Knot In 3D

User Summary:

Knot In 3D is a very strange game, difficult to understand at first but very challenging and demanding when you master it. You simply travel forwards in a white 3D space, leaving a solid, coloured trail behind you. You can turn left, right, up or down. If you turn left, left, then left again, you will see your own trail as you zoom towards it. If you hit it, you suffer damage, and too much damage ends the game. So you must fly over or under the trail.

The space is a wrap-around cube without a visible edge, so if you carry on in one direction, you approach your trail from behind (there's an automatic side-step by default). Plus there are two computer-run trails which make random turns. Gradually the 3D space fills up with denser and denser trails, forcing you to make sudden turns, reacting to fly into empty spaces as long as possible.

As the knot builds, the 3D effect of flying through canyons or tunnels builds and builds. The screen shows the density of the knot (too dense and it resets to the next, faster level). At first, it seems like there is no game, you could fly and keep making simply moves quite safely. But the random trails and your own moves soon build up obstacles, and the challenge ramps up quickly.

The game is mostly unknown in the Spectrum fan base, which is a shame since it was wholly original and very tricky. If it had a start level with an existing knot, maybe players would have got it faster and enjoyed it more.

Programmed by Malcolm Evans.