Software:B.C. II: Grog's Revenge

From HandWiki
B.C. II: Grog's Revenge
Developer(s)Sydney Development
Publisher(s)Comptiq
Eaglesoft
Erbe Software
Sierra On-Line
Spectravideo
US Gold
Designer(s)Rick Banks
Michael Bates
Platform(s)Commodore 64, ColecoVision, ADAM, MSX
Release1984
Genre(s)Action
Mode(s)Single-player

B.C. II: Grog's Revenge is a 1984 video game by Sydney Development for the Commodore 64, ColecoVision, Coleco ADAM, and MSX.[1][2] It is the sequel to B.C.'s Quest For Tires and is based on B.C., the newspaper comic strip by Johnny Hart. The game was advertised for the Atari 8-bit, ZX Spectrum, BBC Micro, and Amstrad CPC, but those ports were never released.[3]

Plot

Thor, a caveman, who rides a stone unicycle, is searching for the "meaning of life" within several mountains.

Gameplay

The player must navigate Thor through the mountains, collecting clams. As in the comic strip, clams are used as money. The object of the game is to collect enough clams to pay a toll to another caveman, Peter, which will allow Thor to access the next mountain.

The player moves Thor along the mountainside and through caves. When on the mountainside, Thor can move in all four directions, but must avoid falling off the cliff, slamming into a wall, or hitting a rock or hole. When in a cave, the screen is dark except for a beam of light emanating from the player's position. Here, Thor may move from side to side, avoiding stalagmites.

There are two enemies that Thor must avoid: One is the 'Tiredactyl' which will chase after Thor, in hopes of consuming Thor's tire (and causing him to lose a life). The other is Grog; if he and Thor are on the same level, an alarm melody will play. If Grog catches up to or meets Thor, he will shout "GROG", launching Thor skyward and ending the game.

If the player collects enough clams before arriving at the end of the mountain trail, he proceeds to the next mountain; otherwise, he must go back and collect more clams.[4]

Ports

The Commodore 64 and Coleco ADAM versions has 15 stages (5 per set). The MSX and ColecoVision versions only has 5 stages.

Due to a programming error, none of the MSX releases can be completed. The same goes for the ColecoVision version, although the bug was fixed for the Coleco Canada release.[5] This bug was fixed by Félix Espina, a programmer from Spain in 2019.[6]

Reception

Zzap!64 gave the game a 91% rating, describing it as a "stunningly impressive programme".[7] Computer and Video Games rated the ColecoVision version 87% in 1989.[8]

In a retrospective feature from 1994 on old video games, Commodore Format said Grog's Revenge was "definitely a game of the old school" but remained "a fun little diversion." They rated it 70%.[9]

Reviews

  • Jeux & Stratégie #38[10]
  • Jeux & Stratégie HS #3[11]

References

  1. ↑ "B.C. II: Grog's Revenge for Coleco Adam (1984) - MobyGames". http://www.mobygames.com/game/bc-ii-grogs-revenge. 
  2. ↑ "BC's Quest for Tires II: Grog's Revenge International Releases - Giant Bomb" (in en). https://www.giantbomb.com/bcs-quest-for-tires-ii-grogs-revenge/3030-12640/releases/. 
  3. ↑ "B.C. II: Grog's Revenge - World of Spectrum". http://www.worldofspectrum.org/infoseekid.cgi?id=0013921. 
  4. ↑ Trunzo, James (September 1985). "B.C. II: Grog's Revenge". Compute! Gazette: pp. 54. https://archive.org/details/1985-09-computegazette. Retrieved 10 December 2013. 
  5. ↑ (in en) [MSX B.C. II: Grog's Revenge - Longplay], https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A_rwr9sHHKs, retrieved 2019-08-23 
  6. ↑ New patch for BC II Grog's Revenge, 27 February 2019, http://msxfx.blogspot.com/2019/02/nuevo-parcheo-bc-ii-grogs-revenge.html 
  7. ↑ "Redirecting". http://www.zzap64.co.uk/cgi-bin/displaypage.pl?issue=002&page=028&magazine=zzap. 
  8. ↑ "Complete Games Guide". Computer and Video Games (Complete Guide to Consoles): 46–77. 16 October 1989. https://retrocdn.net/images/9/98/CompleteGuideToConsoles_UK_01.pdf#page=46. 
  9. ↑ https://archive.org/details/commodore-format-magazine-42/page/n15/mode/2up?view=theater [|permanent dead link|dead link}}]
  10. ↑ "Jeux & stratégie 38". April 1986. https://archive.org/details/jeux-et-strategie-38/page/72/mode/2up. 
  11. ↑ "Jeux & stratégie HS 3". 1986. https://archive.org/details/jeux-et-strategie-hs-3/page/110/mode/2up. 
  • MobyGames is a commercial database website that catalogs information on video games and the people and companies behind them via crowdsourcing. This includes over 300,000 games for hundreds of platforms.[1] Founded in 1999, ownership of the site has changed hands several times. It has been owned by Atari SA since 2022.

Features

Edits and submissions to the site (including screenshots, box art, developer information, game summaries, and more) go through a verification process of fact-checking by volunteer "approvers".[2] This approval process after submission can range from minutes to days or months.[3] The most commonly used sources are the video game's website, packaging, and credit screens. There is a published standard for game information and copy-editing.[4] A ranking system allows users to earn points for contributing accurate information.[5]

Registered users can rate and review games. Users can create private or public "have" and "want" lists, which can generate a list of games available for trade with other registered users. The site contains an integrated forum. Each listed game can have its own sub-forum.

History

Logo used until March 2014

MobyGames was founded on March 1, 1999, by Jim Leonard and Brian Hirt, and joined by David Berk 18 months later, the three of which had been friends since high school.[6][7] Leonard had the idea of sharing information about computer games with a larger audience. The database began with information about games for IBM PC compatibles, relying on the founders' personal collections. Eventually, the site was opened up to allow general users to contribute information.[5] In a 2003 interview, Berk emphasized MobyGames' dedication to taking video games more seriously than broader society and to preserving games for their important cultural influence.[5]

In mid-2010, MobyGames was purchased by GameFly for an undisclosed amount.[8] This was announced to the community post factum , and the site's interface was given an unpopular redesign.[7] A few major contributors left, refusing to do volunteer work for a commercial website.{{Citation needed|date=June 2025} On December 18, 2013, MobyGames was acquired by Jeremiah Freyholtz, owner of Blue Flame Labs (a San Francisco-based game and web development company) and VGBoxArt (a site for fan-made video game box art).[9] Blue Flame Labs reverted MobyGames' interface to its pre-overhaul look and feel,[10] and for the next eight years, the site was run by Freyholtz and Independent Games Festival organizer Simon Carless.[7]

On November 24, 2021, Atari SA announced a potential deal with Blue Flame Labs to purchase MobyGames for $1.5 million.[11] The purchase was completed on 8 March 2022, with Freyholtz remaining as general manager.[12][13][14] Over the next year, the financial boost given by Atari led to a rework of the site being built from scratch with a new backend codebase, as well as updates improving the mobile and desktop user interface.[1] This was accomplished by investing in full-time development of the site instead of its previously part-time development.[15]

In 2024, MobyGames began offering a paid "Pro" membership option for the site to generate additional revenue.[16] Previously, the site had generated income exclusively through banner ads and (from March 2014 onward) a small number of patrons via the Patreon website.[17]

On February 13, 2025, Freyholtz stepped down as the site lead to move onto new projects, leaving operations to Tracy Poff, a veteran coder on the site, and Atari staff.[18]

See also

  • IGDB – game database used by Twitch for its search and discovery functions

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Sheehan, Gavin (2023-02-22). "Atari Relaunches The Fully Rebuilt & Optimized MobyGames Website". https://bleedingcool.com/games/atari-relaunches-the-fully-rebuilt-optimized-mobygames-website/. 
  2. ↑ Litchfield, Ted (2021-11-26). "Zombie company Atari to devour MobyGames". https://www.pcgamer.com/zombie-company-atari-to-devour-mobygames/. 
  3. ↑ "MobyGames FAQ: Emails Answered § When will my submission be approved?". Blue Flame Labs. 30 March 2014. http://www.mobygames.com/info/faq7#g1. 
  4. ↑ "The MobyGames Standards and Practices". Blue Flame Labs. 6 January 2016. http://www.mobygames.com/info/standards. 
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Miller, Stanley A. (2003-04-22). "People's choice awards honor favorite Web sites". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. 
  6. ↑ "20 Years of MobyGames" (in en). 2019-02-28. https://trixter.oldskool.org/2019/02/28/20-years-of-mobygames/. 
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Plunkett, Luke (2022-03-10). "Atari Buys MobyGames For $1.5 Million". https://kotaku.com/mobygames-retro-credits-database-imdb-atari-freyholtz-b-1848638521. 
  8. ↑ "Report: MobyGames Acquired By GameFly Media". Gamasutra. 2011-02-07. https://www.gamedeveloper.com/game-platforms/report-mobygames-acquired-by-gamefly-media. 
  9. ↑ Corriea, Alexa Ray (December 31, 2013). "MobyGames purchased from GameFly, improvements planned". http://www.polygon.com/2013/12/31/5261414/mobygames-purchased-from-gamefly-improvements-planned. 
  10. ↑ Wawro, Alex (31 December 2013). "Game dev database MobyGames getting some TLC under new owner". Gamasutra. https://www.gamedeveloper.com/business/game-dev-database-mobygames-getting-some-tlc-under-new-owner. 
  11. ↑ "Atari invests in Anstream, may buy MobyGames". November 24, 2021. https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2021-11-24-atari-invests-in-anstream-may-buy-mobygames. 
  12. ↑ Rousseau, Jeffrey (2022-03-09). "Atari purchases Moby Games". https://www.gamesindustry.biz/atari-purchases-moby-games. 
  13. ↑ "Atari Completes MobyGames Acquisition, Details Plans for the Site's Continued Support". March 8, 2022. https://www.atari.com/atari-completes-mobygames-acquisition-details-plans-for-the-sites-continued-support/. 
  14. ↑ "Atari has acquired game database MobyGames for $1.5 million" (in en-GB). 2022-03-09. https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/atari-has-acquired-game-database-mobygames-for-1-5-million/. 
  15. ↑ Stanton, Rich (2022-03-10). "Atari buys videogame database MobyGames for $1.5 million". https://www.pcgamer.com/atari-buys-videogame-database-mobygames-for-dollar15-million/. 
  16. ↑ Harris, John (2024-03-09). "MobyGames Offering “Pro” Membership". https://setsideb.com/mobygames-offering-pro-membership/. 
  17. ↑ "MobyGames on Patreon". http://www.patreon.com/mobygames. 
  18. ↑ "An update on MobyGames leadership". 2025-02-13. https://www.mobygames.com/forum/3/thread/269628/an-update-on-mobygames-leadership/#post-269628. 
  • No URL found. Please specify a URL here or add one to Wikidata.





Retrieved from "https://handwiki.org/wiki/index.php?title=Software:B.C._II:_Grog%27s_Revenge&oldid=772994"