Swashbuckler is a 1982 computer game for the Apple II family of computers, created by Paul Stephenson and published by Datamost

Datamost

Datamost was a software design company founded by David Gordon and based in Chatsworth, California. Datamost operated in the early 1980s producing games and other software mainly for the Apple II, Commodore 64 and Atari platforms, with some for the IBM PC...

.

Gameplay

This combat game puts the player in control of a sword-wielding swashbuckler

Swashbuckler

Swashbuckler or swasher is a term that emerged in the 16th century and has been used for rough, noisy and boastful swordsmen ever since. A possible explanation for this term is that it derives from a fighting style using a side-sword with a buckler in the off-hand, which was applied with much...

 who must fight and dispatch various attackers. Combat occurs in a wooden-beamed chamber littered with skeletons and cobwebs, which the player views from the side.

The fighter's actions are controlled with the keyboard, and include moving left or right (A and D), turning (S) and swinging the sword high (I), low (M), or lunging straight (L). The first opponent is a large, lumbering man with a spiked club; once defeated, the second opponent appears, a smaller man armed with a hatchet and a dagger. After defeating him, both opponents return and attack together. As play progresses, more opponents are added to the fray, including enormous rats and venomous snakes.

For each enemy dispatched, the game awards a point. The swashbuckler can withstand two hits, but the third kills him and ends the game. The difficulty steadily increases until he's overwhelmed.

Reception

Computer Gaming World

Computer Gaming World

Computer Gaming World was a computer game magazine founded in 1981 by Russell Sipe as a bimonthly publication. Early issues were typically 40-50 pages in length, written in a newsletter style, including submissions by game designers such as Joel Billings , Dan Bunten , and Chris Crawford...

gave the game a glowing review, only lamenting the rollover of the five-digit score at 250 (which was fixed prior to final publication), appended by an editor's note that, although the graphics were superb and the concept somewhat unique, the players at CGW grew tired of the lack of variety after a few dozen kills.