Caves of Olympus

Lore & Background

Caves of Olympus was designed by Thomas Noone and Patrick Noone and published in 1982 by Howard W. Sams and Co. The game is a single-player graphic adventure in which the player controls Anson Argyris, who must navigate a maze called the Caves of Olympus while evading the Laren. The player is armed with a disintegrator, blaster, and personal force field, and must solve traps and puzzles to reach an escape shuttle. Commands are entered as simple 'verb noun' phrases, and the player can toggle between text and graphics using the Return key. Instructions are included on the game disk.

Reader's Guide

Caves of Olympus occupies a modest place in early Apple II adventure gaming. Its reception was notably divided: Michael Mize in Fantasy Gamer found its special effects unremarkable and its playability lacking, recommending it only to those seeking extreme challenge regardless of cost. Jeffrey Mills in InCider called it an exciting adventure for every computer gamer. Roe R. Adams III in Softalk emphasized its intended deadliness and difficulty, warning it was not for novices. The Best Apple Software rated it 8.0, calling it one of the most difficult science-fiction adventures, with obscure puzzles and weak graphics but atmospheric sound effects. The Book of Adventure Games II criticized the graphics as average and the vocabulary as terrible, yet found it interesting enough to finish. Happy Computer called it an absolute must for fans of intelligently designed adventures. The game's legacy is that of a polarizing title: demanding and obscure, it appealed to hardcore adventurers but failed to win over broader audiences.

Did You Know?

• The game uses simple 'verb noun' commands and toggles between text and graphics via the Return key.
• The player is armed with a disintegrator, blaster, and personal force field.
• The game was reviewed by Michael Mize in Fantasy Gamer, who found its special effects unremarkable.
• The Best Apple Software rated the game 8.0 and called it 'one of the most difficult science-fiction adventures.'