MAGIC KNIGHT AND SPELLBOUND - 35 YEARS ON - MASTERTRONIC CLASSICS

We have been asked on numerous occasions to share a little more of the journey associated with the amazing ZX Spectrum. So, we are here this week to duly oblige.....

The Magic Knight journey begins with a King – the King of Ibsisima to be precise. It’s his daughter’s birthday soon, and the big man is struggling to come up with a suitable gift for her. Magic Knight, eager to gain entry into the hallowed Polygon Table, is charged with entering the mystical Castle Of Spriteland to find a treasure worthy of the comely Princess Germintrude.

Released 35 years ago, the first Magic Knight game, called Finders Keepers and written by David Jones, marked the start of a series of high-quality £1.99 classics from budget publisher Mastertronic.

With its attractive cartoon style graphics, two-tone gameplay (there are maze sections to accompany the platform action) and then-unique item system, it’s no wonder that Finders Keepers captured the hearts of so many gamers back in the Eighties.

Later the same year saw sequel Spellbound released, to even bigger acclaim. Magic Knight is now a student to the wizard Gimbal, who has managed to accidentally bind him into a strange land along with a bunch of other characters throughout history. Being a good sort of fellow, our hero decides to return everybody to their own time zone before saving his own skin.

Via the new Windimation system, objects and characters around the game can be manipulated and interacted with, all from the touch of a button, making puzzle-solving a joy to perform. As part of Mastertronic’s new MAD range (Mastertronic Added Dimension), Spellbound retailed for a touch more than its predecessor – but this supreme graphical adventure was worth every penny and more.

These two adventures from David Jones proved that budget games needn’t be derivative clones or quick cash grabs.

Original, easy to play and attractive, for many the exploits of Magic Knight remain the pinnacle of arcade adventure gaming, 35 years after fans first experienced this hapless cavalier.

Now you can wear your allegiance to the cause with Seven Squared’s very special Magic Knight and Spellbound tees, fully exclusive and officially licensed.

Thanks again to Graeme Mason for writing this Blog piece, and we would welcome your comments and your memories here or in our social media channels. 

We appreciate the continued support as we look to continue the journey #KeepingTheGameAlive

Enjoy some magic Spellbound action to take you back to the moment...