THE SPECTRUM GAMES DATABASE

SABRE WULF

PUBLISHER
Ultimate Play The Game (Ashby Computers and Graphics)

AUTHORS
Chris and Tim Stamper

YEAR OF RELEASE
July 1984

DESCRIPTION
Sabre Wulf is a flip screen arcade adventure which is set in a
deep jungle. You control the Sabreman and your mission is to help
him escape by collecting four parts of a sacred amulet. Key areas
to explore in the game are the jungle, the mountains and also the
caves.  To hinder your mission are all types of animals and
monsters which will get in your way. Most of these can be
destroyed with a simple swipe of your sword, but, you will find
that your sword has no affect against the power of the Sabre
Wulf. Only the amulet will see him off and lead you to freedom.


INSTRUCTIONS
The object of the game is to collect all four parts of the ACG
amulet, destroy the SabreWulf, and then escape from your jungle
prison.

CONTROLS

KEYBOARD CONTROLS

LEFT Your Explorer will move left using the Q key.
RIGHT Your Explorer will move right using the W key.
DOWN Your Explorer will move down using the E key.
UP Your Explorer will move up using the R key.
STAB/SWORD FIGHT Your Explorer will fight using the T key.

PAUSE The whole game can be paused by using the CAPS SHIFT or
SPACE/BREAK keys.

JOYSTICK CONTROLS
Your Explorer can be fully controlled by using the KEMPSTON
INTERFACE, CURSOR CONTROLLED INTERFACE or the SINCLAIR INTERFACE
II and joystick, by replacing the LEFT, RIGHT, UP, DOWN and
STAB/SWORD FIGHT commands.

PICK UP Your Explorer will automatically collect any useful
objects required by passing over them.


CHEATS

SEQUELS/PREQUELS
Sabre Wulf was the sequel to Ultimate`s previous arcade
adventure, Atic Atac and was VERY similar in style. Upon
completing SabreWulf, Sabreman finds himself in Ultimate`s next
game, Underwurlde.

INLAY CARD TEXT
Down and down I plunged, through Rocky Glades, Steep Ravines and
Shady Hollows...No grip, no footholds, slipping, tumbling,
spinning, darker and darker, deeper and deeper.

Glinting eyes, clutching hands, clasping claws, clawing my all,
as I swiftly twist and tumble onwards.

Darker and darker, deeper and deeper. It is the end that I fear,
of this untroden voyage...to where I do not
know...AARRRGGGG...THUDD...

Fall and end meet on soft mossy soil...with weapons drawn and
senses full I move quickly and quietly around the mounded
clearing...All safe except a message...An ancient warning etched
deep into the lifeless stone.

              THE WARNING

THY PATH IS LONG SO TREAD WITH CARE
BEWARE THE WULF AND PASS HIS LAIR
DANGER THREATENS ALL AROUND
SO TAKE YE FROM THIS HIDDEN MOUND
TO FREE THEE FROM THIS SUNKEN GATE
BY WAY OF CAVE OR MEET THY FATE
AN AMULET TO SEEK THY WILL
`TWAS SPLIT BY QUAD AND HIDDEN STILL
PASS THE KEEPER WROUGHT WITH HATE
TO GAIN AN ENTRANCE TO THE GATE
THE PIECES LOST MUST THEE AMAS
FOR IF NO CHARM THEN NON SHALL PASS

              THE EXPLORATION

I edge through the shady mounded clearing and on through the
dense thickets of hot house rain forest undergrowth, of sorts I
cannot tell, and wait...and listen...Distant rumblings of heavy
feet crashing, large animals leap from the damp green stubble,
to  fight and kill.

I stay hidden...The rumblings grow louder and louder, as a huge
Goliath animal crashes past, horns swiping and tail lashing,
still I hide as its thunderous noise dies away.

All was clear as I leapt over the clumps and onto the well
trodden pathway, its deep ruts and prints reveal the multitude
of life forms inhabiting this hollow.  Danger threatens so I
should move quickly... But Where???

              THE EXPLORATION

Wide eyed, I stare, as the dense surroundings reveal their hidden
secrets...Strange food orchids suddenly bloom, their staining
toxins, strong on the air, then, in an instant, are gone.
Hunters, killers, vampire bats and huge beasts spring forth from
the very ground, swimming, slithering, diving and crawling...I
must hide...Stay safe...With weapon strong and cunning nature,
I will survive...

            SABRE WULF FEATURES
            -------------------

SABREMAN                Temples
Realistic Fighting      Lakes
WULVES                  Trees
Hippos                  Jungle
Rhinos                  Native Huts
Wart Hogs               Cliffs
Tarantulas              Magic Rings
Fruit Bats              Yellow Sickness Orchids
Parrots                 White Cure Orchids
Gorillas                Red Zombie Orchids
Scorpions               Blue Super High Energy Orchids
Snakes                  Purple De-Orientation Orchids
Lizards                 3-Dimensional Scenarion
Natives                 Full 8 Way Movement
Gem Stones              On Screen Scoring
Dubbloons               Superb Graphics
Supplies                Multi Lives
Amulets                 Amazing Animation
Medallion               Combat Button
Callice                 Incredible Sound Effects
Voodoo Potion           Explosions
Spears                  Keyboard/Joystick Select
Treasure Chests         Automatic Pause
Water Flasks            Materializations
Supplies
Statues


SCORES/REVIEWS
CRASH, Issue: 6, Page: 62, Rating: Unratable!

SNAPSHOTS/URLS

FACTS ABOUT THE GAME
When the game was first reviewed in Crash way back in 1984, it
wasn`t given a percentage score due to the fact that the
reviewers thought it was so good it was UNRATABLE! A few months
passed and readers wanted Crash to give an exact percentage
rating fo r the game, they re-reviewed it and gave it somewhere
between 90-96%

One frequently asked question about Sabre Wulf is "Why do the
Rhino's sometimes run backwards?"  This is not a programming bug
as had I previously thought, but because many emulators do not
emulate an undocumented feature of the Spectrum, namely the "R"
register.  Lack of this feature causes the Rhino's to run
backwards.  It also has an effect in Ghosts & Goblins (Elite),
and it is also used for Speedlock.  Like I have said before
though, there is a much fuller explanation in the Spectrum FAQ
and the docs to Z80.  


NOTES
Sabrewulf was the second Ultimate game that was featured in a
Crash competition (AticAtac was the first) which asked the
readers to produce a map of all the screens in the game. The
prize for the best map won the sacred ACG amulet and a copy of
another Ultimate game.  Sabrewulf was also a departure for the
Stamper brothers who had previously released their games in small
cassette sized cases for the sum of 5.95. This new game went on
sale at the (then hefty) price of 9.95 and came with a larger,
cardboard box. Ultimate said the price increase was to cover
higher production costs.

The game can also be found on the 4-pack compilation, "They Sold
a Million" which also featured Daley Thompsons Decathlon,
Beachhead and all time classic, Jet Set Willy.























