Revenge of the Mutant Camels is a surreal

Surrealism

Surrealism is a cultural movement that began in the early 1920s, and is best known for the visual artworks and writings of the group members....

 horizontally-scrolling shooter computer game, designed and programmed by Jeff Minter

Jeff Minter

Jeff 'Yak' Minter is a British computer/video game designer and programmer. He is the founder of software house Llamasoft and his recent works include Neon , a non-game music visualization program that has been built into the Xbox 360 console, and the video games Space Giraffe , and Space Invaders...

 and released on the Amiga

Amiga

The Amiga is a family of personal computers that was sold by Commodore in the 1980s and 1990s. The first model was launched in 1985 as a high-end home computer and became popular for its graphical, audio and multi-tasking abilities...

, Atari ST

Atari ST

The Atari ST is a home/personal computer that was released by Atari Corporation in 1985 and commercially available from that summer into the early 1990s. The "ST" officially stands for "Sixteen/Thirty-two", which referred to the Motorola 68000's 16-bit external bus and 32-bit internals...

, 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...

 and IBM PC

IBM PC

The IBM Personal Computer, commonly known as the IBM PC, is the original version and progenitor of the IBM PC compatible hardware platform. It is IBM model number 5150, and was introduced on August 12, 1981...

. The 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...

 version of the game was commercially released; the versions for other platforms, which had significant gameplay and graphical enhancements and were released several years afterwards, were distributed as shareware

Shareware

The term shareware is a proprietary software that is provided to users without payment on a trial basis and is often limited by any combination of functionality, availability, or convenience. Shareware is often offered as a download from an Internet website or as a compact disc included with a...

.

Gameplay

A sequel of sorts to Attack of the Mutant Camels

Attack of the Mutant Camels

Attack of the Mutant Camels was a surrealist computer game released for the Commodore 64 and Atari 8-bit computers in the 1980s by Jeff Minter's Llamasoft. It is a horizontally-scrolling shooter.-Summary:...

(also known as Advance of the Mega-Camels), this time the player controls a camel

Camel

A camel is an even-toed ungulate within the genus Camelus, bearing distinctive fatty deposits known as humps on its back. There are two species of camels: the dromedary or Arabian camel has a single hump, and the bactrian has two humps. Dromedaries are native to the dry desert areas of West Asia,...

. The camel is armed by default with small blue shots, but can obtain other weapons and weapon upgrades by collecting power-up

Power-up

In computer and video games, power-ups are objects that instantly benefit or add extra abilities to the game character as a game mechanic. This is in contrast to an item, which may or may not have a benefit and can be used at a time chosen by the player...

s during the game.

In all but the Commodore 64 version, the camel is teamed up with a bipedal goat

Goat

The domestic goat is a subspecies of goat domesticated from the wild goat of southwest Asia and Eastern Europe. The goat is a member of the Bovidae family and is closely related to the sheep as both are in the goat-antelope subfamily Caprinae. There are over three hundred distinct breeds of...

, who can be controlled either by the computer or by a second player. If the camel crouches down, the goat can mount it and ride on its back, enabling them to focus their firepower.

The game features a host of bizarre enemies, including: British

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

 telephone boxes, Polo mints

Polo (mint)

Polos are a brand of sweets whose defining feature is the hole in the middle. The peppermint flavoured polo was first manufactured in the United Kingdom in 1948 by employee John Bargewell at the Rowntree's Factory, York, a range of flavours followed...

, exploding sheep, skiing

Skiing

Skiing is a recreational activity using skis as equipment for traveling over snow. Skis are used in conjunction with boots that connect to the ski with use of a binding....

 kangaroo

Kangaroo

A kangaroo is a marsupial from the family Macropodidae . In common use the term is used to describe the largest species from this family, especially those of the genus Macropus, Red Kangaroo, Antilopine Kangaroo, Eastern Grey Kangaroo and Western Grey Kangaroo. Kangaroos are endemic to the country...

s, guys sitting on flying toilets and even the jet plane controlled by the player in Attack of the Mutant Camels and a wave of Jeff Minters. In versions other than the Commodore 64 version, a variety of power-up

Power-up

In computer and video games, power-ups are objects that instantly benefit or add extra abilities to the game character as a game mechanic. This is in contrast to an item, which may or may not have a benefit and can be used at a time chosen by the player...

s are available, including ecstasy tablets (for a turn of speed), spliff

Joint (cannabis)

Joint is a slang term for a cigarette rolled using cannabis. Rolling papers are the most common rolling medium among industrialized countries, however brown paper, cigarettes with the tobacco removed, and newspaper are commonly used in developing countries. Modern papers are now made from a wide...

s (to fly over life's troubles) and apple

Apple

The apple is the pomaceous fruit of the apple tree, species Malus domestica in the rose family . It is one of the most widely cultivated tree fruits, and the most widely known of the many members of genus Malus that are used by humans. Apple grow on small, deciduous trees that blossom in the spring...

s (because they're good for you).

Unlike Attack of the Mutant Camels

Attack of the Mutant Camels

Attack of the Mutant Camels was a surrealist computer game released for the Commodore 64 and Atari 8-bit computers in the 1980s by Jeff Minter's Llamasoft. It is a horizontally-scrolling shooter.-Summary:...

, it is possible for the player to win Revenge; after a certain number of waves of enemies were defeated the player was declared the winner. In the Commodore 64 version, this was indicated simply by the message "WELL DONE! YOU HAVE SAVED CAMELKIND!" being briefly flashed over the playfield before the game restarted on the first level.

The theme music for the Commodore 64 version was arranged by James Lisney

James Lisney

James Lisney is an international concert pianist. He studied with Phyllis Sellick and John Barstow – and early success was achieved after he gained representation by the Young Concert Artists Trust...

 and was based on Ballet égyptien

Ballet égyptien

Ballet égyptien, Op. 12 , is Alexandre Luigini's best-known composition, and is the only one of his works in the standard repertoire....

by Alexandre Luigini

Alexandre Luigini

Alexandre Clément Léon Joseph Luigini was a French composer and conductor, especially active in the opera house. As as composer, he is now remembered almost solely for his Ballet égyptien.-Life and career:...

.

Development

Revenge of the Mutant Camels was announced in the Dec 1983/Jan 1984 issue of Commodore Horizons with a prospective release for mid-December 1984.

Sequel

Llamasoft, (including series creator Jeff Minter), developed a sequel to Revenge of the Mutant Camels entitled Revenge of the Mutant Camels II for the PC, the title was published by Kool Dog Entertainment which is a sub division of Guildhall Leisure which has since closed down, however, due to poor sales and reception the title was withdrawn from shelves just weeks after release.The plot is a continuation of the story from the original Revenge of the Mutant Camels.

For Amiga there is also Revenge of Mutant Camels II which was released with poor reception by Mastertronic

Mastertronic

Mastertronic was originally a publisher and distributor of low-cost computer game software founded in 1983. Their first games were distributed in mid-1984. At its peak the label was the dominant software publisher in the UK, a position achieved by selling cassette-based software at the £1.99...

 in 1988. This release did not involve Minter himself, but in 1992 Minter released his own Amiga version entitled simply Revenge of the Mutant Camels as shareware

Shareware

The term shareware is a proprietary software that is provided to users without payment on a trial basis and is often limited by any combination of functionality, availability, or convenience. Shareware is often offered as a download from an Internet website or as a compact disc included with a...

game (this is similar to Atari ST version).