Apple Cider Spider

The Good
Before they became famous for King's Quest, Sierra On-Line created some excellent arcade games, most of them were clones of other games that were in the arcades at the time. But there were a few original ones that they did, and one of them was Apple Cider Spider created for the Apple II and Commodore 64. The game is set inside a factory where apple cider is made, and you control the spider in the title who needs to find its way through the factory to get to its nest. The spider looks more like an octopus, and it walks exactly like one.

I like how this game gives you an reversed in-depth look at how apple cider is made, that apples are split into two halves, then the pieces then go into a machine which forms the apple cider, then the cider itself goes into bottles. Like any factory, there has to be some moving parts and your spider must avoid these.

The graphics are primitive compared to today's standards, but they were satisfactory for its time. The sprites are drawn nicely, especially the spider's hideout after you completed the third level. The animation is smooth. When you try to get the spider to jump on a platform but miss, I find it amusing it lands upside down and be reduced to a single word (Ouch!). At the end of the third level, you see your spider and its young line up and dance. It is so cute.

Apple Cider Spider has its difficult moments, for two reasons. Firstly, there is a specific path that you must follow in each level, otherwise you'll lose a life. Many times have I ignored the threads you have to climb up and down, and just jumped to whatever platform is closest. There are no alternate routes you can take; there's always this one path. Secondly, you have to time your movements. It is not easy to jump to a platform, especially if you're on a conveyor belt. And it is not just jumping you should be concerned about; it's about making your move at the right time. At the start of level one, for instance, you need to jump on the first thread quickly before you get killed by the passing apple cider bottle.

As with other games of its time, the game has controls that are easy to learn right away. Moving the joystick left or right will move the spider in the respective direction, and the fire button makes it jump or grab onto a thread.


The Bad
Maybe it's just my version of the game, but you only get to watch the end sequence once. After completing the third level more than once, it just goes back to level one.

The Bottom Line
Apple Cider Spider was released by a company who created many arcade games before they focused on making adventure games for other gaming platforms besides the Apple ][. The game provides an insight on the making of apple cider, so anyone who has completed its three levels will know how to make apple cider by themselves. Although the game is primitive today, the game is fun and should be played at least once.