The Castle of Lost Souls

[Andre Leao]

Another great find from @Gilby ...



https://planetasinclair.blogspot.com/20 ... s-mia.html

✓ PROCESSED[/check} DH 23/07/23

[Rorthron]

I think it's based on this:

https://gamebooks.org/Item/42/Show

Since the program has a date of 1984, it must be based on the original magazine articles, rather than the 1985 gamebook omnibus.

[8BitAG]

Yes, seems to have been based on the original magazine articles, which also formed the basis of the later book, see...
https://fabledlands.blogspot.com/2011/0 ... -souls.htm

Steve Foster wrote:

"If you remember, we turned it into an adventure game for the ZX Spectrum. I think I still have it somewhere (...and a working Spectrum to boot!)"

Dave Morris replied:

Steve - ah, the dim mists of memory part. What became of that? Was it ever released, or was it yet another idea of those lovable GW rascals for which much work was done to no avail?

Steve then said:

I think GW baulked when we asked for a higher royalty. Then they got Jamie to write a different adventure.

Dave:

I think you're right, Steve. Though didn't you mean to write, "GW baulked when we asked for a royalty"?

Written with the earliest version A of the Quill.

[Rorthron]

There's something wrong with that link. This one should work:

https://fabledlands.blogspot.com/2011/0 ... souls.html

[Rorthron]

I presume the "different adventure" was Tower of Despair:

https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/entry/7 ... of_Despair

[Einar Saukas]

We currently have 2 (almost identical) versions of this program here:

https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/entry/2 ... Lost_Souls

Can anyone tell if they are demos or fully playable versions? Also what's exactly the difference between them?

If these are only demos, both files should be marked as such. Otherwise this entry should be marked as "never released - recovered".

[8BitAG]

From a game/database perspective they're identical. The "evaluation version" just has a pre-loader with copyright information etc. before the main Quill loader.

It's not a demo. The game is fully completable...
https://solutionarchive.com/file/id%2C24797/
https://solutionarchive.com/file/id%2C24796/

[Einar Saukas]

OK, thank you!