Assault of the Ogroids (1987)

Assault Of The Ogroids is a computer moderated solo board game published in the May 1987 issue of Sinclair User magazine, a computer magazine for the 8-bit SInclair ZX Spectrum. The player takes the part of Deerfoot, a scout sent to gain aid for his city which is being besieged by the evil Ogroids. The board is a rectangle 12 spaces by 15 spaces, and the player wins the game by traveling across the board within 30 hours. Every square entered takes a toll of the available time and the player's stamina. There are five different types of terrain, and the random encounters include finding useful items, meeting unfriendly monsters, becoming lost or finding a quicker route to your eventual goal. You lose once 30 game hours have passed, or if you are killed by a monster or other kind of encounter. The computer program is approximately 90 lines of BASIC. It randomises numbers for combat and for encounters met along the way, and also keeps a track of the gold and items held by the player. Gary Chalk designed the game and also illustrated it in a style familiar from the "Lone Wolf" game books.