Dr. Acula: Game Review by Andre Luna Leao

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{{ _ }} Dr. Acula review by Andre Luna Leao              /  \__/
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The story of Dr. Acula dates back to the mid-80s and to     \__/ the programmer Colin Stewart, who may not be the most wellknown or prolific on the ZX Spectrum scene but has a game on his portfolio  that anyone can recognize: Frank N Stein, released by
PSS in 1984. In fact, we can consider two games, if we count the sequel released in 2011, Frank N Stein Re-booted.

It all started in 2011 when Colin found his old computer in the attic, along with some cartridges, which he had stored 24 years earlier. One of them, named Frank N Stein, was inoperative and it possibly contained the final version of the game released by PSS. A second cartridge, which was operational, contained some Frank N Stein levels and features that, for some reason, were not part of the final version. This gave rise to Frank N Stein Re-booted, which was released precisely 27 years after the original game. A third cartridge contained another game created by Colin, The Goblin Caves, which he had completely forgotten, and never finished. But the fourth cartridge was named Dracula and contained the sequel to Frank N Stein (Dr. Acula), a game that was never finished either. Colin had long intended to complete this game and in good time he did so.

This sequel has a sinister story to match, as you'd expect:

| One night, Acula captured Frank and locked him away in his
| castle. But Frank hatched a cunning plan to escape by con-
| structing a coffin, knowing that it would be impossible for
| Dr. Acula to resist clambering into it and, once Prof. Frank
| had nailed down the lid, he would be trapped for all eternity!
| Unfortunately, Dr. Acula managed to escape, destroying the
| coffin and unleashing his hoard of bats on Prof. Frank. The
| only hope would be to grab a crucifix and send Dr. Acula back
| into the shadows, while trying to build another coffin...

Anyone who remembers Frank N Stein knows that the game had 50 levels, with two distinct phases, which alternated as we progressed. In the first phase we had to collect the different parts of Frankenstein's skeleton. Once we completed this task, we could switch on the generator. These levels are clearly inspired by Manic Miner, at a time when Matthew Smith was considered ZX Spectrum's big star.

Then, in a second phase we just had to reach the generator lever, avoiding all the enemies that populated the platforms, as well as the barrels that Frankenstein threw at us, using mechanic that evokes the arcade game Kong.

As for Dr. Acula, the mechanics are very similar to Frank N Stein, and we still have the same 50 levels, although you can choose the difficulty level in the initial menu, an option that didn't exist in the prequel. We also have the two distinct phases, but now, instead of collecting the eight parts of a skeleton in a certain order, we must collect the eight parts of the coffin where Dr. Acula will lie. The graphics are now more polished, and the scenarios are more creative, including elevators and some teleporters, which allow our character to move between more distant points, instead of being limited to the platforms that were immediately above or below (as in the first episode of the series).

The second phase presents more differences compared to the original. Besides introducing elevators, it also contains other types of enemies and obstacles, namely lakes we can immerse ourselves into, remaining hidden from our opponents. We shouldn't do it for a long time, as there is still a time limit to finish each level. In this second phase, we are no longer bombarded with barrels, but Dr. Acula releases bats, which run across the platforms, making our task more difficult.

If we choose the lower level of difficulty, the part of the coffin that we have to collect is illuminated, so we find the path to the object more quickly. Furthermore, the time limit to finish each level is extended comparing to the higher difficulty level. Bearing in mind that sometimes time is measured to the second, we cannot afford spending too much time looking for the next piece to be collected, under penalty of letting the timer run out. We should also consider that if we let time reach its limit, besides losing a life, we have to start the level over again, losing all the pieces that had already been collected.

The best compliment we can give to this work by Colin Stewart is that it takes us back to 1984, with all the sensations associated with that golden age of the ZX Spectrum. Nowadays, most platform games are developed using engines like AGD or La Churrera. If, on the one hand, it allows even those who don't have much programming knowledge to create their games, on the other, it makes the games too standardized and similar to each other.

Although, that is not the case of Dr. Acula, which gives us a truly old school feeling, something very rare these days. Combined with excellent gameplay and an entertainment capacity well above average, this makes us consider this game one of the candidates to win GOTY 2024. And all of this is offered free of charge, simply by downloading the game from the following link: https://www.colinstewart.co.uk/playdracula/.

If you are not yet convinced, we invite you to take a look at Dr. Acula but do so at your own risk. Don't say that you weren't warned and that you spent long hours glued to the television screen...