<s>
Sabre	B-Device
Wulf	I-Device
is	O
an	O
action-adventure	O
game	O
released	O
by	O
British	O
video	O
game	O
developer	O
Ultimate	O
Play	O
the	O
Game	O
for	O
the	O
ZX	B-Operating_System
Spectrum	I-Operating_System
home	O
computer	O
in	O
1984	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Ultimate	O
released	O
the	O
game	O
for	O
the	O
ZX	B-Operating_System
Spectrum	I-Operating_System
at	O
an	O
above-average	O
price	O
to	O
combat	O
piracy	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
developers	O
had	O
finished	O
Sabre	B-Device
Wulf	I-Device
sequels	O
in	O
advance	O
of	O
its	O
release	O
but	O
—	O
in	O
keeping	O
with	O
their	O
penchant	O
for	O
secrecy	O
—	O
chose	O
to	O
withhold	O
them	O
for	O
marketing	O
purposes	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Ultimate	O
hired	O
outside	O
developers	O
to	O
port	O
Sabre	B-Device
Wulf	I-Device
to	O
other	O
computing	O
platforms	O
:	O
the	O
BBC	B-Device
Micro	I-Device
,	O
Commodore	O
64	O
,	O
and	O
Amstrad	B-Device
CPC	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
was	O
later	O
featured	O
in	O
compilations	O
including	O
the	B-Application
2015	I-Application
retrospective	I-Application
of	O
games	O
by	O
Ultimate	O
and	O
its	O
successor	O
,	O
Rare	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Sabre	B-Device
Wulf	I-Device
was	O
a	O
bestseller	O
and	O
a	O
financial	O
success	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Though	O
its	O
labyrinthine	O
gameplay	O
was	O
similar	O
to	O
that	O
of	O
Ultimate	O
's	O
previous	B-Application
release	I-Application
,	O
reviewers	O
preferred	O
Sabre	B-Device
Wulf	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
Game	O
journalists	O
remember	O
Sabre	B-Device
Wulf	I-Device
among	O
the	O
Spectrum	O
's	O
best	O
releases	O
,	O
and	O
for	O
starting	O
the	O
Sabreman	O
series	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
Sabre	B-Device
Wulf	I-Device
,	O
the	O
player	O
guides	O
the	O
pith-helmeted	O
adventurer	O
Sabreman	O
through	O
a	O
two-dimensional	O
maze	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
player	O
must	O
reconstruct	O
an	O
amulet	O
from	O
its	O
four	O
pieces	O
scattered	O
throughout	O
the	O
maze	O
to	O
bypass	O
the	O
guardian	O
at	O
its	O
exit	O
,	O
a	O
cave	O
that	O
leads	O
to	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
sequel	O
,	O
Underwurlde	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
player	O
swings	O
Sabreman	O
's	O
sabre	B-Application
with	O
the	O
push	O
of	O
the	O
joystick	B-Device
's	O
fire	O
button	O
to	O
defeat	O
enemies	O
that	O
spawn	O
in	O
random	O
on-screen	O
locations	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Enemies	O
include	O
spiders	O
,	O
scorpions	O
,	O
snakes	O
,	O
bats	O
,	O
indigenous	O
people	O
,	O
sleeping	O
hippos	O
,	O
and	O
a	O
fast	O
wolf	O
(	O
the	O
titular	O
Sabre	B-Device
Wulf	I-Device
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Some	O
enemies	O
are	O
killed	O
,	O
others	O
flee	O
when	O
hit	O
,	O
while	O
the	O
wolf	O
,	O
cave	O
guardian	O
,	O
and	O
bushfire	O
are	O
unaffected	O
by	O
the	O
sabre	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Sabre	B-Device
Wulf	I-Device
graphics	O
fill	O
the	O
screen	O
with	O
a	O
minimal	O
user	O
interface	O
consisting	O
of	O
the	O
current	O
game	O
score	O
,	O
number	O
of	O
lives	O
left	O
and	O
a	O
high	O
score	O
meter	O
on	O
the	O
top	O
row	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
developer	O
of	O
Sabre	B-Device
Wulf	I-Device
,	O
Ultimate	O
Play	O
the	O
Game	O
,	O
had	O
a	O
reputation	O
for	O
secrecy	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Little	O
is	O
known	O
about	O
their	O
development	O
process	O
apart	O
from	O
using	O
Sage	O
IV	O
computers	O
,	O
preferring	O
to	O
develop	O
for	O
the	O
ZX	B-Operating_System
Spectrum	I-Operating_System
's	O
Z80	B-General_Concept
microprocessor	I-General_Concept
,	O
and	O
often	O
outsourcing	O
development	O
for	O
other	O
platforms	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
those	O
that	O
ran	O
6502	B-General_Concept
microprocessors	I-General_Concept
.	O
</s>
<s>
After	O
releasing	O
Atic	B-Application
Atac	I-Application
at	O
the	O
end	O
of	O
1983	O
,	O
Ultimate	O
went	O
silent	O
until	O
it	O
ran	O
teaser	O
advertisements	O
for	O
Sabre	B-Device
Wulf	I-Device
in	O
April	O
1984	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
They	O
had	O
already	O
prepared	O
Knight	B-Application
Lore	I-Application
,	O
the	O
third	O
game	O
in	O
the	O
Sabreman	O
series	O
,	O
in	O
advance	O
of	O
the	O
character	O
's	O
introduction	O
in	O
Sabre	B-Device
Wulf	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
Ultimate	O
withheld	O
Knight	B-Application
Lore	I-Application
for	O
about	O
a	O
year	O
because	O
they	O
felt	O
Sabre	B-Device
Wulf	I-Device
would	O
not	O
have	O
sold	O
as	O
well	O
once	O
players	O
saw	O
the	O
former	O
's	O
graphical	O
advancements	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Knight	B-Application
Lore	I-Application
subsequently	O
became	O
known	O
as	O
a	O
seminal	O
work	O
in	O
British	O
gaming	O
history	O
and	O
an	O
iconic	O
game	O
of	O
the	O
1980s	O
for	O
its	O
popularization	O
of	O
the	O
isometric	O
platformer	O
format	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Ultimate	O
released	O
Sabre	B-Device
Wulf	I-Device
for	O
the	O
ZX	B-Operating_System
Spectrum	I-Operating_System
in	O
1984	O
and	O
the	O
other	O
Sabreman	O
titles	O
that	O
were	O
released	O
later	O
that	O
year	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Sabre	B-Device
Wulf	I-Device
was	O
Ultimate	O
's	O
first	O
game	O
to	O
use	O
what	O
would	O
become	O
the	O
company	O
's	O
standard	O
price	O
and	O
mysterious	O
,	O
unadorned	O
packaging	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
company	O
hired	O
outside	O
developers	O
to	O
complete	O
Sabre	B-Device
Wulf	I-Device
ports	O
for	O
other	O
computers	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Paul	O
Proctor	O
wrote	O
the	O
BBC	B-Device
Micro	I-Device
conversion	O
,	O
and	O
in	O
1985	O
,	O
Greg	O
Duddle	O
wrote	O
the	O
Commodore	O
64	O
conversion	O
,	O
which	O
was	O
licensed	O
under	O
Firebird	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Sabre	B-Device
Wulf	I-Device
later	O
appeared	O
in	O
the	O
1985	O
compilation	O
They	O
Sold	O
a	O
Million	O
,	O
a	O
collection	O
of	O
Spectrum	O
games	O
that	O
had	O
together	O
sold	O
a	O
million	O
units	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
When	O
the	O
compilation	O
was	O
released	O
for	O
the	O
Amstrad	B-Device
CPC	I-Device
,	O
Sabre	B-Device
Wulf	I-Device
was	O
converted	O
for	O
the	O
platform	O
and	O
eventually	O
released	O
in	O
a	O
standalone	O
edition	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Sabre	B-Device
Wulf	I-Device
also	O
appeared	O
alongside	O
Underwurlde	B-Application
,	O
its	O
sequel	O
,	O
in	O
a	O
Commodore	O
64	O
pack	O
,	O
and	O
in	O
the	O
August	O
2015	O
Xbox	B-Device
One	I-Device
compilation	O
of	O
30	O
Ultimate	O
and	O
Rare	O
titles	O
,	O
Rare	B-Application
Replay	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Reviewers	O
appreciated	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
graphics	O
and	O
found	O
its	O
gameplay	O
similar	O
to	O
Ultimate	O
's	O
previous	O
game	O
,	O
Atic	B-Application
Atac	I-Application
—	O
particularly	O
in	O
its	O
opening	O
sequence	O
and	O
maze	O
format	O
—	O
but	O
preferred	O
Sabre	B-Device
Wulf	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
Sabre	B-Device
Wulf	I-Device
was	O
a	O
selected	O
recommendation	O
in	O
Crash	O
(	O
July	O
1984	O
)	O
,	O
Personal	O
Computer	O
Games	O
(	O
August	O
1984	O
)	O
,	O
and	O
Popular	O
Computing	O
Weekly	O
(	O
June	O
1984	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Ultimate	O
's	O
new	O
pricing	O
strategy	O
was	O
a	O
success	O
and	O
Sabre	B-Device
Wulf	I-Device
topped	O
the	O
sales	O
chart	O
in	O
the	O
video	O
game	O
format	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
While	O
Retro	O
Gamer	O
reported	O
that	O
Sabre	B-Device
Wulf	I-Device
broke	O
the	O
company	O
's	O
sales	O
records	O
,	O
Computer	O
and	O
Video	O
Games	O
(	O
CVG	O
)	O
said	O
that	O
the	O
release	O
underperformed	O
prior	O
games	O
,	O
with	O
only	O
30,000	O
copies	O
sold	O
by	O
December	O
1984	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Crash	O
confirmed	O
rumours	O
that	O
the	O
game	O
was	O
similar	O
to	O
Atic	B-Application
Atac	I-Application
,	O
but	O
declared	O
Sabre	B-Device
Wulf	I-Device
the	O
better	O
and	O
predicted	O
that	O
they	O
would	O
have	O
similar	O
legacies	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Crash	O
later	O
reflected	O
that	O
comparisons	O
to	O
Atic	B-Application
Atac	I-Application
at	O
its	O
launch	O
were	O
unfair	O
,	O
similar	O
to	O
calling	O
any	O
two	O
text	O
adventures	O
identical	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
the	O
opinion	O
of	O
CVG	O
reviewers	O
,	O
Sabre	B-Device
Wulf	I-Device
carried	O
Ultimate	O
's	O
momentum	O
from	O
Jetpac	B-Application
and	O
Atic	B-Application
Atac	I-Application
,	O
and	O
had	O
the	O
best	O
graphics	O
of	O
any	O
ZX	B-Operating_System
Spectrum	I-Operating_System
game	O
,	O
with	O
graphical	O
detail	O
that	O
surpassed	O
what	O
previous	O
reviewers	O
had	O
considered	O
the	O
computer	O
's	O
limits	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Sinclair	O
User	O
particularly	O
liked	O
how	O
the	O
hippo	O
enemies	O
force	O
the	O
player	O
to	O
vary	O
their	O
hack-and-slash	B-Application
gameplay	O
style	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
magazine	O
received	O
more	O
mail	O
in	O
praise	O
of	O
Sabre	B-Device
Wulf	I-Device
in	O
1984	O
than	O
for	O
any	O
other	O
game	O
and	O
,	O
a	O
year	O
later	O
,	O
repeated	O
that	O
Sabre	B-Device
Wulf	I-Device
was	O
among	O
the	O
top	O
games	O
available	O
for	O
the	O
Spectrum	O
,	O
adding	O
that	O
the	O
game	O
did	O
not	O
feel	O
antiquated	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Critics	O
also	O
noted	O
a	O
bug	B-Error_Name
in	O
two-player	O
mode	O
,	O
repeat	O
screens	O
from	O
elsewhere	O
in	O
the	O
maze	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
frustratingly	O
narrow	O
window	O
in	O
which	O
sabre	B-Application
swings	O
register	O
as	O
enemy	O
hits	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
While	O
Sabre	B-Device
Wulf	I-Device
had	O
some	O
flicker	B-General_Concept
issues	O
,	O
said	O
Sinclair	O
User	O
,	O
the	O
game	O
altogether	O
met	O
Ultimate	O
's	O
high	O
quality	O
benchmarks	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
retrospective	O
review	O
from	O
Retro	O
Gamer	O
reduced	O
Sabre	B-Device
Wulf	I-Device
to	O
"	O
an	O
interactive	O
maze	O
"	O
packed	O
with	O
colour	O
and	O
hack-and-slash	B-Application
gameplay	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
The	O
Routledge	O
Companion	O
to	O
Video	O
Game	O
Studies	O
,	O
Simon	O
Niedenthal	O
used	O
Sabre	B-Device
Wulf	I-Device
as	O
an	O
example	O
of	O
games	O
that	O
maximised	O
the	O
limited	O
colour	O
palette	O
of	O
8-bit	O
computers	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Sabre	B-Device
Wulf	I-Device
was	O
the	O
first	O
of	O
four	O
titles	O
in	O
the	O
Sabreman	O
series	O
for	O
the	O
ZX	B-Operating_System
Spectrum	I-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
an	O
ordinary	O
human	O
with	O
a	O
hat	O
and	O
exaggerated	O
nose	O
,	O
Sabreman	O
fit	O
the	O
video	O
game	O
8-bit	B-Application
era	I-Application
's	O
character	O
archetype	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
last	O
,	O
unreleased	O
game	O
in	O
the	O
Spectrum	O
Sabreman	O
series	O
,	O
Mire	B-Device
Mare	I-Device
,	O
was	O
planned	O
to	O
have	O
been	O
similar	O
to	O
Sabre	B-Device
Wulf	I-Device
in	O
gameplay	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Rare	O
,	O
the	O
successor	O
to	O
Ultimate	O
,	O
later	O
released	O
a	O
side-scrolling	O
platformer	O
in	O
2004	O
for	O
the	O
Game	B-Device
Boy	I-Device
Advance	I-Device
handheld	O
console	O
—	O
also	O
titled	O
Sabre	B-Device
Wulf	I-Device
—	O
in	O
which	O
Sabreman	O
enlists	O
jungle	O
animals	O
to	O
solve	O
the	O
Sabre	B-Device
Wulf	I-Device
's	O
puzzles	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Elements	O
from	O
the	O
original	O
Sabre	B-Device
Wulf	I-Device
appear	O
in	O
other	O
games	O
,	O
including	O
Rare	O
's	O
Jet	B-Application
Force	I-Application
Gemini	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Star	B-Application
Fox	I-Application
Adventures	I-Application
had	O
at	O
one	O
point	O
in	O
development	O
a	O
main	O
character	O
called	O
Sabre	B-Application
the	O
wolf	O
.	O
</s>
