Quetzalcoatl - Tales of Aztec Gods
I think the first game you play of a particular genre always sticks in your mind , no matter how much game play you may have got , or not got out of it. Welcome to my first maze game , this is Quetzalcoatl (Virgin Games 1983).
I think what first appealed to me was it's title, at the time our school reading books were full of tales of lost civilisations and ancient religions so a chance to get lost in an Aztec Temple got a massive thumbs up.
I think what first appealed to me was it's title, at the time our school reading books were full of tales of lost civilisations and ancient religions so a chance to get lost in an Aztec Temple got a massive thumbs up.
As you can see it is another gloriously colourful Spectrum game, green walls, red floors and a lovely magenta ceiling. Also featured are black lift shafts ( bad ) and blue lift shafts ( good). The idea is to work your way through the levels of the maze, collecting beads and encountering Aztec Gods until you escape. On the way you will learn to play a flute (well sort of), and get a map (well for a brief while before it disintegrates before your very eyes).
This game may not seem much to modern game players, the graphics may look chunky, the plot is very simple and the sound is minimal. But we need to look at it through the eyes of the 11 year old Julie ( slips rose coloured glasses into place.) You have to remember that I wasn't a very talented game player , anymore than three keys and it would be like watching a drunken octopus on the screen. But with Quetzalcoatl I was in paradise, three control keys , no dodging enemies, no running out of energy, this I could do!
Plus in the later level you were giving a flute to play to appease a god, this was a nice novelty piece of game play for a girl who was learning to play the recorder. A connection formed between the game and real life.
It's a safe game , you can see the lift shafts well in advance , no nasties are lurking round the corners with weapons. Let's be honest even the representations of the Aztec Gods in this game look, well I have to say it, kind of cuddly. It is one of those games that the Sinclair Spectrum excelled at ,big colourful graphics and quirkiness. It was a game for a long rainy afternoon (only go down the blue safe lift shafts and collect lots and lots of beads) , or a game for a quick after Sunday lunch sit down ( use the bad black lift shafts and only just collect enough beads.) It may have only been a one player game but there is something about maze type games that encourages your friends to gather behind you and shout helpful directions. It was a game for all occasions!
It's a safe game , you can see the lift shafts well in advance , no nasties are lurking round the corners with weapons. Let's be honest even the representations of the Aztec Gods in this game look, well I have to say it, kind of cuddly. It is one of those games that the Sinclair Spectrum excelled at ,big colourful graphics and quirkiness. It was a game for a long rainy afternoon (only go down the blue safe lift shafts and collect lots and lots of beads) , or a game for a quick after Sunday lunch sit down ( use the bad black lift shafts and only just collect enough beads.) It may have only been a one player game but there is something about maze type games that encourages your friends to gather behind you and shout helpful directions. It was a game for all occasions!
Although my love of maze games moved onto more advanced games, Quetzalcoatl still has a place in my heart as the game that started it all. Over the years I moved onto Castle of Winds ( yes, I admit I used to love that game) and Stonekeep , plus many more. But occasionally I still return to the Aztec Temple to soothe the angry red Aztec god with my recorder playing.