B.C.'s Quest for Tires


B.C.'s Quest for Tires is a home video game designed by Rick Banks and Michael Bate and published by Sierra On-Line in 1983. Versions were released for the Nabu Network, Commodore 64, Atari 8-bit family, ColecoVision, ZX Spectrum, MSX, and Apple II. Based on the comic strip B.C. by Johnny Hart, BC's Quest for Tires is a scrolling game similar to Irem's Moon Patrol from the previous year. The title is a play on the title of the contemporaneous film Quest for Fire.
A sequel, , was released in 1984.

Plot

The player takes the role of the caveman Thor, who has to rescue his girlfriend, "Cute Chick", who has been kidnapped by a dinosaur. To do this, he must travel on his stone unicycle through several levels. Each level has Thor moving from the left to the right, avoiding various dangers.

Gameplay

B.C.'s Quest for Tires is an action game taking place on several consecutive levels. The levels start out simple, with Thor having to jump over potholes or duck under tree branches. Later levels become more complex, for example requiring Thor to jump on turtles in order to cross a lake, or to be carried over a lava pit by a "Dooky Bird". Other B.C. characters, such as the Fat Broad, also appear on some levels.

Reception

Softline stated that, given the conventional gameplay, the use of the familiar comic characters made "the player feel like finishing the game is worthwhile... it's just not the same". The magazine concluded that "B.C.'s Quest for Tires isn't so much a computer game as it is an interactive cartoon. This cartoon has its limits, but it does provide some challenge". Antic approved of the game not being another "'shoot the aliens and save the world' scenario", and the "first rate" animation, but predicted that most players would "enjoy the game for a day or two, then relegate it to the shelf". Compute! praised the game's "excellent graphics" and animation, which "approach cartoon standards".

Awards