Atic Atac

Atic Atac
ZX Spectrum cover art
Developer(s)	Tim and Chris Stamper
Publisher(s)	Ultimate Play The Game
Platform(s)	ZX Spectrum BBC Micro
Release date(s)	ZX Spectrum WW: 1983 BBC Micro UK: 1983 Xbox One WW: 2015
Genre(s)	Arcade adventure Maze
Mode(s)	Single-player

Atic Atac is an arcade-adventure video game developed and published by Ultimate Play The Game, released for the ZX Spectrum and the BBC Micro in 1983. The game takes place within a castle in which the player must seek out the "Golden Key of ACG" through unlocking doors and avoiding enemies. It was Ultimate's second game to require 48K of RAM; most of their previous games for the Spectrum ran on unexpanded 16K models.

The game was written by Tim Stamper and graphics were designed by Chris Stamper. Atic Atac received praise from critics upon release, mostly for its graphics and isometric gameplay. It was later included in Rare's 2015 Xbox One retrospective compilation, Rare Replay. The game served as inspiration for the critically acclaimed adventure game show Knightmare.

The game is presented in a top-down perspective and is set inside a labyrinth of a complex castle. The player has been trapped inside and needs to collect three pieces of the "Golden Key of ACG" in order to escape. They can choose from three different characters; a Wizard, Knight or Serf. Each character has access to a secret passage unique to them, meaning that navigating the castle is different for each one.

There are a number of items scattered around the castle, of which the player may carry up to three at a time. Some of these are always in the same place at the start of the game, whereas others are distributed randomly. Items include differently-coloured keys which will unlock their respective doors, the three pieces of the ACG key, and other items that affect certain enemies or are mere red herrings. Common enemies appear in each room upon entering and will attack the player on sight. Collision with these enemies destroys them but drains a portion of the player's health. There are also stationary poisonous fungi which will drain health constantly if the player is in contact with them, and enemies that require special items in order to either distract, repel or kill them, otherwise they remain invulnerable to conventional attacks.Bosses guard pieces of the ACG key, and contact with them will rapidly drain away the player's health.