B.C.’s Quest for Tires

B.C.’s Quest for Tires is a 1983 action game from Sydney Development, published by Sierra On-Line and based on Johnny Hart’s comic strip B.C. Designed by Rick Banks and Michael Bate, it was released on the Apple II, Atari 8-bit, ColecoVision, C64, IBM PC, MSX and ZX Spectrum, and sold around a million copies.

Gameplay

The caveman Thor must rescue his girlfriend, Cute Chick, who has been captured by a dinosaur. He sets off on his stone unicycle, and the game plays a little like Moon Patrol.

• Side-scrolling ride: Roll across a prehistoric landscape.
• Jump and duck: Clear rocks, trees, rivers, lava pits and cliffs, and duck under low branches.
• Fat Broad: Avoid the club-swinging character from the comic.
• Bounce: When you duck, Thor bounces, so timing matters.

The graphics capture the comic’s style well, and the humour is charming.

Verdict

B.C.’s Quest for Tires is a charming, well-made early action game. It’s simple, but its timing-based gameplay and comic-strip humour still appeal. It won several awards and was followed by Grog’s Revenge.