Advanced Dungeons and Dragons-Treasure of Tarmin (M-Network)-Prototype for Atari

Tom Loughry wrote the video game known as the Advanced Dungeons and Dragons Treasure of Tarmin (M-Network) back in 1981. This was a licensed version of Dungeons & Dragons that was created to be played on the Mattel Aquarius system and the Intellivision video games unit. It was produced in 1983 by the Mattel Company and there was a new version that was designed specifically for the popular Atari 2600 game console but Mattel closed their electronics games section before this Treasure of Tarmin (M-Network) adaptation was even released.  Games enthusiasts were able to enjoy the original versions however and those who used Intellivision had already been treated to the 1^st Dungeons and Dragons game that was known as "Cloudy Mountain".

In this computerized video game the player is allowed to wander about a multi-level dungeon. On each of the levels there is a hallway that surrounds a maze that measures 11"x11". As the player progresses through the chambers and mazes he will encounter many monsters and their weapons. It is important to collect the weapons that can be used in the final battle against the guardian of the Treasure. The ultimate goal is to defeat and kill the Minotaur who is the guardian of the chest that contains the Treasure Chest of Tarmin. Once the Minotaur has been slain the player can claim the treasure chest.

This adventure was specifically created to have a different feel from the typical video games that were being designed in the early 80s. This one was structured so that it had a true 3D quality and a first person game-view. The alternating wall panels forced players to accept the visual perspective they were seeing and this was the basis for the games 3D effects.

With only a small amount of food and arrows and a basic, low level bow to use the player had to begin the game. The amount of food and weapons supplied at the beginning for the games would depend on the level the player had achieved. There was also a limited amount of health bars for both "Spiritual" and "War" requirements.

Players of this mesmerizing video game would stumble across small treasures, new armor, magic items and better weapons that were always randomly strewn about the maze. The treasures that were found within the maze might increase the score of the player, or they could contain blue, pink or purple potions. In some instances the treasure would contain a bomb that would drain the spiritual/war levels of a player. These bombs could even quickly end a game if the player had very low levels of strength when the bomb exploded.

All of the enemies that were encountered, except for the Minotaur, would be seen in 3 different colors. The colors represented the level of difficulty posed by these threats when you played this video game.

• Giants: These were a primary enemy that would drain the level of a player's War health. Giants also had shields and were significantly harder and more challenging to defeat than the Skeletons.
• Skeletons: These were the easiest type of enemy to beat during this game. Skeletons would only attack the player's level of War health. The cloaked skeletons were a bit more difficult to vanquish. Regular and cloaked skeletons could both have shields, and when they did it made them more challenging to defeat.
• Giant Scorpions: A moderately difficult enemy in these games that could drain the player's Spiritual health.
• Giant Snakes: These were harder to beat than the Giant Scorpions. Giant Snakes attacked a player's level of Spiritual health.
• Alligators: These were also somewhat difficult enemies that attacked the Spiritual health level. The alligators could unleash a lot of destructive damage on even experienced players.
•  Dragons: These were known as the most challenging of the enemies that attacked the player's Spiritual health levels.
• Bombs: Some of the scattered bags and chests that supposedly contained treasure might contain bombs instead. These would explode and create damage to the War levels.
• "Door Monsters": These were very special beings that were charged with hiding the three spell books. You found these monsters only when you made it to the lowest levels of the dungeon. The door monsters resembled a door that was opening on a blank, colored wall. Blue was the weakest color and they would produce a spell book that teleported a player through walls. Pink door monsters delivered a spell book that allowed a player to look through walls. Purple door monsters possessed the spell book that would transform ordinary objects into platinum which made any weapon or treasure extremely valuable. These monsters battled players by using the higher-end Spirit weapons.
• Wraiths: Known to be more difficult to defeat than Ghouls. Wraiths could either be normal or shielded. Late in the video game these apparitions could become harder to beat than even the Minotaur.
• Ghouls: These appear after a player has passed through several levels of this video game. They can attack either the War health or Spiritual health of a player. Ghouls can change their type of attacking strategies at any moment.
• Dwarfs: These creatures are the equivalent of Giants regarding their difficulty to beat and their style of attack. Dwarfs may be encountered with shields or without and they will only attack the level of a player's Spiritual strength and health.

•  Giant Ants: Of all the enemies who attack a player's Spiritual health the Giant Ants are the easiest to defeat.

• Minotaur: This purple creature is the ultimate video game challenge featured in the Treasure of Tarmin. He attacks a player's War health and Spiritual Health. Once the Minotaur was defeated the Treasure could be collected by the player and the game would end. A player can also choose to leave the treasure chest where it falls and continue to play the game against some more Minotaurs who will begin to appear.

This video game was designed so that a player could be defeated but would still not have to lose. The player would simply be reincarnated and re-appear in another maze location. They would have the weapon they held when they were defeated, any shield they possessed, food and arrows, but other objects would not be reincarnated with them.