Wizard of Wor

About

Wizard of Wor is a fixed-screen maze shooter in which the player controls a spacefaring Worrior trapped within a succession of monster-filled dungeons. The objective of each stage is to destroy every creature while avoiding contact with enemies and the projectiles they fire. The Worrior can move and shoot in four directions, while passages at the sides of certain mazes provide routes to the opposite edge of the screen. The dungeons are inhabited by Burwors, Garwors, and Thorwors, which differ in speed, aggressiveness, and point value. Some creatures can become temporarily invisible, although their positions remain visible on the radar beneath the maze. Later stages introduce faster enemies and increasingly open layouts, leaving the player with fewer walls behind which to take cover. After the regular monsters have been eliminated, a Worluk may appear and attempt to escape through one of the side passages. Destroying it before it leaves causes every enemy in the following dungeon to award twice the usual number of points. Defeating the Worluk may also summon the Wizard of Wor, a fast-moving enemy that teleports around the maze and awards a large bonus when destroyed. One or two players can participate, with both Worriors entering the maze simultaneously in a two-player game. They may cooperate against the monsters or shoot one another for bonus points, allowing each round to shift between teamwork and direct competition. The arcade version also features synthesized speech through which the Wizard taunts and comments on the players’ performance. The home conversions preserve the central maze-shooting mechanics while adapting the graphics, sound, controls, and stage presentation to their respective hardware. The Bally Astrocade version was released as The Incredible Wizard and is a particularly close adaptation of the arcade game. The Commodore 64 edition can also provide synthesized speech when used with the Magic Voice module.

Description and score courtesy of MobyGames ↗