<s>
Dark	B-Device
Castle	I-Device
is	O
a	O
1986	O
platform	O
game	O
for	O
Macintosh	B-Device
published	O
by	O
Silicon	O
Beach	O
Software	O
,	O
later	O
published	O
by	O
Three-Sixty	O
Pacific	O
for	O
other	O
platforms	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
Dark	B-Device
Castle	I-Device
,	O
a	O
young	O
hero	O
named	O
Duncan	O
tries	O
to	O
make	O
his	O
way	O
to	O
the	O
evil	O
Black	O
Knight	O
,	O
dodging	O
objects	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
solving	O
occasional	O
puzzles	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
sequel	B-Language
,	O
Beyond	B-Application
Dark	I-Application
Castle	I-Application
,	O
was	O
released	O
in	O
1987	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
second	O
sequel	B-Language
,	O
Return	B-Application
to	I-Application
Dark	I-Application
Castle	I-Application
,	O
was	O
announced	O
in	O
2000	B-Application
,	O
but	O
it	O
was	O
not	O
released	O
until	O
March	O
14	O
,	O
2008	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Movement	O
within	O
Dark	B-Device
Castle	I-Device
is	O
typical	O
for	O
most	O
platformers	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
More	O
rocks	O
can	O
be	O
found	O
in	O
little	O
bags	O
along	O
the	O
way	O
,	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
bottles	O
of	O
an	O
elixir	B-Language
that	O
provide	O
a	O
one-time	O
antidote	O
to	O
bites	O
of	O
the	O
numerous	O
rats	O
and	O
bats	O
found	O
around	O
the	O
castle	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
To	O
aid	O
Duncan	O
,	O
a	O
magic	O
shield	O
and	O
the	O
power	O
to	O
hurl	O
fireballs	O
can	O
,	O
fortunately	O
,	O
be	O
found	O
within	O
the	O
Dark	B-Device
Castle	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
Dark	B-Device
Castle	I-Device
may	O
be	O
the	O
first	O
game	O
to	O
use	O
WASD	O
keys	O
and	O
mouse	B-Device
for	O
control	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
trajectory	O
and	O
launching	O
of	O
rocks	O
and	O
fireballs	O
are	O
controlled	O
via	O
mouse	B-Device
movement	O
and	O
clicks	O
respectively	O
,	O
while	O
the	O
character	O
's	O
locomotion	O
is	O
controlled	O
via	O
key	O
strokes	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
However	O
,	O
this	O
may	O
be	O
strategically	O
necessary	O
on	O
the	O
harder	O
difficulty	O
levels	O
so	O
that	O
the	O
player	O
can	O
stock	O
up	O
rocks	O
and	O
elixir	B-Language
.	O
</s>
<s>
Easter	O
egg	O
:	O
Playing	O
Dark	B-Device
Castle	I-Device
(	O
and	O
its	O
sequel	B-Language
)	O
with	O
the	O
computer	O
's	O
clock	O
at	O
December	O
25	O
or	O
any	O
Friday	O
the	O
13th	O
,	O
the	O
Great	O
Hall	O
or	O
the	O
throne	O
room	O
(	O
respectively	O
)	O
will	O
have	O
holiday	O
decorations	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
version	O
for	O
the	O
Mega	B-Operating_System
Drive/Genesis	I-Operating_System
was	O
released	O
by	O
Electronic	O
Arts	O
in	O
1991	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
An	O
MS-DOS	B-Application
version	O
of	O
the	O
original	O
Dark	B-Device
Castle	I-Device
was	O
also	O
released	O
,	O
which	O
was	O
closer	O
to	O
the	O
original	O
game	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Because	O
of	O
the	O
lower	O
resolution	O
,	O
color	O
was	O
used	O
to	O
make	O
up	O
for	O
it	O
;	O
also	O
,	O
because	O
the	O
PC	O
did	O
not	O
have	O
a	O
mouse	B-Device
at	O
the	O
time	O
,	O
aiming	O
was	O
done	O
through	O
the	O
keyboard	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Versions	O
for	O
the	O
Amiga	B-Device
,	O
Atari	B-Device
ST	I-Device
and	O
Commodore	O
64	O
were	O
released	O
in	O
1987	B-Application
by	O
Three-Sixty	O
Pacific	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Apple	B-Device
IIGS	I-Device
version	O
came	O
out	O
in	O
1989	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
port	O
was	O
programmed	O
by	O
Lane	O
Roathe	O
,	O
and	O
was	O
almost	O
identical	O
to	O
the	O
Macintosh	B-Device
version	O
except	O
for	O
having	O
lower	O
resolution	O
,	O
color	O
graphics	O
and	O
some	O
controls	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
John	O
Romero	O
converted	O
the	O
monochrome	O
Macintosh	B-Device
art	O
to	O
16-color	O
super-res	O
art	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
version	O
for	O
mobile	O
was	O
released	O
in	O
2006	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
contains	O
slightly	O
remade	O
level	O
designs	O
,	O
borrowing	O
from	O
both	O
Dark	B-Device
Castle	I-Device
and	O
Beyond	B-Application
Dark	I-Application
Castle	I-Application
,	O
it	O
also	O
has	O
updated	O
color	O
graphics	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
There	O
was	O
also	O
a	O
version	O
released	O
for	O
CD-i	B-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
of	O
2009	O
,	O
there	O
was	O
a	O
port	O
in	O
the	O
works	O
for	O
the	O
iOS	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
1994	B-Application
,	O
the	O
game	O
developer	O
Delta	B-Application
Tao	I-Application
Software	I-Application
acquired	O
the	O
rights	O
to	O
some	O
of	O
Silicon	O
Beach	O
's	O
old	O
games	O
,	O
via	O
Aldus	O
,	O
and	O
were	O
able	O
to	O
produce	O
and	O
publish	O
the	O
modernized	O
Color	O
Dark	B-Device
Castle	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
Computer	O
Gaming	O
World	O
stated	O
that	O
Dark	B-Device
Castle	I-Device
was	O
"	O
the	O
best	O
arcade	O
game	O
I	O
've	O
seen	O
for	O
the	O
Macintosh	B-Device
,	O
and	O
perhaps	O
the	O
best	O
I	O
've	O
seen	O
on	O
any	O
microcomputer	O
,	O
ever	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
reviewer	O
praised	O
the	O
sound	O
and	O
graphics	O
,	O
stating	O
that	O
he	O
did	O
not	O
know	O
that	O
the	O
Macintosh	B-Device
was	O
capable	O
of	O
animations	O
of	O
such	O
quality	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
He	O
concluded	O
that	O
Dark	B-Device
Castle	I-Device
"	O
is	O
filled	O
with	O
lots	O
of	O
little	O
touches	O
that	O
show	O
it	O
's	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
first	O
steps	O
toward	O
what	O
Silicon	O
Beach	O
likes	O
to	O
call	O
'	O
interactive	O
cartoons	O
 '	O
.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
BYTE	B-Application
compared	O
the	O
game	O
to	O
Lode	B-Application
Runner	I-Application
,	O
writing	O
"	O
There	O
's	O
nothing	O
new	O
about	O
the	O
basic	O
concept	O
,	O
but	O
the	O
execution	O
is	O
impressive	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
praised	O
the	O
Amiga	B-Device
version	O
's	O
"	O
brilliant	O
graphics	O
,	O
sound	O
,	O
and	O
atmosphere	O
"	O
but	O
criticized	O
the	O
keyboard/mouse	O
control	O
system	O
and	O
gameplay	O
as	O
too	O
difficult	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
reviewer	O
also	O
disliked	O
the	O
disk-based	O
copy	B-Application
protection	I-Application
which	O
caused	O
him	O
to	O
fear	O
damage	O
to	O
the	O
disk	O
drives	O
,	O
crashes	O
when	O
loading	O
the	O
game	O
,	O
and	O
slow	O
level	O
loading	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Game	O
reviewers	O
Hartley	O
and	O
Pattie	O
Lesser	O
complimented	O
the	O
game	O
in	O
their	O
"	O
The	O
Role	O
of	O
Computers	O
"	O
column	O
in	O
Dragon	O
#122	O
(	O
1987	B-Application
)	O
,	O
calling	O
it	O
"	O
the	O
finest	O
arcade/adventure	O
game	O
ever	O
designed	O
for	O
the	O
Macintosh	B-Device
computer	O
—	O
as	O
a	O
matter	O
of	O
fact	O
,	O
for	O
any	O
computer	O
!	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
Macworld	O
reviewed	O
the	O
Macintosh	B-Device
version	O
of	O
Dark	B-Device
Castle	I-Device
,	O
praising	O
its	O
gameplay	O
,	O
graphics	O
,	O
and	O
sound	O
,	O
stating	O
that	O
"	O
Dark	B-Device
Castle	I-Device
is	O
at	O
its	O
core	O
a	O
shoot-	O
'	O
em-up	O
,	O
duck-	O
'	O
n'-run	O
type	O
of	O
game	O
,	O
but	O
one	O
so	O
finely	O
crafted	O
it	O
deserves	O
a	O
new	O
classification	O
that	O
reflects	O
its	O
fast-paced	O
action	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
its	O
superb	O
animation	O
,	O
graphics	O
,	O
and	O
sound	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
"	O
,	O
and	O
furthermore	O
stating	O
that	O
"	O
Dark	B-Device
Castle	I-Device
provides	O
the	O
highest	O
quality	O
graphics	O
and	O
sound	O
of	O
any	O
Macintosh	B-Device
game	O
available	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Macworld	O
summarises	O
their	O
review	O
by	O
listing	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
pros	O
and	O
cons	O
,	O
stating	O
"	O
Great	O
graphics	O
,	O
sound	O
,	O
animation	O
,	O
and	O
design	O
"	O
as	O
positives	O
,	O
and	O
stating	O
"	O
None	O
"	O
for	O
Dark	B-Device
Castle	I-Device
's	O
negatives	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
1996	O
,	O
Computer	O
Gaming	O
World	O
declared	O
Dark	B-Device
Castle	I-Device
the	O
136th-best	O
computer	O
game	O
ever	O
released	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
1987	B-Application
,	O
the	O
sequel	B-Language
Beyond	B-Application
Dark	I-Application
Castle	I-Application
was	O
released	O
,	O
in	O
which	O
Duncan	O
has	O
to	O
return	O
and	O
defeat	O
the	O
Black	O
Knight	O
,	O
who	O
is	O
still	O
alive	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Beyond	B-Application
Dark	I-Application
Castle	I-Application
had	O
an	O
engine	O
similar	O
to	O
Dark	B-Device
Castle	I-Device
but	O
with	O
improvements	O
and	O
additions	O
like	O
a	O
health	O
bar	O
,	O
bombs	O
,	O
and	O
other	O
items	O
,	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
levels	O
where	O
the	O
player	O
could	O
control	O
a	O
"	O
personal	O
helicopter	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
These	O
levels	O
and	O
maze	B-Application
levels	O
were	O
side-scrollers	O
instead	O
of	O
being	O
limited	O
to	O
a	O
single	O
screen	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Like	O
all	O
versions	O
of	O
Dark	B-Device
Castle	I-Device
,	O
if	O
the	O
player	O
beat	O
the	O
game	O
on	O
advanced	O
,	O
it	O
presented	O
a	O
special	O
ending	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2000	B-Application
,	O
a	O
new	O
sequel	B-Language
called	O
Return	B-Application
to	I-Application
Dark	I-Application
Castle	I-Application
was	O
announced	O
,	O
being	O
developed	O
by	O
Z	O
Sculpt	O
,	O
where	O
a	O
new	O
young	O
hero	O
called	O
Bryant	O
,	O
the	O
nephew	O
of	O
Duncan	O
,	O
must	O
once	O
again	O
defeat	O
the	O
Black	O
Knight	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Return	B-Application
to	I-Application
Dark	I-Application
Castle	I-Application
includes	O
new	O
gameplay	O
mechanics	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
the	O
player	O
being	O
able	O
to	O
keep	O
weapons	O
,	O
and	O
store	O
extra	O
orbs	O
in	O
a	O
room	O
.	O
</s>
