Circle of Blood

Uncover the identity of a jester assassin. Unlock the legend of the Knights Templar. And unravel a plot as twisted as the catacombs you'll be prowling.

As American in Paris George Stobbart, you find it odd when an accordion-playing clown darts out of a cafe clutching a briefcase. Moments later, you're sent flying from the force of a massive explosion right into a sinister world of intrigue. The coveted contents of the briefcase? A fiercely guarded manuscript penned by a clandestine medieval order - the Knights Templar.

Steal it back before a group of Megalomaniacs fathoms its mysteries and overturns the very balance of life.

Source:

Back of Box - DOS/Windows

A gritty, present day thriller, Broken Sword throws the player into the criminal underworld of Paris, as an American caught up in the seedy side of life who accidentally discovers a ruthless gang of fascists.

With hand-drawn backgrounds, sprites that expand and contract according to their position on screen and ten-layer parallax scrolling, the game is as handsome as it is atmospheric. The FMV sequences and sprite handling are a joy to behold: Broken Sword runs at an impressive 30 fps. The point-and-click interface is perfectly suited to the PlayStation mouse, though the traditional controller works just as well.

Source:

From uk.playstation.com

THE CLASSIC PC TALE OF MYSTERY AND INTRIGUE FAITHFULLY RECREATED FOR GAME BOY ADVANCE

A quiet drink in a Cafe in Paris is the start of a mysterious adventure for young American George Stobbart. Unwittingly he is drawn into a web of archaic and sinister plots, with origins that extend back to the early 14th Century and the deadly order of the Knights Templar.

Immerse yourself in this award winning adventure, as you travel the globe in search of clues and information. Can you foil the plans of these evil black hearts before they succeed in their monstrous plans?

• Dive into an adventure of global exploration; cryptic puzzle solving; and fight for survival.
• Feast on over 60 beautifully animated characters in over 70 breathtaking, hand drawn locations.
• Answer the call to action and challenge yourself to the limit with compelling game play for the would-be adventurer.

Source:

Back of Box - Game Boy Advance

Broken Sword – The Shadow of the Templars

Broken Sword – The Shadow of the Templars is arguably Revolution’s biggest selling and best loved adventure title to date. Released in 1996, Broken Sword 1 is still a popular game in its own right to this very day. Moreover, the series has proven popular with players of all ages and fans of many different gaming genres.

BS1 introduces the quirky and refreshingly different gaming heroes, George Stobbart and Nico Collard to the gaming world. Humour, adventure, detective work and conspiracy on a global scale are all elements that define Broken Sword.

In 2001 Revolution produced a faithful reproduction of Broken Sword - The Shadow of the Templars for the Game Boy Advance. This game used a brand new engine and the game was completely re-implemented using only the sprites and text lines from the original game. GBA Sword is still available for purchase, but please hurry as the initial cart run will soon run out!

Bizzarly, the USA publisher of BS1 decided to change its name in the USA to “Circle of Blood”. Rest assured, name aside, COB is exactly the same game and can still be found for sale in the USA.

Source:

Revolution Web Site

DIE ÜBLICHEN VERDÄCHTIGEN

Wer hat die Bombe gelegt? Was verbirgt sich hinter dem mysteriösen Orden der Templer? Welche Rolle spielt der rätselhafte Clown? Nur einer kann die Rätsel dieses packenden Point 'n' Click-Adventures lösen und Baphomets Fluch für immer beenden: Sie.

PC-Player 7/96: Das Scrolling ist trotz SVGA supersanft und nicht so ruckelig wie bei einem LucasArts- oder Sierra-Titel.

Source:

Advertisement in PC Games, November 1996 (German)

Broken Sword: The Shadow of the Templars is a text-based mystery game, rich with charm, suspense and humor. For some, Broken Sword will be a blast from the past. But even players new to this type of game may find it a welcome break from the usual fare of fast and furious action.

You tackle the role of George, a hapless American tourist. At game's beginning, he is sipping coffee outside a cafe when a huge explosion turns the cafe to rubble. Lucky to escape with his life, George travels all over present-day Paris to gather clues that will solve the mystery.

As you traipse from quarter to quarter you'll see deftly hand-drawn backgrounds depicting cobblestone streets and wrought-iron street lamps. The music adds to the old-world atmosphere.

Originally released for the home computer, Broken Sword was designed to use a point-and-click interface. Fortunately, BAM! has done a fine job adapting the interface using action icons that appear when needed. Simply walk up to an object or person and the appropriate icons will appear for you to select. Players can still explore each fixed scene by moving George through the foreground and background using the Control Pad.

Broken Sword is a great translation of the PC original. The clues and puzzles are very satisfying and always lead to reach logical conclusions. The game's subtle wit and style are meant to be savored but may not satisfy players who are looking for a quick thrill.

Progress is saved directly to the Game Pak in one of three save files. Broken Sword: The Shadow of the Templars is in stores now.

Source:

www.nintendo.com

Broken Sword®: Shadow of the Templars comes to Windows Mobile® for Pocket PC devices

THE MIDLANDS, UK - August 2nd 2006 - Astraware and Revolution Software are pleased to announce the release of Broken Sword®: Shadow of the Templars for devices running Windows Mobile® for Pocket PC.

In Broken Sword®: Shadow of the Templars players guide George Stobbart, an American tourist on vacation in Paris, as he investigates the aftermath of an explosion in a café. He quickly becomes embroiled in a dangerous adventure as he tries to uncover the work of the mysterious Knights Templar.

"Broken Sword brings an incredible story to your handheld, but unlike an eBook, you're not just a reader but an active participant, getting drawn deeper and deeper into the plot with every choice you make," said Howard Tomlinson, CEO of Astraware.

Broken Sword®: Shadow of the Templars boasts stunning graphics, video cutscenes, text dialog, full speech soundtrack and music - essentially the complete PC game experience on a handheld device for the first time! Players will need a suitable storage card with at least 130MB free in their device to play this game, but we're sure you'll agree it's worth every byte!

"We are very proud of how well the game has translated to Windows Mobile. We are confident that it is one of the best looking and engrossing games on the platform - particularly suited to gaming on the move," said Charles Cecil, Managing Director of Revolution Software.

Commenting on the new game, Dan Cohen, Product Manager for Windows Mobile in the UK said: "We’re thrilled to see more great titles coming to the Windows Mobile 5 platform. Gamers not only want more choice in where they can play but they are also demanding better quality graphics so they have the same features on a mobile device as they would on their PC. Windows Mobile 5 will not only enable gamers to play Broken Sword whilst on the move, but the platform means they can also make use of digital speech and video for an enhanced experience."

Broken Sword®: Shadow of the Templars for Windows Mobile® is compatible with Windows Mobile® for Pocket PC 2003, 2003 SE and 5.0 with QVGA, VGA and 240x240 square screen resolutions. The game is available from the Astraware website here.

Source:

www.astraware.com Press Release

BAPHOMETS FLUCH

ES SOLLTE EIN RUHIGER UND ERHOLSAMER URLAUB IM SCHÖNEN PARIS WERDEN

Doch plötzlich findet sich George Stobbart inmitten einer düsteren Verschwörung wieder. Im Handumdrehen wird aus dem Urlaub eine geheimnisvolle Reise rund um die Welt. Wer hat die Bombe gelegt? Welche Rolle spielt der mysteriöse Clown? Was verbirgt sich hinter dem rätselhaften Orden der Templer? Fragen über Fragen. Und nur einer kann Sie beantworten: George Stobbart.

FEATURES

• Über 60 Personen, mit denen Sie interagieren können

• Über 50 benutzbare Gegenstände und mehr als 70 Schauplätze warten auf Ihren Besuch

• Phantastische SVGA-Grafik und atemberaubend animierte Zwischensequenzen

• 260 Soundeffekte und mehr als zwei Stunden eigens für dieses Spiel komponierte Musik des erfolgreichen englischen Komponisten Barrington Pheloung

• 2 CDs gefüllt mit über 50 Stunden Spielspaß

• Komplett in deutsch

Source:

Back of Case - Win & DOS - WL / SoldOut release (Germany)

BAM! ENTERTAINMENT SHIPS BROKEN SWORD™: THE SHADOW OF THE TEMPLARS FOR THE GAME BOY ADVANCE

The Highly Anticipated Graphic Adventure Game Ships To Retailers This Week San Jose, Calif. (March 14, 2002)- BAM! Entertainment (Nasdaq: BFUN) today announced that it has begun shipping Broken Sword: The Shadow of the Templars for the Game Boy Advance to stores this week. An engrossing and addictive graphic-adventure game based on the hugely successful PC and PlayStation series, Broken Sword: The Shadow of the Templars was developed by the York-based Revolution Studios

"Broken Sword: The Shadow of the Templars fills a need in the portable gaming market-- the need for excellent adventure games," said Alain Tascan, Vice President of Worldwide Product Development for BAM! Entertainment. "Revolution's talent for telling a great story and their ability to bring all of the outstanding features from the PC and PlayStation versions to the Game Boy Advance has created a graphically pleasing and truly clever adventure gaming experience for the handheld."

The game follows the story of George Stobbart, an unsuspecting American on holiday in Paris who witnesses the theft of an ancient manuscript and the brutal assassination of its keeper. This manuscript was created in the 14th century by the mysterious order of the Knights Templar and points to where their legendary power has been hidden for over six hundred years. Through his own investigations George discovers that the manuscript's new owners intend to harness the power for their own sinister agenda. Broken Sword: The Shadow of the Templars takes players to over 70 locations with many hours of addictive and compelling gameplay in addition to a completely new control system exclusive to the Game Boy Advance version.

"The results we've been able to achieve on the Game Boy Advance have exceeded even our expectations", said Charles Cecil, Managing Director, Revolution Software Ltd. "BAM!'s commitment to the project and the team's hard work has ensured that this is one of the most enjoyable Broken Sword games to date".

Broken Sword: The Shadow of the Templars has already received many industry accolades as well as rave reviews from the gaming press. Nintendo Power says of Broken Sword: The Shadow of the Templars: "This is one of the best text-based games I've ever played…Broken Sword is well written and beautifully illustrated."

About BAM! Entertainment, Inc.

Founded in 1999 and based in San Jose, California, BAM! Entertainment, Inc. is a developer, publisher and marketer of interactive entertainment software in North America and Europe. The company develops, obtains, or licenses properties from a wide variety of sources, including global entertainment and media companies, and publishes software for video game systems, wireless devices, and personal computers. The company's common stock is publicly traded on Nasdaq under the symbol BFUN. More information about BAM! and its products can be found at the company's web site located at www.bam4fun.com.

Source:

BAM! Entertainment Press Release (GBA)

Uncover the identity of a jester assassin. Unlock the legend of the Knights Templar. And unravel a plot as twisted as the catacombs you'll be prowling.

As American in Paris George Stobbart, you find it odd when an accordion-playing clown darts out of a cafe clutching a briefcase. Moments later, you're sent flying from the force of a massive explosion right into a sinister world of intrigue. The coveted contents of that briefcase? A fiercely guarded manuscript penned by a clandestine medieval order - the Knights Templar.

Steal it back before a group of megalomaniacs fathoms its mysteries and overturns the very balance of life.

Features: * An intensely twisting, turning epic based on the controversial, historical legend of the Knights Templar

• Completely hand-painted by artists formerly of the renowned Don Bluth Studios (An American Tail and laser disc game Dragon's Lair and Space Ace)

• Feature film quality animation

• Scored by acclaimed composer Barrington Pheloung (Nostradamus)

• Intuitive, easy-to-use interface

Source:

Back of Box - DOS and Windows (US)