Doctor Who and the Mines of Terror
Encyclopedia
Doctor Who and the Mines of Terror is a game for the Amstrad CPC
, BBC Micro
and Commodore 64
. It was first released by Micro Power
on the BBC Micro in 1985, and on the Amstrad CPC & C64 in 1986.
The game's play centers around the player's character of the Doctor
(specifically his sixth incarnation
), and his robotic programmable cat Splinx. The goal of the game is to halt the Master
's production of Heatonite, retrieve stolen plans for the Time Lord
s, and return safely.
The game's screen always has the player in the center, and depending on the direction of movement, the entire screen scrolls horizontally, vertically, or diagonally. The player can move freely, but can die in many ways: monster attack, robot attack, too great a fall, forced regeneration, lack of oxygen, and sharp spikes.
Enemies include patrolling robots that resemble the Daleks; however, the actual name and exact design of the Daleks was not used due to the rights to the being part owned by Terry Nation
, creator of the Daleks.
The game was too large to fit into the standard memory of the BBC Micro so it came with its own ROM
chip which had to be installed for the game to run in conjunction with game's main disk. This also caused problems for the unreleased (but heavily previewed and advertised) ZX Spectrum
version which would have required an add-on cartridge.
The costs associated with producing this game are often cited as crippling Micro Power who folded soon after its release.
The game began life as a sequel to the hit BBC Micro game Castle Quest, and was adapted into a Doctor Who game mid-development.
Amstrad CPC
The Amstrad CPC is a series of 8-bit home computers produced by Amstrad between 1984 and 1990. It was designed to compete in the mid-1980s home computer market dominated by the Commodore 64 and the Sinclair ZX Spectrum, where it successfully established itself primarily in the United Kingdom,...
, BBC Micro
BBC Micro
The BBC Microcomputer System, or BBC Micro, was a series of microcomputers and associated peripherals designed and built by Acorn Computers for the BBC Computer Literacy Project, operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation...
and Commodore 64
Commodore 64
The Commodore 64 is an 8-bit home computer introduced by Commodore International in January 1982.Volume production started in the spring of 1982, with machines being released on to the market in August at a price of US$595...
. It was first released by Micro Power
Micro Power
Micro Power was a British company established in the early 1980s, best known as a video game publisher but they also produced and sold many types of computer hardware and software through their Leeds...
on the BBC Micro in 1985, and on the Amstrad CPC & C64 in 1986.
The game's play centers around the player's character of the Doctor
Doctor (Doctor Who)
The Doctor is the central character in the long-running BBC television science-fiction series Doctor Who, and has also featured in two cinema feature films, a vast range of spin-off novels, audio dramas and comic strips connected to the series....
(specifically his sixth incarnation
Sixth Doctor
The Sixth Doctor is the sixth incarnation of the protagonist of the long-running BBC television science-fiction series Doctor Who. He was portrayed by Colin Baker...
), and his robotic programmable cat Splinx. The goal of the game is to halt the Master
Master (Doctor Who)
The Master is a recurring character in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. He is a renegade Time Lord and the archenemy of the Doctor....
's production of Heatonite, retrieve stolen plans for the Time Lord
Time Lord
The Time Lords are an ancient extraterrestrial race and civilization of humanoids in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, of which the series' eponymous protagonist, the Doctor, is a member...
s, and return safely.
The game's screen always has the player in the center, and depending on the direction of movement, the entire screen scrolls horizontally, vertically, or diagonally. The player can move freely, but can die in many ways: monster attack, robot attack, too great a fall, forced regeneration, lack of oxygen, and sharp spikes.
Enemies include patrolling robots that resemble the Daleks; however, the actual name and exact design of the Daleks was not used due to the rights to the being part owned by Terry Nation
Terry Nation
Terry Nation was a Welsh screenwriter and novelist.He is probably best known for creating the villainous Daleks in the long-running science fiction television series Doctor Who...
, creator of the Daleks.
The game was too large to fit into the standard memory of the BBC Micro so it came with its own ROM
Read-only memory
Read-only memory is a class of storage medium used in computers and other electronic devices. Data stored in ROM cannot be modified, or can be modified only slowly or with difficulty, so it is mainly used to distribute firmware .In its strictest sense, ROM refers only...
chip which had to be installed for the game to run in conjunction with game's main disk. This also caused problems for the unreleased (but heavily previewed and advertised) ZX Spectrum
ZX Spectrum
The ZX Spectrum is an 8-bit personal home computer released in the United Kingdom in 1982 by Sinclair Research Ltd...
version which would have required an add-on cartridge.
The costs associated with producing this game are often cited as crippling Micro Power who folded soon after its release.
The game began life as a sequel to the hit BBC Micro game Castle Quest, and was adapted into a Doctor Who game mid-development.