The Black Cauldron

Moby ID: 194
DOS Specs
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Description official description

Based on the Disney movie of the same name, The Black Cauldron focuses on the story of Taran, who is an assistant Pig-keeper in the land of Caer Dalben. One day Taran notices that one of his pigs, Hen Wen has magical powers. The Evil Horned King wants the pig so that he can locate the Black Cauldron and ultimately rule the world. Taran must now embark on a mission to rescue Hen Wen and defeat the Evil Horned King before he can discover the Cauldron's location.

The Black Cauldron is a side-view adventure game. Gameplay is similar to other Sierra adventure games of its day (such as Space Quest II or King's Quest III) but does not use a text parser. Instead the function keys are used to initiate actions. Players control Taran and can make him walk, run, swim and interact (talk) with other characters in the game. Puzzle-solving and advancement in the plot requires item manipulation of using the right item at the right time or at the right location.

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Reviews

Critics

Average score: 67% (based on 7 ratings)

Players

Average score: 3.5 out of 5 (based on 59 ratings with 6 reviews)

An Excellent Movie Adaptation and Sierra Game At Large.

The Good
Black Cauldron brought the beloved Sierra 3D games of yesteryear to a more "kid friendly" audience. Ironically, those "kid friendly" features were so well implemented that they became a staple for later Sierra 3D adventure games.

The Black Cauldron eliminated the need for text commands. It gives the player a list of options to work within the scene, eliminating the need for guess work. That's not to say that one can't attempt to try things, but if the player would rather point and click, then that's your prerogative.

As with other Sierra games, the graphics were a great way to showcase one's computer. The game offered a full 16 color spectrum versus so many games that merely offered the white, green, purple, brown configuration, and being based off a Disney property with Al Lowe's (yes, of "Leisure Suit Larry" fame) full access to the film's backgrounds, the game still has some classic charm to it.

The music is accurate, being cheerful or moody as the scene requires, and the characters from the book and film all make an appearance, with wonderful animation. Some join along with you and help. Others hinder.

The game also allows the option to play exactly how the movie went, but there are also ways to achieve multiple endings, and do things that the story never intended. And with Al Lowe behind the game, there are some playfully silly moments added into the game.



The Bad
There are a few arcade style elements included in the game, which are great for gaming ideas, but clunky in execution. Action scenes in these kinds of games just don't work well, coupled with a slow character, and a strict adherence to precision. Climbing the rope is a test of nerves as several moments of hanging on look like the character is bound to fall off the rope at any second.

There are also moments where a guard or the Horned King grab at Taran, looking like they are well out of reach, and the character seems to teleport into their grip. Collision seems sketchy, and it's maddening to say the least.

Additionally, play this game on a color monitor. A well-detailed game such as this deserves more than a monochromatic green screen.

The Bottom Line
As with Sierra's other 3D games, the game is a charming and wonderfully fun title with a lot of personality, attention to detail, and great animation. Players have the option to play the obscure Disney classic as the book intended, or change the story for some interesting "What if?" conclusions.

It's a shame that these games are so hard to find, and aren't going to see a rerelease possibly ever. With Activision eradicating the remnants of the old Sierra last year, games like these look to be regulated to the history books or having to resort to buying an actual old computer at an auction.

Regardless of their fate, however, these games make for great memories....

Apple II · by Guy Chapman (1748) · 2009

One word to describe this game: amazing

The Good
I recently watched The Black Cauldron, a Disney movie from the Eighties about a young boy who has to prevent the Horned King from seeking out the Black Cauldron, who plans to use it to rule the world. He must also rescue the pig Hen Wen before she can reveal to the Horned King the location of the Cauldron. The characters are heartwarming and the scenery is breathtaking. Unlike other Disney movies, there are no parts where the characters burst out into song. I was eager to see what happened next. I haven't read the books yet which the movie is based on.

In 1986, Sierra created an adventure game based on the movie which follows the same plot. However, anyone who plays the game may go down a different path. The game is produced by a team of people, and nearly half of them - Roberta Williams, Al Lowe, Mark Crowe, and others - went on to create future adventure games that made them famous.

The atmosphere of the game is mixed, with the majority of the game taking place in beautiful environments similar to the ones in King's Quest. A small portion of the game is set in dark and gloomy places, like the castle and swamp that you have to navigate, and I like venturing through dark areas. The musIc in the game is very similar to that used in the movie, and it is quite nice to listen to. It is the sunset at the end of the game that I found breathtaking. Who knew that sunsets look good in sixteen colors?

Although Black Cauldron can be enjoyed by adults, the game was aimed squarely at children. Sierra thought that it would be a hassle for them typing in commands at a parser, so they designed a much simpler interface specifically for this game. All the actions needed to complete tasks can be carried out by pressing the function keys, and all they need to do is memorize what each key does. If they forget, they can go up to the menu bar and read the Actions menu for some help. What I like about this is not only do you have less chance the game produces a "no comprende"-type error message, but actions are performed quickly. Most of the time, I questioned why Sierra didn't use the same interface for some of their future games.

As I mentioned earlier, the game takes the same path as the movie. However, it offers many alternate solutions to puzzles, such as how to get from one place to another, and how to work your way out of a dangerous situation. You can follow the movie, for instance, and allow Hen Wen to be captured by the King's gwythiants, or you could head into someone's house, where the owners agree to protect her. Also, at the start of the game, you can give Gurgi something else other than an apple. It is these alternate solutions like these that make the game replayable.

The keyboard can be used to navigate Taran around. The joystick can also be used to control him, but I found the keyboard effective to position him exactly where you want him to be. There are many ways you can die in the game, with most deaths occurring when the player attempts to solve those puzzles where you have to get yourself from one area to another without falling down a mountain or cliff.

The Bad
I didn't like the way that you become hungry and thirsty as you proceed through the game, and they need top replenish their stocks regularly. Also, unless the player manages to find a food wallet that contains an infinite supply of food, they will die of starvation long before they are able to complete the game; and I doubt that many players will know about this.

The Bottom Line
Children who have seen the movie prior to playing Black Cauldron will know what to do, unless they do not remember almost everything that Taran does. They can try anything in the game to see if it works, without any limitations. The game does away with the usual parser interface, in favor of a few pre-set commands that can quickly be executed with the function keys. The Black Cauldron boasts great environments (both light and dark), nice music that blends in well with the movie, and a variety of alternate paths that make the game replayable. If you have seen the movie already, you will certainly enjoy this game.

DOS · by Katakis | カタキス (43092) · 2012

A good game, with features before its time!

The Good
The game was made to follow Disney's not well known movie of the same name, in this sense it is accurate in portraying the events in the movie. For the time of it's release the game had average graphics, and sound. The feature that set this game apart from other adventure games was the lack of typing commands. Instead the function keys were used to control your character. This allowed one to enjoy the game without typing in long phrases, or getting stuck trying to figure out the proper verb for a command. It had all the standard features in Sierra's games for the time, inventory, save & load, volume control, etc. The function or "action" key feature is what set it apart, it's a shame it didn't stick as it could have made early adventure games easier and more user friendly. Sierra didn't attempt this until the early 90's with King's Quest 5 which used a similair system using the mouse and a simple command bar.

The Bad
The game was short, and if one had seen the movie easy to go through.

The Bottom Line
An average adventure game with a good story and easy to use interface.

DOS · by Jonathon Howard (114) · 1999

[ View all 6 player reviews ]

Trivia

Alternate paths

This was one of the first graphical animated adventures to provide true multiple paths through a game. There was the basic route that adhered to the plot of the movie, but completing that route would not net you a full score. The game actually rewarded players more, who tried different paths through the game, such as taking Hen Wen to the Fairy realm under the lake. To get a maximum score in the game you had to take these alternate paths. This encouraged players to think for themselves and be creative, instead of copying the movie storyline. Additionally it meant the game had great replayability because there were many solutions to a lot of the puzzles.

Books

That this game is based on the Disney movie with the same name may be obvious, but the movie it self is based on a series of fantasy books by writer Lloyd Alexander set in the magical land of Prydain.

The first book of the series was released in 1964 and is called The Book of Three. This is the exact title of the book that Dalben is reading when you enter his cottage at the start of the game.

The other books of the series are: * The Black Cauldron * The Castle of Llyr * Taran Wanderer * The High King

Code Decryption

The infamous sierra name of "Avis Durgan" appears in the code for this game as well: it is the key for the code encryption.

Engine

The Black Cauldron was the only Sierra game to be developed in three generations of Sierra's game system, As AGI v1 (a booter disk), AGI v2 and AGI v3.

Freeware release

The Black Cauldron is now available to download from Al Lowe's website.

References

The Black Cauldron features a reference (shameless plug) for another then-current Sierra adventure title, a practice that had already become common by then.

To see this one, walk Taran repeatedly into the east wall of the room where Fflewddur makes his brief appearance. At a certain spot he'll discover a crack in the wall and peek through, finding somebody on the other side playing King's Quest 3: To Heir Is Human.

Remakes

As of 2000, this is the second most remade Sierra title next to King's Quest.

Information also contributed by Anthony Bull, Gerauchertes, jeff leyda, Roedie, Terrence Bosky and Yakumo

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Are you familiar with this game? Help document and preserve this entry in video game history! If your contribution is approved, you will earn points and be credited as a contributor.

Contributors to this Entry

Game added by Donny K..

Amiga added by POMAH. Apple II added by Guy Chapman. Apple IIgs added by Kabushi. Atari ST added by Belboz.

Additional contributors: Terrence Bosky, Jeanne, Macs Black, Patrick Bregger.

Game added August 10, 1999. Last modified August 14, 2023.