the day, such as Apple II, Commodore 64, Amiga and the NES. It was designed by Paul Reiche III and Jon Freeman and programmed by Freeman's wife, Anne Westfall. Reiche also produced the artwork for the game.

Description

Archon is visually very similar to chess, but with a number of significant changes.

While the pieces on the board have similar relative abilities to the different pieces in chess, when one piece attempts to take another, the removal of the targeted piece is not automatic. Instead, the two pieces are placed into a full-screen 'combat arena' and must battle to determine who takes the square.

Different pieces have different abilities in the combat phase, and it's far more difficult for a pawn to defeat a higher level piece. This adds a level of complexity into the game, since you cannot always predict if taking a square will be successful. But generally the stronger the attacking piece, the greater the chance of success.

The game is won when either one side destroys all the opposing pieces, or one of the sides is able to occupy all of the five 'power points' on the board.

Sequels

FreeFall Associates developed a sequel to the game called in 1984 (it appeared on different systems on different dates). It was similar to the original, just with improved graphics and different creatures. The players in this version represented either Order or Chaos and possessed a wizard that could cast powerful spells. The Amiga version featured full stereo sound, unusual for games of the day.

Toys for Bob developed a game in 1994 called Archon Ultra. It was a full remake of the original game with updated graphics and sound. The design team included Fred Ford, one of the original developers of Archon. It also featured a multiplayer mode via modem. Unfortunately, it performed very poorly in the marketplace.

See also

• List of computer and video games by name

External links

• Moby Game's entry on Archon (http://www.mobygames.com/search/quick?q=archon)
• Moby Game's entry on the Archon series (http://www.mobygames.com/game_group/sheet/gameGroupId,164/)
• Screenshots from the Commodore 64 version of the game (http://screenmania.retrogames.com/c64/03/c64_0052.html)
• A current development attempt of Archon for MS Windows (http://www.archonevolution.com/)
• Amiga version of Archon (http://eager.back2roots.org/DATA/A/ARCHO.HTML) information