Reviews

To be honest the first time I played this game I didn’t appreciate it , I was just 13 in the summer of 84 and it looked daunting , strange and unlike anything else I had ever played. Even the old world style language used in the game was unfamiliar , luckily a pal of mine was more persistent and got to grips with the then unfamiliar way the game played , he called me up to come and see the game in full flow , I saw armies battling , a full world of warriors , magic and excitement , from that moment I was hooked.

Starting off as the four main characters – Luxor , Morkin (his son) , Rothron the Wise and Corleth the fey the object of the game is basically to save your land of midnight from the witchking doomdark . You must use each one (except Morkin ) to gather up a large enough army to guard your citadel Xajorkith against the impending attack by doomdarks forces.

Getting back to Morkin , his quest is a different kettle of fish , he must sneak up towards doomdarks citadel Ushgarak and recover the ice crown , the item that has plunged the land of midnight into a perpetual winter , and destroy it with the help of Fawkrin or drop it into the lake of mirrors.

The graphics were and still are very impressive, the game is played in full 3d , the mountains , forests , armies , hills , keeps , citadels and more , rise in the distance rise as you progress through the world of Icemark. It might not sound much by todays graphical standards but it was a major leap back then.

During the day the land of midnight is yours to wander quite freely , except for various creatures such as skulkrin , giants and wolves which can be deadly to a lone traveller are usually disposed off easily , the hours of daylight left are built into the terrain that’s traversed during day which can last between 2 and 7 moves per character , sometimes if your lucky you can find items which bring a new dawn or maybe your army is tired from marching all day and need a rest to rejuvenate them , also the lakes can be used once to fully refresh a tired lord or army.

Recruiting riders and warriors to the cause is done via the keeps and citadels , each Lord will have his own army and usually have spare riders or warriors at his citadel , as long as your Lord matches the race of warriors to recruit then you can quickly gather a huge army behind Luxor and make your way to defend Xajorkith. When playing i usually try and recruit at least fourteen lords , each with a huge gathering of armies and lead them to the capital , as the game progresses and doomdarks forces march on towards your citadel your army must be in place and ready to stand and defend for around twenty nights of intense fighting , you can also send one chap (usually I send Corleth the fey ) up north as it were , to recruit some fringe troops which you can meet later on , once the battle in the south has eased off , meanwhile Morkin is making his way up the western side of the map towards Ushgarak trying to steal the ice crown and distracting doomdarks forces along the way.

Considering this game is crammed into around 42k of ram , Mike Singleton has done an exceptional job , it contained 32,000 different views from within the land of midnight , 6000 locations , independent computer controlled warriors , great graphics and for the first time made you believe in the world you played in , I was totally astounded by the plot and depth that was shown in the game , it is a non linear game so you can play it in a different way every game , I think that’s part of the appeal , at the time its closest rivals would have been the basic wargames combined with a text / graphical adventure , to me it was a great leap forward , showed what the spectrum was capable of and will always remain a milestone in gaming history.

Mike Singleton had written a fair few Spectrum games before Lords of Midnight, but nothing near as memorable or as complex.

With this game he created a whole new genre, fusing strategy and adventure together into a so called "epic" with a whole new system of graphics called "landscaping". The latter gave you the character's eye of the terrain rather than just a map view allowing you to see a long way in open spaces but in dense forests, mountains or hills you could be within a few hours of a vast army and not even know it.

Despite a plot that's a thinly veiled steal from Lord of the Rings it works spectacularly. You start with just four characters, but within a few turns you could be commanding an army of thousands. watch out though, as Doomdark's armies are much bigger than any you can hope to raise and only through superior tactics will you ever gain a military victory.

This is one of the most inventive Spectrum games ever made and, not surprisingly, one with the greatest longevity. If you've never given it a go, there's a bit of a learning curve to get over, but it's well worth the effort. Alternatively try the excellent remake; the Midnight Engine. There's also a multiplayer version, M/MU, for those who want to take it that bit further.

1984 Beyond Software (UK)
by Mike Singleton

Based upon JRR Tolkien's Lord of the Rings, Mike Singleton's epic graphic adventure lives up well to its inspiration.
Your quest is to overthrow the evil Witch king Doomdark, who controls the north half of the land of Midnight.
This being said seems to be a simple task. It isn't. You must assume the role of Luxor, the Moonprince who wears the powerful moonring.

You can however control 3 other characters, Morkin (Luxor's Son), Rorthron the Wise and Corleth the Fey.
It may help to read or watch the Lord of the rings saga.
Lords of Midnight is one of the best graphical adventures ever created on our beloved Speccy and quite ahead of it's time.

Lords of Midnight is one of the best games produced originally for the ZX-Spectrum. A truly epic game.

Mike Singleton's classic has now been ported to Android and Apple devices which just goes to show it's enduring appeal. It's one of the best ever spectrum games and one that everyone should experience at least once.

A beautifully presented strategic wargame and epic graphic adventure in one. To say this was ahead of its time in 1984 would be something of an understatement. Fitting this much game into 48k is almost mind boggling.
A little complicated and daunting to begin with, but soon immerses you into the fantasy. One of the all time Spectrum classics.

Personagens que às vezes são capazes de matar trolls e dragões, acabam morrendo pra lobos, apesar de estarem totalmente revigorados, corajosos, e longe do medofrio. Caótico demais.

Às vezes você consegue dicas que não fazem sentido. Como foi que eu perdi meu cavalo? Será que é isso mesmo, meu personagem largou uma dragonslayer por uma wolfslayer?