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| The Heroes of Karn | |
|---|---|
| Developer(s) | Ian Gray |
| Publisher(s) | Interceptor Software |
| Platform(s) | Commodore 64, ZX Spectrum, Amstrad CPC |
| Release | |
| Genre(s) | Adventure |
| Mode(s) | Single-player video game |
The Heroes of Karn is a 1983 adventure game written by Ian Gray.[1] It was released by Interceptor Micros for the Commodore 64, Amstrad CPC and ZX Spectrum. Music was written by Chris Cox.[2] The Spectrum and Amstrad versions were adapted by David M. Banner with graphics by Terry Greer.[1] A sequel, The Empire of Karn, was released in 1985 on the Commodore 64.
The player must rescue four heroes who have been magically imprisoned, and thus save the land of Karn from dominion by evil creatures. The heroes are Beren the swordsman, Istar the wizard, Haldir the Elf-lord, and Khadim the dwarf.
The game's parser accepts relatively complex sentences for the time (e.g. "attack giant clam with shovel").[3] The puzzles are mostly straightforward, involving the use of an object found elsewhere to defeat the creature that is impeding progress. The creatures and NPCs in the game, including the heroes themselves, are rather inert and are very limited in their interactions. The game has 65 locations.[4] The game is mostly text, with illustrations for some of the locations.
The Commodore 64 version of the game received criticism for slow loading of graphical scenes,[5] which could take as long as several minutes to display completely. The Spectrum and Amstrad CPC versions were by a different artist (Terry Greer) and quicker to draw.
Edits and submissions to the site (including screenshots, box art, developer information, game summaries, and more) go through a verification process of fact-checking by volunteer "approvers".[2] This lengthy approval process after submission can range from minutes to days or months.[3] The most commonly used sources are the video game's website, packaging, and credit screens. There is a published standard for game information and copy-editing.[4] A ranking system allows users to earn points for contributing accurate information.[5]
Registered users can rate and review games. Users can create private or public "have" and "want" lists, which can generate a list of games available for trade with other registered users. The site contains an integrated forum. Each listed game can have its own sub-forum.

MobyGames was founded on March 1, 1999, by Jim Leonard and Brian Hirt, and joined by David Berk 18 months later, the three of which had been friends since high school.[6][7] Leonard had the idea of sharing information about computer games with a larger audience. The database began with information about games for IBM PC compatibles, relying on the founders' personal collections. Eventually, the site was opened up to allow general users to contribute information.[5] In a 2003 interview, Berk emphasized MobyGames' dedication to taking video games more seriously than broader society and to preserving games for their important cultural influence.[5]
In mid-2010, MobyGames was purchased by GameFly for an undisclosed amount.[8] This was announced to the community post factum , and the site's interface was given an unpopular redesign.[7] A few major contributors left, refusing to do volunteer work for a commercial website.{{Citation needed|date=June 2025} On December 18, 2013, MobyGames was acquired by Jeremiah Freyholtz, owner of Blue Flame Labs (a San Francisco-based game and web development company) and VGBoxArt (a site for fan-made video game box art).[9] Blue Flame Labs reverted MobyGames' interface to its pre-overhaul look and feel,[10] and for the next eight years, the site was run by Freyholtz and Independent Games Festival organizer Simon Carless.[7]
On November 24, 2021, Atari SA announced a potential deal with Blue Flame Labs to purchase MobyGames for $1.5 million.[11] The purchase was completed on 8 March 2022, with Freyholtz remaining as general manager.[12][13][14] Over the next year, the financial boost given by Atari led to a rework of the site being built from scratch with a new backend codebase, as well as updates improving the mobile and desktop user interface.[1] This was accomplished by investing in full-time development of the site instead of its previously part-time development.[15]
In 2024, MobyGames began offering a paid "Pro" membership option for the site to generate additional revenue.[16] Previously, the site had generated income exclusively through banner ads and (from March 2014 onward) a small number of patrons via the Patreon website.[17]
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