Arac

Arac
Title screen of the game
Game No.	538
Voting	7.33 points, 6 votes
Developer	Paul O'Mallay
Company	Addictive Games
Publisher	Addictive Games, Epyx (Maxx Out!), Prism Leisure
Release	1986
Platform	C64, IBM-PC, Apple II
Genre	Adventure
Gamemode	Single player
Operation
Media
Language
Information	Released in the USA and Taiwan in 1987 under the name "Spiderbot", and in Germany and Europe also under the name Spider (ARAC). It was re-released in 1988 by Prism Leisure Corporation.

Description

"Arac", also called "Arac and the Arachnidroid" in the inlay of the game's cassette (derived from the ancient Greek word "Arachne", meaning "spider"), is an Action-adventure game that spans over 100 screens. There is no scrolling; the screens are displayed using the flip-screen method. The player initially controls the droid Arac through a cave labyrinth, collecting the missing components of the combat robot Arachnidroid. Here, he can use a net to capture various creatures inhabiting the caves and then have them help him in exchange for their release. Once he has gathered all the components, Arac can transform into Arachnidroid, who — controlled by the player — must then disable three chemical reactors in the center of the cave system.

Backstory

Arac

Arachnidroid

Deep in the jungle, in a heavily guarded fortress, three chemical reactors are in danger of overheating and exploding. Only the droid Arac can avert this catastrophe by first transforming into the spider-like combat robot Arachnidroid by collecting additional components. As Arachnidroid, he then infiltrates the fortress, overcomes the guards stationed there, and deactivates the three reactors one after the other. Arac can enlist the help of various animal inhabitants of the jungle to accomplish this task. If he catches them with his net, they do him a favor once he releases them, for example by drilling a passage into an adjacent room or carrying Arac to a higher platform.

Design

The labyrinth that Arac traverses in search of the missing components of Arachnidroid is detailed and expansive, but predominantly rendered in dark shades of gray and brown. Combined with the very simple sound effects and the consistently monochrome enemies, this makes it difficult to immerse oneself in Arac's world during the game. However, Arac and his net are beautifully drawn and fluidly animated.

With well-aimed throws of his net, Arac catches his animal helpers.

The insect takes Arac to a higher level...

...and the drill opens an entrance to the next room.

Graphics

The graphics are rendered in monochrome bitmap mode (graphics memory at address $6000, corresponding color information in screen memory starting at address $5C00). An exceptionally large screen area of ​​304x168 pixels is used to display the maze; the remaining screen lines show status information, captured animals, or the selection menu. Arac is represented with three, his net with two, and Arachnidroid with four monochrome sprites. One or two sprites are sufficient for the cave dwellers.

Sound

The sound output is limited to underscoring individual events (for example, Arac jumping, throwing the net) with short, simple sounds; there is no music in the game.

Hints

Controls

"Arac" can be controlled either with a joystick in port 1 or with the keyboard. Both options are active simultaneously and can also be used in parallel.

• or C= : Arac/Arachnidroid moves to the left
• or L.SHIFT : Arac/Arachnidroid moves to the right
• or @ : Arac's net flies higher/Arachnidroid moves upward
• or : : The clock is displayed/Arachnidroid moves downward
• or : @ : Arac jumps
• : Arac throws a net/Arachnidroid fires

Pressing the fire button combined with a downward movement opens the menu; a downward movement closes it. In the menu, the cursor can be moved left or right using the joystick and keyboard; pressing the fire button selects an animal as a helper.

Screen Layout

Layout of the screen display. Arac has just discovered a leg of an Arachnidroid.

Layout of the menu. Arac has not yet captured any animals.

Opponents and Accomplices

The creatures depicted in the following gallery inhabit the cave system. Some of the creatures are hostile to Arac and drain his energy, while others can be very useful after Arac has captured them with his net: For example, the "Stinger" allows Arac to jump as high as he likes, and the "Big Borer" gnaws passages to adjacent rooms.

STINGER

ROCK HOPPER

BIG BORER

RAY

MALEVOLENT MAN OF WAR

Tips

• If Arac loses some of his energy, it slowly regenerates on its own, provided he is not touched by enemies or hit by projectiles in the meantime (gain of approximately 8 energy units per minute, up to a maximum of 25 energy units).
• Of the animals, you should capture the "stinging insect" and the "big bore" whenever the opportunity arises. The other animal species are not useful or only in a specific situation; Capturing them "in advance" can only help bridge the waiting time for the energy supply to replenish.
• The "Great Bore" moves in the direction Arac's net launcher is pointing after its release. It needs sufficient space for its jaws to penetrate a wall. Therefore, before deploying this creature, Arac must ensure both the correct direction of view and a generous distance from the wall.
• When Arac transforms into Arachnidroid, its energy supply is limited. If Arachnidroid drops upwards or moves upside down on the ceiling, this doubles its energy consumption compared to normal movement.

Solution

If the "FULL" game mode is selected, the three components of Arachnidroid must first be collected. The allotted 10 minutes for this task is tight, but can be extended — at the expense of the subsequent gameplay phase. With a little practice (and some luck with the start screen and the storage locations of the two legs), this task can usually be completed without difficulty.

In any case, the player must then guide the robot, alternating between Arac and Arachnidroid, through the labyrinth to the room containing the reactors and deactivate them. The 20 minutes available for this are generous and also allow the player to wait in a quiet place while in Arac form to replenish their energy supply: Both moving as Arachnidroid (especially upside down) and being shot by the guards consume a lot of energy.

Map

The following image shows the layout of the labyrinth. Unlike most other games, where a flip-screen game world must be traversed, the individual screens in Arac are not arranged in a grid, but are freely positioned both horizontally and vertically. At the seams between adjacent rooms, a slight offset occasionally occurs between the passages on both sides when the map is assembled. In the following illustration, the background on which the individual rooms are depicted is deliberately white to clarify their relative positions.

Step by Step

• If the long game variant ("FULL") is chosen, the components of the Arachnidroid must first be collected. The starting point of the search changes from game to game, but is always located in one of the rooms to the left of the giant fist in the lower part of the labyrinth (recognizable by the brown of the earth and the green of the vegetation).
• The middle part of the Arachnidroid is always hidden in the giant fist (the left animation of the following gallery shows how to remove it; the "powerful jumper" must be placed very precisely under the chain); the storage locations of its two legs change from game to game.
• Once all the individual parts of the Arachnidroid have been found, the game reaches the same point that could have been reached by choosing the short game mode ("SHORT") as the starting point.
• The Arachnidroid has the ability to drop upwards and walk on the ceilings of the rooms. This makes the upper part of the labyrinth accessible (recognizable by the gray concrete and the light blue pillars). Now, the goal is to fight your way to the three chemical reactors as quickly as possible and finally deactivate them (right animation in the following gallery).

The middle part of the Arachnidroid is hidden in a giant fist.

The reactors are finally deactivated.

Internal Data Structures

For developing custom trainer functions and for analyzing or manipulating the data used by the game, knowledge of the memory allocation and internal workings is helpful. The following table therefore compiles a range of information about "Arac".

Address	Content	Value range
$001E	Room number	1...100
$008B	Number of captured "MALVOLENT MAN OF WAR"	0...8
$008C	Number of captured "BIG BORER"	0...8
$008D	Number of "RAY" caught	0...8
$008E	Number of "ROCK HOPPER" caught	0...8
$008F	Number of "STINGER" caught	0...8
$00FC	Energy	0...25

Cheats

The "Spiderbot +1D" crack in CSDb has a trainer function:

Alternatively, the program code of some cracks can be modified after loading using POKEs to create various trainer functions. Since the memory allocation of these cracks varies and the game's program code is only copied to its final position after startup, these POKEs can only ever refer to a specific version. The following commands, for example, apply to the Hotline crack:

POKE 10719,0   : REM ARAC HAS ENDLESS ENERGY
POKE 24034,44  : REM ARACHNIDROID HAS ENDLESS ENERGY
POKE 25266,246 : REM START WITH TWO CAPTURED ANIMALS OF EACH KIND
POKE 6611,36   : REM DO NOT LET ANIMALS ESCAPE AFTER THEY HAVE HELPED

Votes

Voting of the C64-Wiki users (10=the best vote):
7.33 points at 6 votes (rank 334). You need to be logged in to cast a vote.
C64 Games	6	December 5, 2025 - "gut" - 22018 downs
Lemon 64	6,55	December 5, 2025 - 42 votes
Computer and Video Games	Graphics 9/10, Sound 6/10, Value 8/10, Playability 8/10	Issue 59 (September 1986)
ASM (Aktueller Software-Markt)	Grafik 10/10, Sound 6/10, Spielidee 9/10, Spielmotivation 10/10	Ausgabe 7/1986
Commodore User	Graphics 8/10, Sound 6/10, Toughness 8/10, Endurance 8/10, Value 8/10	Issue 36 (September 1986)
Your Commodore	Originality 8/10, Playability 6/10, Graphics 7/10, Value 8/10	Issue 25 (October 1986)
Tilt	Prix B, Intérêt 3/6 Intérêt 4/6, Graphisme 3/6, Animation 4/6, Bruitage 3/6, Prix B	N° 35 (Octobre 1986) N° 37 (Decembre 1986)
ZZap! 64	93% (Presentation 92%, Graphics 94%, Sound 10%, Hookability 94%, Lastability 93%, Value For Money 90%)	Issue 17 (September 1986)

Critics

Stephan64: "A tricky search in a huge labyrinth and an exciting battle against the sentries of the enemy fortress, plus, as a nice new feature, various helpful animals that can be captured for support: Actually a great idea for a successful game. Unfortunately, given the rather monotonous maze, mainly rendered in shades of gray and brown, and the more than meager sound design, the atmosphere isn't really created... 6 out of 10 points."

Miscellaneous

Cover

Cassette cover for the game "Arac"

Inlay

The following gallery shows the German version of the inlay for the cassette version of "Arac". The only difference in the "German" version is that the publisher made a desperate attempt to translate at least the names of the display elements and the cave dwellers into German. The creature called "BIG BORER" in English, which bores through the walls separating adjacent rooms, is thus disparaged in German as "DER GROßE LANGWEILER" (The Great Bore).

Outside of the inlay for the game "Arac"

Inside of the inlay for the game "Arac"

Cassette

Cassette for the game "Arac"

Fastloader

The cassette version of the original "Addictive Games" edition of "Arac" (found in Ric64's Tape Archive) uses the software fast loader "Novaload". This accelerates the loading process of the approximately 70 KB program (loaded into the memory areas $5C00-$84FF, $0F00-$5BFF, $1100-$5AFF, $0800-$5BFF, and $7E4B-$814A, and subsequently partially copied or overwritten) by a factor of about 4. During loading, the fast loader's startup message is displayed first, followed later by a loading screen that closely resembles the game's title screen.

Fast loader startup message

The title screen is also displayed during loading, but it only changes after each loaded program segment.

The "Prism Leisure" remake of Arac is not available as a cassette image on the internet. To analyze the cassette and, in particular, its fast loader, the author of this article operated a datasette on a laboratory power supply and used it to play the data carrier shown in section Cassette. The resulting logic signals on the "Read" line were then fed into a correspondingly programmed Arduino, which ultimately generated a TAP file on a microSD card. This file is available upon request.

The new version uses a proprietary fast loader that — controlled by start and end addresses hardcoded in the program code — loads four program segments totaling approximately 70 kByte in size (at addresses $6000-$73FF, $1400-$23DF, $2400-$FFFD, and $1400-$23FF). This speeds up the loading process by a factor of approximately 4.5: Thanks to optimized encoding (shorter intervals for 0 and 1 bits, no parity bit and byte, no duplicate storage of program data), loading Arac takes only slightly more than five minutes, while the KERNAL's datasette routines would take about 23 minutes for a data volume of this size. During loading, the screen displays only horizontal colored stripes.

Video Recording

Complete solution to the game

Screenshot comparison

The following galleries compare the title screens, start screens, and end-of-game text of "Arac" and "Spiderbot." The animation of the title screen as a rotating reel was omitted in "Spiderbot", but otherwise, the two versions of the game are very similar.

Title screen of "Arac"...

...and of "Spiderbot"

Start screen of "Arac"...

...and of "Spiderbot"

Successful ending of "Arac"...

...and of "Spiderbot"

Highscore

Each player is invited to enter their highest scores in the following list and document them with a screenshot (showing the percentage and optionally one of the words "GAME OVER" or "REACTOR OFF"). This applies regardless of whether the "FULL" or "SHORT" variant was selected at the start of the game; experience has shown that points are even easier to earn in the initial phase, while collecting Arachnidroid components.

Topscore of Equinoxe

1. Equinoxe - 69% (03.04.2025)
2. Stephan64 - 47% (20.06.2023)
3. Leer - 0 (tt.mm.jjjj)

	#2 Stephan64		#3 Leer

Links

ARAC

• C64Games.de - Game No. 3943
• Lemon64 - Game No. 128
• Gamebase64.com - Game No. 351
• ready64 - Game No. 3267 Spider (ARAC)

Spiderbot

• C64Games.de - Game No. 6735
• C64.com - Game No. 1595
• Gamebase64.com - Game No. 7206
• Arac at MobyGames

• CSDb Arac and Spiderbot all entries
• The SixtyFour Originals DataBase - Game No. 393
• Universal Videogame List
• Ric64's Tape Archive

Magazine

• Computer and Video Games test report (p. 29)
• ASM test report (p. 9)
• Commodore User Review (p. 39) Review (p. 83)
• Tilt Test report (p. 30) Test report (p. 40)
• Your Commodore test report (p. 18)
• ZZap64 test report