Game Review: Legend of the Knucker-Hole (Commodore 64, Americana)

Back in 1983, English Software released Jet-Boot Jack, first for the Atari 8-bit computers followed by conversions to the Commodore 64, BBC Micro, Acorn Electron and later on the Amstrad CPC, whereas it was also Amsoft branded for a time.  Legend of the Knucker-Hole is the sequel which features the Jet-Boot Jack character, and was originally released in 1984, and was Commodore 64 only.  But I hear you ask: what is a knucker hole exactly?  Well, it transpires that the word knucker was local dialect in some English counties, mainly Sussex, for a creature that resembles a water dragon, and the knucker hole was effectively where the dragon would live.  So, you would hope that this game would feature a dragon, somewhere.

It was a bit odd why releases from English Software, and later some releases from Mr Chip Software, both UK software houses, were released via the Americana label.  In the case of this game, there was not a US release until 1987, when Celery Software released it on disk, and this was a year after the UK Americana release in 1986.  Had the Ricochet label been around then, games like this would have been prime contenders for that label instead.  Nonetheless, sourcing this game appears to be a difficult task, almost as difficult as the game itself, which we will come to.

Here Be a Dragon

The plot of the game explains that the dragon has terrorised the once peaceful kingdom, and the King offers his daughter’s hand in marriage should anyone succeed in destroying the dragon.  The dragon’s lair is in the knucker chambers, that you need to proceed down the knucker hole first and then the kangarat cavern.  Jack will need to find six bells in the chambers, upon which he will obtain a potion from a friendly wizard so that the dragon can be destroyed.  Armed with a new set of jet boots provided by the wizard, the quest begins.

Thankfully, the game was remastered for re-release and now uses Novaload – despite what it says on the front cover, which is a reproduction of the original cover where the game used the somewhat less reliable Pavloda.  Loading is relatively quick and you are soon greeted by a mainly text-based title screen with some credits, and the options show.  You can move left or right to select one of three difficulty levels, and up and down will give the option of starting on any of the five zones of the game, plus an additional option for zone four with sixteen different screen layouts to try your hand at – a nice touch that.  The difficulty levels affect things too – so on novice, the first three zones are shorter to complete, but you only get one extra life when you complete the level – on normal you get two, and on expert you get three, albeit it is much harder.  The fourth level also has more kangarats on expert, and the final level (the caverns) are even trickier in expert too.

A Hole Lot of Trouble

Starting the game with the first zone, all seems relatively simple. To descend down each level of platforms, you need to jump across to the switches, one on the far left and one on the far right, and once both are activated, any skulls that lurk in the gaps to drop through are eliminated so you can head down.  At first the main obstacle are laser beams which go on and off, and you time your run past then off, as well as gaps to jump.  That is all well and good for zone one, but things change for zone two: you now have spikes coming out of the walls, meaning you need to time your jump to the switches and avoid the spikes.  There are some more spikes in the grounds, and small blue pyramids which go up and down, again with timing needed to be jumped over.

Your energy shows at the top, with a timer as well counting down, which is your end of zone bonus when you do get to the bottom of the knucker hole’s zone and complete it.  The controls are very responsive and accurate, so if you do fail a jump over a gap, it will be down to you.  The diagonal laser beams to get past are tricky too, but timing is everything, and mastering that does reap its own rewards.   Zone three gets even trickier, with little warning cones firing bullets across left and right, with some pixel perfect accurate jumping required.  This can get very tricky on some of the later descents, so you will need to tread carefully to make sure you do not rush too much, overshoot the jump.  In addition, some times when descending down, only dropping off one side can guarantee you safety without dropping on to a spike.  You will get the hang of it, but worth noting.

Kangarat Kerfuffles

Get down all the first three zones of the knucker hole, and Jet-Boot Jack now enters the fourth zone, the kangarat kavern.  Here, the objective is simple – you will need to collect all the crystals before the exit is opened, and you can descend through as you need.  However, the kangarats bounce around each level of platforms, and you cannot jump, with one kangarat (or two on expert) moving faster than the others.  You can only ascend or descend on the lifts, and have three chances to temporarily hide using the hide spell by pressing fire – which is shown by the H indicator to the top right of the screen.  These are for the whole zone, and do not reset their count back when you lose a life either, meaning you need to try and get as many crystals as you can.  And yes, you will run out of those hide spells quickly and then be battling to get the remaining crystals.

If you selected the zone four game only in the title screen, there are different layouts of the kangarat kaverns to try and the game can become quite an addictive score challenge, albeit one where you will inevitably trap yourself with an enemy kangarat coming at you, with nowhere to hide.  I did find this fun as a standalone feature, and also meant I could practice getting good at any of the layouts presented when playing the main game and its zone four, which did appear to be randomised between the sixteen layouts on repeated plays.

Caverns of Carnage

Entering zone five is the cavern, and this is actually split across zones five to nine, with each different section of the cavern being its own zone.  There are lifts to stand on which move up and down, where you need to time getting off.  There are movable platforms where you can move up and down, as well as sections where you will need to use your jet boots to hover, which also allows you to duck under low sections of the cavern.  Keeping fire pressed will accelerate you and duck across in the facing direction, but go too quickly and you may hit a lift, and a loss of a life there.

You will need to operate all the switches, which will open more of the cavern, as well as be able to keep your jet boots topped up with fuel – as using the boots does mean a reduction in fuel as you go.  The main objective is visible almost from the start – and that is to destroy the dragon, but locating the six bells you need means you need to move through all the zones, find the bells, then head back to where you started in zone five, and a skull and crossbones will appear above the dragon.  Use that, and the dragon is killed, and you can locate the final switch and exit to find the king’s daughter.

Difficulty Ramped Up

Except of course for all of these final zones, the difficulty is somewhat ramped up, and some may say a little too unfairly.  Hit the lift – you lose a life.  Mistime a platform which expands and contracts and attempt to get across – you lose a life.  You get the idea.  Hitting the head on the ceiling or colliding with flashing objects on lifts which need to be timed to get past and that is also a life gone.  Your remaining lives can be lost very quickly without realising, which is why it was a good option that you can start on any zone of the game, including zone five here.  Practice does make perfect, and it can be somewhat difficult to proceed at times.  Finding the first bell alone does give you a sense of achievement.

Some of the gates opened by the switches are also residual gates, that drop and raise.  You have to time your run to get past them when raised, which is also al loss of life if you hit them.  On the expert level there are more of them, but to be honest even completing most of this on novice may prove to be a tough task.  One useful visual hint is when the switch has been activated, the square that the switch is on only has its outline on, and so you can save some back tracking there.  Even though the controls are relatively precise, with the hazards at every turn costing you a life, you will need plenty of practice and patience.

Graphics and Sound

The graphics in Legend of the Knucker-Hole are pleasing, considering the age.  All of the zones have a good use of colour throughout, and the main Jet-Boot Jack character is well defined, with a nice effect when using the jet boots themselves in the final zones.  The backdrops and platforms are clear, with the black background giving you a sensible clear field of vision between. The map containing the five zones is clear with coloured backdrops separating each zone cleanly, so you know when you are stepping within them.  The sound has some reasonable effects in-game, even playing a bit of the old nursery rhyme Oranges and Lemons when you collect a bell, and there is a functional title tune, a version of the original Jet-Boot Jack theme and a reprise too that plays.  Nothing spectacular, but reasonably good for its age.

Final Thoughts

Legend of the Knucker-Hole may have passed game players by on first release, and the scarcity of the Americana re-release may also mean it might have passed you by.  If you do want a challenging game that will test all your platform game skills as well as timing and reflexes, especially in the final set of zones, then this game may present you with that.  The fact you can choose the difficulty level and also your starting zone does mean that you can practice the later zones and get good at playing them – with the separate game mode for zone four being a very nice touch indeed.  Whilst it may drive you insane with how difficult some of the sections of the game can be, stick at it and you will reap your own rewards. It is a game that is very playable, with responsive controls and definitely having that one more go factor.  Give it a go – if you dare.

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