How to play Sir Lancelot online
- Flap Pegasusās wings: tap the Space bar again and again to stay in the air
- Steer: left and right arrow keys (while flapping) for level flight, up and down to climb or dive
- Choose a starting level to practise: F11 (Select)
- Start a new game: F12 (Reset)
Sir Lancelot is a one-player game.
Gameplay
The quest has eight screens that alternate between the sky outside a castle and the dragonās hall inside it. Outside, you clear the air of flying snakes, then monster bees, killer dragonflies and finally the āInvisible Invinciblesā. Inside, a dragon guards a maiden above a pool of lava. You beat it by driving your lance into its soft stomach while dodging its fire. A fireball does not kill you, but it stuns Pegasus so he cannot flap, and the lava keeps rising, so there is no time to waste.
Every collision is a joust. If only one of you is facing the point of impact, that one wins. If you face each other, the higher rider wins. At the same height, or if neither is facing the other, it is a tie and you bounce apart. After the eighth screen a harder quest begins.
| Screen | Kill | Maiden saved |
|---|---|---|
| 1 ā Flying snakes | 250 each | ā |
| 2 ā The Old Dragon | 2,500 | 10,000 |
| 3 ā Monster bees | 750 each | ā |
| 4 ā Young Grok | 5,000 | 20,000 |
| 5 ā Killer dragonflies | 1,500 each | ā |
| 6 ā Jarek the Speedy | 7,500 | 40,000 |
| 7 ā Invisible Invincibles | 3,000 each | ā |
| 8 ā Hanek the Horrible | 10,000 | 80,000 |
On the creature screens, kills made within one second of each other earn growing āquick killā bonuses. On the dragon screens you also score a few points for every second and a half you survive. Every 100,000 points gives you an extra life, up to six in reserve.
Tips
- Stay above your target. In a head-on meeting the higher rider wins, so attack from slightly above.
- Chain your kills. Hitting creatures in quick succession is worth far more than picking them off slowly.
- Aim for the middle. Later dragons have more armour, and on the top screens only a hit in the exact centre of the stomach works.
- Keep out of the line of fire. A stunned Pegasus sinks, and with the lava rising that can cost you the maiden.
- Practise the dragons. Use Select to start on a later level and learn each dragonās pattern.
History
Xonox was known for its double-enders: cartridges with a game at each end that you flipped over to switch games. Sir Lancelot was paired with Robin Hood, and the game was also published for the ColecoVision. Xonox closed during the video game crash, and AtariAge rates both the single cartridge and the double-ender as very rare today.
