2005 – The Last Dalek
PC Windows / Mac (Online)
Game Built by: New Media Collective
Based on: Dalek by Rob Shearman
Daleks created by: Terry Nation
Dalek Voices by: Nicholas Briggs
Inspired by (but not exactly following the plot of) the 2005 episode Dalek, this fantastically inventive game launched alongside its broadcast in April 2005.
In it, the player takes control of the eponymous Dalek, as it glides around the Geocomtex base killing everything in sight. The challenge is made more difficult by the fact that power-ups are needed in order to get through some sections, and although you can collect them as you go, only two can be activated at once, creating a puzzle-game feel to an already frantic game.
Despite being a freebie, this is possibly the best Doctor Who game the BBC have ever provided. It received over 250,000 plays in the first week – and doubled that in the following fortnight. David Eccles, the MD of NMC, summed it up well when he enthused that “People are sitting down and playing the game for an hour at a time and enjoying every minute of it. This is unheard of for an online game, as they are usually over in a couple of minutes”.
The Last Dalek is available to play here.
Controls
Cursor keys to move, or:
W: Up
A: Left
D: Right
S: Down
Mouse-click: Exterminate/Unlock
Space: Select Weapon/View Info
Walkthrough
Note that this is the quickest way to solve it – there are also rooms you don’t need to go into that contain hidden messages, which aren’t covered here.
Level 1 – The Cage
Sucker the two scientists, and then exit the now-open door. Sucker the three in the next room, and again exit the open door. Sucker the next two and pick up the Bio-Processor. Activate it. Go back to the start screen and unlock the door (try shooting at it – you’ll see). Go through it, kill the two scientists and then unlock and go through the exit.
Level 2 – Weapons Research
Go through the door, then unlock the door on the right and go through that. Kill the two scientists and get the 60khz energy weapon – activate it. Go back to the prior room and destroy one of the barrels in the bottom-right to kill that scientist, then destroy some of the barrels (some of them will leave holes in the ground that you can’t traverse) to kill the other three. Exit by the nearest door. Kill the scientist in front of you, then shoot a barrel at the bottom left to kill one scientist, then head over to the right to kill the final scientist (again shooting your way through barrels) and then unlock and exit by the door behind him. Unlock the exit then make your way round the barrels (don’t waste your time destroying them) and quickly get out.
Level 3 – Mobility Research
Go through the door, kill the scientist, unlock and go through the next door (quickly, watch out for the Sentry), then dash through the next three Sentries and unlock the door at the other end. Go through it. Get the gearing system, blast through a barrel to the right, unlock the door, go through it and kill the scientistson the other side. Through the next door and get the Anti-Grav (watch out for the Sentries). Now go back through the door you came through and kill the scientists again. Stop for a breather and activate the Anti-Grav (keep the weapon, but lose the door unlocking ability). Go through the door, watch out for Sentries and shoot the same barrels you shot before from the other side. Go through and back through the door you first entered in. Avoid the Sentries and dash up the stairs. Shoot the scientist, destroy all the barrels, then hover over the holes you’ve made. Switch back to having the weapon and the unlock functionality. Unlock the exit and take it.
Level 4 – Access Corridor
Watch out – there’s guards with guns now. Through the door, kill the scientist, then through the bottom right door. Kill the guard and scientists, and go through that door. Kill both scientists, and then through the bottom-left door. Kill the scientist there, and then through the bottom-right. Kill the scientists, switch to gun and hover options, and go down the stairs. Shoot through the barrels, go round the grey cabinets and pick up the Shield Generator. Back the way you came, up the stairs, switch on the shield and gun options (and don’t forget, if the shield takes a knocking, find somewhere quiet to sit and wait for it to self-repair), up through the door, top-right door, top-left door, then switch to shield and unlock options. Unlock the door, then stroll casually past the Sentries. Go through the door, and switch to shield and gun so you can kill the guards. Through the door that opens, kill the guards, switch back to unlock and get through that exit.
Level 5 – Military Zone
Ensure you have shield and gun selected. Shoot through the barrels to get through the top-left door. Kill guard, switch to shield and hover modes, and then through the top-right door. Lots of guards here, so best off run! Get to the stairs on the top-right and go up them. Sucker the immediate guard to death, then switch when you can back to gun and shield options. Head for the top-right exit, killing guards and shooting barrels on the way. Stand on top of the Sentry and switch to gun and gearing, allowing you to destroy a barrel or two. Switch to shield and anti-grav, allowing you to pass over the holes in front of you and then to shield and unlock so you can exit. Before you leave, switch shield and gun back on. Now, try and time it right so you can get on top of the Sentry that’s blocking your way to the 120hz weapon (shooting at them a few times often makes them duck a little quicker) which replaces your 60hz one and is twice as powerful. Get that, and head towards the bottom-left door. Before you go through, you might need to take a second to recover! Get through the maze of Sentries and guards then switch to shield and unlock to get through the door at the far-left. Before you go through, switch to shield and gun, then kill the guards on the other side, then switch on the unlock to get through the exit.
Level 6 – Defence Research
Use gun and gearing to destroy all the barrels, then switch one to hover and head for the top-right exit, enabling shield and gun before you go through. Head through the top right exit and then head past all the Sentries (pause after each one to allow your shield to regenerate) and pick up the advanced shield. Now destroy the barrel and select shield and hover so you can get over the holes and back out the way you came without going past the Sentries again. Exit through the door you came in, and straight back through to the start screen. As before, use gun and gearing to clear the barrels (although if you aim right you don’t need to use gearing for this), then hover – this time to exit by the top-left. Again equip the deathray and shield before you go through the door. Shoot the two barrels dead ahead of you, then sneak past the Sentry. Equip antigrav to get over the holes, and then the unlocking to get through the door. Now tread very slowly – if you get hit you must stop until you’ve regenerated! Head for the very top-right corner and then select antigrav to get through the door. Before you go through, make sure you have the shield on as you’re about to get attacked by several guards and Sentries! Go through the top-left door. Slide past the pair of Sentries shooting forwards, and head round the path (destroying a barrel on the way). Stand on top of the more intelligent Sentry, shoot the barrels, then switch to hover and shield to get over safely. Switch back to gun and shield and go through the door… Into another mine testing room! Again, move slowly (and don’t panic when the guards run towards you – they won’t shoot until they’re really close, and you have the benefit of a shield) and head for the top-left exit.
Level 7 – Optical Research
Enable shield and unlocking, make your way quickly round the room and then through the locked door top-left. Head through, switching to shield and gun. Get to the top-left door, shooting at any randomly flying bullets along the way (you’ll see…). Shoot the barrel on the left, then enable hovvering to go around. Get that shiny thing! Head back (this time you can take a shorter route down the right of the screen and back out the door). Enable sight and guns to kill all four guards, but don’t forget you have no shield. You can then go through the top-right exit, switching back to shield and gun first. Dash through the room quickly, killing everyone and switching briefly from gun to unlocking to open the door. Head round the sentry room, and then switch to vision and gun to kill the four invisible guys in the next room. After you’ve got through it and unlocked the door with the bio-processor, you reach a similar room to finish the level.
Level 8 – Access Corridor
Unlock the door on your left – kill all the scientist and turn your shield on. Get the speed boost, activate it and go back to the first room. Equip hover and go across the holes into the corridor. Use shield and speed boost to fly across the corridor and then up the stairs with the hover, then quickly switch back to shield and speed, and kill everyone. Switch back to hover to leave via the stairs on the right. Use speed and shield to get past the first few sentries until you reach the first door – go through it. Kill the scientist and go back, then race down the rest of the corridor, unlock the door and switch to vision and shield. Kill everyone there and head for the exit.
Levels 9 and 10 – Exterminate the Doctor…
Good luck!
2005 – Dr Who: Invasion of the Daleks
PC Windows (Download)
Programmer: Smilia
Designed for a competition under the banner “OneSwitch” by Trevor Storey (aka Smila, a name on the retro gaming scene), this game was specifically intended to be played by the disabled – specifically, there is just one control (the space bar) which is used to both change the direction the TARDIS is flying, and shoot the Daleks that are flying towards the bottom of the screen.
A rather silly storyline, but an honourable attempt – nonetheless, those of us fortunate enough to not be classed as physically disabled are unlikely to get much out of this game.
2005 – The Quest of the Golden Banana
TADS [Platform Independent Interpreter] (Download)
Programmer: Eric Eve
A tutorial program for Michael Roberts’ software developer TADS, Eve’s small comic story is designed around showing the user through all the different commands a TAD programmer could use, with little concern as to the quality of the game itself – which features a TARDIS as a major piece of a puzzle.
Controls
Type-in game
2005 – Doctor Who – Dalek Hunter
Handheld LD Game
Released by: Character Options
As part of their recent license to create toys to tie in with the relaunch of Doctor Who, Character Options created a low-budget LCD game, suitable for those age 5 and up who particularly wanted to destroy Daleks in a plot a little reminiscent of Parting of the Ways.
Initially intended to be housed in a TARDIS design (see right) the game ended up appearing inside a deluxe Dalek make-up kit affair – all this to-ing and fro-ing over designs, however, did stop someone from checking the instructions properly, and information was copied across from a recent series of Batman Begins LCD games.
(It doesn’t end there either – later in the instructions the Dalek Mothership is referred to as “he” – presumably a reference to the Scarecrow or something).
The game centres around an attack on Earth by the Daleks, as the instruction leaflet explains:
The Dalek fleet is approaching Earth. You must pursue the Mothership and try to destroy it but Dalek’s are pouring out of its launch bays to try and thwart your attack. Can you avoid the Daleks and other space debris hurtling towards you as you try and destroy the Emperors ship before the Earth is reduced to rubble?
The player then takes control of a ship, which they can alter the speed of (only when you’re travelling fast enough do you get a shot at the Mothership, which you must hit 100 times to destroy – tricky given that there’s three places it can appear). The player can make the ship “jump” (yes, that’s right, jump… in space…) to avoid the return fire of the Mothership and the oncoming Daleks.
Downloads
2005 – Telos
PC Windows (Download)
Programmer: Peter Crossley [website]
This frustrating puzzler is a remake of the classic game King’s Valley, but with the fourth Doctor taking the role of the coin-collecting hero, forever running from the Cybermen.
Although the game gives you infinite lives, the puzzles get increasingly harder, and the save game option every five levels seems further and further away each time.
Controls
Cursor keys: Directions (down to use drill/spanner if held)
F1: Help
F6: Switch to windowed view
D: Restart level
Mouse on final level 21
Walkthrough of First Three Stages
Get the coins and spanner on the left hand side of the screen. Drop off the bottom right, and then use the spanner to open the hatch but don’t drop down it! Jump across and get the drill, then drop down. Get the coins and drill through one of the blocks, then jump back to get the drill behind you and drill through the other. Drop off the bottom right again to get to the exit at the top of the screen.
Drop off the bottom left to get the leftmost coin. Then drop off the bottom right and get the drill on the lowest level. Drill straight through the block next to you, get the coin and go up a level. Get the coin and drill that are there, then go back and drop down the bottom right. Drop down one level and exit the right of the screen – drop down the bottom-left of the screen and you should be able to drill through one block to get the final coin.
Get the spanner, drop down and open the hatch beneath you, then jump over it to get the coin on the left. Drop down again, exit on the right, get the other spanner and open the hatch at the base of the screen. Jump over that and get the coin at the top of the ladder, and the one on the other side of the screen too. Go back right, get the drill at the bottom and drop through the hatch. Drill through one of the two blocks that’s in the way of the last coin, then drop right the way back through again to get one of the other drills and do the same again. Drop through the screen one more time and get the drill at the very top. Drill through the block on the right of the screen and run right to the exit.
2005 – Dalektron
PC Windows (Download)
Programmer: Andy & James Bower [website]
Game Design: James Bower
Game Programming: Andy Bower
Dalek 3-D Models and Doctor Who Consultant: Gavin Rymill [website]
Doctor Who Theme Music: Oddsprite [website]
Programming Language: Smalltalk [website]
Uncredited Dalek Font: Keith Bates
Designed to teach his nine-year old son about computer programming, Andy Bower’s Dalektron is based heavily on Robotron (moreso than the reams and reams of freeware games, usually called ‘Daleks’, produced over the years), as the Doctor, Mickey (bizarrely showing off his legs somewhat) and Rose battle dozens of Daleks in a myriad of colour schemes – many based on the show’s history, with a few new designs thrown in for good measure.
Tip
Don’t attack the chained Dalek in Level 7 – it will add to its strength, and the strength of all the other Daleks in the game! If you’re aiming for a higher score though, this can actually work in your favour…
2005 – Launch Guinevere
PC Windows / Mac (Online)
Publisher: BBC Online
Throughout the broadcast of the 2005 series of Doctor Who, a number of “spoof” websites were set up by BBC Online to tie in with individual episodes – when the show returned for a Christmas special, they went one step further and included a mini-game as part of their http://www.guinevere.org.uk/ site.
The aim is simply to successfully launch the Guinevere probe on its trip to Mars. Simple, but at the same time very low on replayability.
Controls
Click ‘green’ to launch, and press the spacebar for extra thrust.
Tips
Keep restarting the game until you see weather condition as sunny. Night is extremely difficult and rainy is actually impossible. Hold down the mouse button on green until the right hand bar has is around 2/3 of the way from the right-hand side of the screen (and on its way back) and then release – press and hold the spacebar to make it through the gap. Simple!
2005 – Doctor Who / Project Gallifrey
PC Windows / Mac (Online)
There has been a long-held tradition online of playing Role-playing games to indulge in escapist fantasies.
This one, we have to admit, confuses us slightly. It seems to be a group of people (six at the last count) telling each other that they’re fighting each other in big spaceships and so on.
The game is available here.
(Update April 2006: No, it’s gone now. Shame.)
Cheats
Erm, pretend to have The Biggest Spaceship In The Universe Ever, we assume.
2005 – Lost in the TARDIS
PC Windows / Mac (Online)
Programmer: Murray Ewing [website]
A small game which challenges you to find your way around the maze of TARDIS corridors, randomly reconfiguring every time you play.
Options at the start allow you to choose the size, and therefore difficulty, of the maze.
Controls
Mouse
2005 – Dalek
PC Windows / Mac (Online)
Programmer: Brent Silby [website]
A fast and furious shoot-em-up sharing little with the various Dalek games made across the years. This one is actually fun! (If baring little relation to the series – really just a generic arcade game with some Dalek sprites).
Controls
I
J L = Directions
K
X = Rapid Fire
Z = Energy Weapon
2005 – The Five Doctors
PC Windows (Download)
Programmers: Paul Somers & Wil Roysdon [website] using Game Maker
Launched on December 22nd 2005 this game, which had taken a month to program, was the second to be inspired by the name The Five Doctors… Unlike the first, however, this took the form of five arcade-style games based on an adventure of each of the first five Doctors: 100,000BC, Tomb of the Cybermen, The Three Doctors, Genesis of the Daleks and Castrovalva.
Wil’s original concept was to create a single level for every story (possibly including the new series), much like the ambitious plan behind Cheeky Monkey’s Timelord. After level one took several hours alone, it became clear that it was far more sensible to scale down somewhat and create a single level for each Doctor… Again, though, ambition got the better of Paul and Wil, and after Paul (who had by that point taken over most coding duties, with Wil playtesting) spent a great deal of time on the fourth level it was decided to name the game The Five Doctors and finish with Castrovalva.
The game was extremely well received, and followups began to be planned…
Controls
Curser keys to move
Downloads
2005 – Attack of the Graske
Freeview, PC Windows / Mac (Online)
Starring: David Tennant
Mum: Lisa Palfrey
Dad: Nicholas Beveney
Girl: Mollie Kabia
Boy: James Harris
Grandad: Robin Meredith
Grandma: Gwenyth Petty
Graske: Jimmy Vee
Older Man: Roger Nott
Urchin: Ben Oliver
Young Woman: Catherine Olding
Written by Gareth Roberts
Directed by Ashley Way
Production Co-ordinator: Katy Cartwright
Script Supervisor: Pam Humphries
Standby Art Director: Jenny Bowers
Concept Artist: Peter McInstry
Lighting Gaffer: Bob Fernandes
Steadicam Operator: Alf Tramontin
1st Assistant Director: Peter Bennett
Dubbing Editor: Paul Jefferies
Casting: Gary Howe
Interactive Team: Philip Watson, Ronnie Bullen, Tom Wey, Bronwen Lynch
Interactive Assistant Producer:
Claudia Griffiths
Graphics: Andy Greenham
Costume Designer: Brian Malam
Make-up Designer: Marie Doris
Dubbing Mixer: Tim Ricketts
Sound Recordist: Phil Edwards
Editor: Jamie Marsh
Online Editor: Phil Gadd
Post Production Supervisor: Jennie Jones
Original Theme Music: Ron Grainer
Music: Murray Gold
Visual Effects: The Mill
Visual Effects Producer: Will Cohen
Visual Effects Supervisor: Barney Curnow
Prosthetics: Millennium Effects
Supervising Art Director: Arwel Jones
Production Designer: Edward Thomas
Script Editor: Simon Winstone
Direction of Photography: Rory Taylor
Associate Producer: Dawn Walters
Producers: Sophie Fante, Jo Pearce, Andrew Whitehouse
Executive Producers: Russell T Davies,
Julie Gardner
BBC Wales (C) MMV
Attack of the Graske was proposed to Doctor Who’s executive producers Davies and Gardner by BBC’s Jana Bennett, who at the time was heading up ‘TV Plus’ – an initiative to discover new ways to add value to the BBC’s biggest shows. After drafting in Gareth Roberts (a stalwart of Virgin books, who would shortly be commissioned to write tenth Doctor novella I, Dalek and the 2006 Tardisodes series), along with a number of the artistic staff from the main series (Edward Thomas, The Mill and Millennium Effects) plans were made for a 15-minute interactive mini-episode to be broadcast across BBC digital for Freeview and Cable viewers immediately after the Christmas day transmission of The Christmas Invasion. Billie Piper’s Rose was written out (with the explanation that the Doctor had just left her at a 1979 Abba concert) enabling the viewer to take on the role of companion for the duration, with the assistance of their remote control – adjusted to have the power of the Sonic Screwdriver.
Roberts created the Graske (also known in early drafts as the Griffak, Gr’thaaak and Graak), a time-travelling race who would kidnap humans – a straightforward plot device allowing maximum use of the interactive features available – and named the story Changeling World (later to be changed to the more straightforward Attack of the Graske).
Scenes were set in modern-day Wales, along with one scene in December 1893, recorded in Mount Stuart Square, Cardiff (replacing a scene of Satellite Five from The Long Game, Bad Wolf and Parting of the Ways, at Christmas, and also another replacement featuring a witch-burning) and on the Graske’s homeworld Griffoth (the first time the new series would visit an alien planet onscreen).
Following a successful broadcast on BBC digital, the 14’07” episode was tweaked slightly (the mouse would be used to click on options, despite Tennant’s audio tracks still suggesting “using the arrow keys”, “press button 1” and so on, and the narration over the end credits inviting the viewer to try again was removed) and appeared in 2006 on the official Doctor Who website as a Flash game (the latest version, Flash 8, was required for it to work) – joined soon afterwards by new games Slitheen Surfer and SuDocWho.
Controls
TV remote control (as instructed) / Mouse (online version)
All the Answers
1) Mum is the alien impostor.
2) To control the TARDIS, press options three, one, two when the Doctor instructs.
3) The Graske is in section eight.
4) The Graske is in section three.
5) The Greaske is behind the boxes – option three.
6) Shape two.
7) 89.
8) Key one fits the lock.
9) Use the teleport option.
2006 – Slitheen Surfer
PC Windows / Mac (Online)
Publisher: BBC Online
A simple and ultimately pointless “game” in which you must guide Margaret Slitheen to safety on her surfboard, away from the remaining pieces of planet Earth.
Presumably a game based inside the character’s imagination then.
If you hit six pieces of debris, you must restart. If you can get through all fifty pieces alive, you win.
Controls
Cursor keys left and right.
2006 – SuDocWho
PC Windows / Mac (Online)
Publisher: BBC OnlineReleased alongside Slitheen Surfer, this game cashes in on the Suduko craze that had swept the world in 2005, but replaces the numbers with pictures of the Doctor’s heads. If you were really clever, you could make them all line up they way they’re meant to and win.
For those of you that have managed to miss Suduko, the rules are “simple”. Within each of the mini 3×3 squares, you must fill in all the numbers 1-9 in any order, without repeating them. BUT. You can’t repeat the same number twice across any horizontal or vertical row across the whole board (see how there’s 9 spaces each direction?). Very easy if you’re Carol Vorderman apparently.
Controls
Mouse to drag.
Solution
1 9 5 2 4 3 8 7 6
2 8 4 6 7 1 3 9 5
3 6 7 5 8 9 2 1 4
8 3 2 4 9 5 1 6 7
5 1 9 7 3 6 4 8 2
4 7 6 1 2 8 9 5 3
6 4 1 9 5 2 7 3 8
7 5 8 3 1 4 6 2 9
9 2 3 8 6 7 5 4 1
2006 – Dizzy Who: Into the TARDIS
PC Windows (Download)
Publisher: Theo’s Grotto [website]
Programmer: Peter Teal
Beta Tester: Mindy Wallman
Using Clickteam’s Games Factory and DizzyAGE by Alexandru and Cristina Simion
What’s Dizzy, you ask? Ah, you clearly missed the 80s entirely, didn’t you?
Dizzy was the star of a number of 80s/90s computer games created by The Oliver Twins (now owners of Blitz Games) for Codemasters, mainly with a puzzle/arcade mix that has ensured a long life in the world of fandom far beyond its death (sounds like the 90s to us).
Besides being one of the largest and best Dizzy fansites out there Yolkfolk.Com also create (and participate in creating) their own new Dizzy games. In 2000 they announced Dizzy Who, in which Dizzy meets the Doctor. From the website:
After his second defeat from Dizzy the evil wizard Zaks’ spirit is imprisoned by the White Guardian into a temporal time eddy. In this prison Zaks plans his revenge on the egg that sent him there, and from his prison he contacts the Black Guardian. The Black Guardian restores Zaks to life on the condition that he destroys the Timelord known only as the Doctor. To aid Zaks the Black Guardian sends a renagade Timelord called the Master. The Master, using his TARDIS, frees Zaks from his prison and returns him to the land of Zakeria.
Meanwhile the White Guardian contacts the Doctor, and warns him of the Master and Zaks. To reimprison Zaks and the Master the Doctor is told he must retrieve the six segments to the Key to Time and deliver them to the White Guardian. The six segment of the Key of Time have been spread throughout Dizzy’s past. To reimprison Zaks and the Master the Doctor has no choice but to contact the only person that has ever beaten Zaks before to aid him in retrieving the key to time….. Dizzy.
Dizzy, Treasure Island Dizzy, Fantasy World Dizzy, Magicland Dizzy, Spellbound Dizzy and Dizzy Prince of the Yolkfolk). In each of the ‘worlds’, one segment of the Key To Time is hidden, and Dizzy and the Doctor must find them all. Besides all the staple Dizzy-type puzzles, the maps were being carefully imported from the original Spectrum games (allowng the player to revisit familiar locations, but with new challenges)
Originally, a poster (see above), 2 short video sequences (original title sequences with ‘Dizzy Who‘ added in) and a demo of the first few screens were created (which included Wayne Peters’ sixth Doctor from his Doctor Who Adventure). Everything went quiet then, until 2006 when Peter Teal launched his own website Theo’s Grotto.
He used a new software package (DizzyAGE, specifically designed to build 8-bit style Dizzy fangames) to rework and complete the first part of Dizzy Who. Whether the remainder is ever completed remains to be seen (although we certainly hope so, as the DizzyAGE version is highly reminiscent of the original games of our youth), but Dizzy Who: Into The TARDIS works nicely as a complete (if small) game in itself.
Controlss
Z and X or Cursor = Move
Space = Jump
Enter = Pick up/Drop/Use/Enter
(Note that when jumping from one cloud to another its advisable to step away from the edge first, then start walking BEFORE you jump. If you hit Z/X and space at the same time, odds are you’ll just jump straight up).
Solution
L, Enter TARDIS, R, Get coin, Talk to Doctor, L, Exit TARDIS, R, R, Get coin, R, R, Jump onto Danny’s hut and then jump left from the very edge to get onto a cloud. Jump right to go off the screen onto a higher cloud, then left for the same reason, then back to the right. Make your way over all the clouds on this screen, then get the coin and jump right off the screen. Get harp, then make your way back left, this time continue left across the clouds, keeping an eye out for one more coin, until you reach the treehouse. Get diary, L, Fall off edge, R, Get coin, L, Enter TARDIS, R, Give Doctor the diary, Get screwdriver, L, Exit TARDIS, R, R, R, R, Give harp to Danny, Get key, R, Use key on door, R, Call lift (press Enter over the right-most white box, this will only work if you have all 5 keys), U, Use screwdriver on bit of machinary, Get panel, D, L, L, L, L, L, L, Enter TARDIS, R, Give panel to Doctor.
2006 – The Beginning
Programmers: Paul Somers & Wil Roysdon [website] using Game Maker
Launched on 13th March 2006, The Beginning was the second adventure from this team, the first being the well-received The Five Doctors. In a similar vein, this was part-puzzle and part-arcade, based on the first four stories of the William Hartnell era of Doctor Who, recently released on DVD. A hidden level also featured the unmade story The Masters of Luxor.
This game was primarily programmed by Wil Roysdon, while Paul was hard at work on Another Five Doctors, although Somers would playtest and offer suggestions throughout.
Controls
Curser keys to move
Space to use object
R to Restart, Escape to quit
Y to restart level
Downloads
2006 – The Dalek Game
PC Windows / Mac (Online)
Publisher: Apathy Sketchpad [website]
An excellent puzzle game in which, for reasons best known to the designer, the aim is to get Daleks onto gold blocks by pushing movable blocks around and, if necessary, kill your fellow mutants.
Controlss
Arrow keys to move
Shift = Plunge (drag block)
Space = Exterminate!
Home = Change Dalek
Mouse to scroll around the map
A browser-based version is below, although as of 2020 most browsers now block the necessary plugins.
The website also contains a downloadable 3D version here.
2006 – Old Rope (aka Help Mickey!)
PC Windows / Mac (Online)
Publisher: Sequence [website]
The first game coded by Sequence, who were awarded a £150,000 contract from BBC Wales to develop a series of games based on the first year’s worth of David Tennant’s episodes.
A tipoff from Mickey on the Who is Doctor Who website sends you to a ‘hidden’ page at the Leamington Spa Lifeboat Museum, which is apparently a coverup for an underground museum of alien artefacts. Mickey instructs you to control a robot to discover a number of such artefacts in an attempt to find the sword the Doctor used in The Christmas Invasion – once the ‘bot has this, he tells you to self-destruct the machine, thus ensuring the Doctor’s DNA is not discovered. For some reason.
The artefacts all refer to previous stories:
Level 1:
Incomplete Cyborg Specimen [The Invasion], Shop Dummy [Rose], Alien Spacecraft
Level 2:
Alien Firearm, Explosive Device [Rose], Human Skin Disguise [Aliens of London], Wheelie Bin [Rose]
Level 3:
The Mona Lisa [City of Death], Unknown Alien Corpse [Attack of the Graske], Satsuma [The Christmas Invasion], Child’s Gasmask [The Empty Child]
Level 4:
Oversized Maggot [The Green Death], Claws [Tooth and Claw], Sword [The Christmas Invasion]
Controls
Arrow keys to move
Space to view artefacts already held
H = Help
R = Radar
Tips
The maps to the right should allow you to skip past the containers that are missing artefacts…
2006 – Torchwood House (aka Satellite Game)
PC Windows / Mac (Online)
Publisher: Sequence [website]
A depressingly tedious game in which the viewer is “challenged” to scan the skies to find four satellites by, erm, looking around. Once you’ve found four, you get a message from Mickey thanking you for your help.
Stunning.
Controls
Arrow keys to control, Space to Zoom, H for Help, S for Starmaps.
2006 – Are You Smart Enough? (aka Defeat the Head!)
PC Windows / Mac (Online)
Publisher: Sequence [website]
Using samples of Anthony Head, this is a three level “test” based around the Krillitane computer program seen in School Reunion – you are sent to the website by Mickey at whosidoctorwho.co.uk, to break their code and then destroy it.
Controls
Mouse
Tips
The first two levels are pretty tough, mainly because of the 3D control mechanism. Doesn’t matter, as all they do is provide you with a head start for level 3. Just fail the first 2, and then for the final test keep this window open so you can see the handy “how it SHOULD look” image below!
Clockwork Robots Game
PC Windows / Mac (Online)
Publisher: Sequence [website]
Mickey sends you on a mission to attack Clockwork Robots that are scattered throughout time searching for some crystals.
Controls
Mouse, press spacebar repeatedly once a crystal has been located.
Tips
The location of the crystal changes each game, but the best tip is to keep pressing the mouse button repeatedly while you wave the cursor around – don’t take it slowly, just keep hammering away until you accidentally find a crystal, and be prepared to start slamming the spacebar like mad once you locate one!
Cybus Spy!
PC Windows / Mac (Online)
Publisher: Sequence [website]
A rather clever game that sends you looking around the various fake websites (mainly the Cybus corp ones) set up during the course of 2006.
Controls
Various
Solution
Watch Mickey’s video. Type “Hello” in the chatbox and then follow the link to IE. Go to ‘product support’ and then back to the chatbox. Type “What is the product code?”. Go back to IE and type “IE2306801”. Go to the chatbox and type “Replace the batteries”, go back to IE and type “No”. Go back to the chatbox and type “Press FM button twice.” Follow the link to Cybus Industries. Click on the Fitness logo. Go back to the chatbox and type “657”. Click the radio button and then select 657. Go to the Henrik’s website, go to the food hall page, and click on “Henrik’s surprise”. Click on “our flavours” then go back to the chatbox and type “Henriks and Millingdale”… and at this point TME is stuck… email us at editors@millenniumeffect.co.uk if you can help us!
Save Cyber-Paris! (aka Airships)
PC Windows / Mac (Online)
Publisher: Sequence [website]
Mickey gives you control of an Airship to save the citizens of Paris.
Controls
Cursor keys, Space for the ladder, E for an EMP pulse, Mouse to target.
Tips
Save the EMP pulses! You don’t get many of them, so it’s only worth using them in dire needs (at the very end of level 2, and then the very end of level 3 to destroy Cyber HQ). And take your time – there’s no time limit, so just edge yourself forwards, kill any Cybermen (and once all the onscreen ones are dead you won’t see more until you move the screen forwards) and then save the people. If you lose a life you get all your EMPs back, so its worth considering when you get to the building at the end, but if if you lose all three lives you have to restart the game…
Defeat the Wire!
PC Windows / Mac (Online)
Publisher: Sequence [website]
Discover the Wire’s last message and then delete it. Erm, doesn’t make much sense to be honest.
Controls
Mouse
Tips
Just do what the game tells you, and take your time – as you discover which ones are the “dangerous segments”, avoid them! For the record, the final messages are:
I am the wire! All life is prey to me!
I may be dead but my hunger lives on.
And now you shall help me feast again.
Spread my message You cannot stop the Wire the Wire must feed.
Flight Simulator
PC Windows / Mac (Online)
Publisher: Sequence [website]
A training simulator for the rocket that appeared in The Impossible Planet and The Satan Pit.
Controls
Cursor
Space for weapon
B for Boosters
T for the view
P to Pause.
Escape the Ood!
PC Windows / Mac (Online)
Publisher: Sequence [website]
A training simulator Sanctuary Base, based on The Satan Pit, in which you must escape the Ood.
Controls
Cursor to change view, mouse to select human and move them.
Solution
Level One: Take one human right, avoiding the air blasts and the lone Ood, to get the key from the top-right. Take him back to the start, then switch the valve control to 2. Then take the group down through the corridor and wait by the door before the last Ood. One at a time move them to the shuttle.
Level Two: Move one human to the pressure pad on the top-right, avoiding the holes, and switch the valve to 2. Take them all down through the corridor South. One at a time move them down into the next room, past the Ood. Switch to valve 3 and move one of them them right. They need to be parallel to the door prior to moving so they can slip straight through! Get them past the next air blast, then follow the roving Ood round the room to get to the key and head back to the group. Switch to valve 4 and get them all into the room with two Ood. They’re safe at the top right, so move them there one at a time, then switch to valve 1 and get them into the final corridor. There’s not much space there, so you’ll have to keep shifting them up. Then dash across the final room into the shuttle.
Level Three: Move one man into the right-room, and get through the maze to grab the key, then go back to the start. and switch to valve 2. One at a time, get everyone to the end of the lower corridor. Then one at a time get them to the left hand side of the next room and switch to valve 4. Move one of them down into the lower corridor and then (and this is the tricky part) follow the roving Ood, while avoiding the spinning one and get into the right corridor – it helps if you move the map a little to the right before you start! Get through the maze, onto the pressure pad, and release valve 3. Sacrifice your guy, going back to whoever’s left. Get them past the Ood into the right-hand corridor (again make sure they’re parallel to the corridor before making them run – it’ll be easier) and then dash to the shuttle. Done!
Defend the Earth!
PC Windows / Mac (Online)
Publisher: Sequence [website]
Before you can join LINDA, you must answer a series of questions. Some test your knowledge of the series itself, others test your knowledge of the spinoff websites.
Controls
Mouse
Answers
Round 1: C, B, A, B, A
Round 2: A, A, B, C, A
Round 3: B, A, A, C, 21:15
Round 4: 1456, 156, 135, 135, The crescent
Round 5: Tycho Crater, Poison, Soo gan practeel gaatza, Schlechter Wolf, 555-236-801
Chloe’s World (aka Art Attacks!)
PC Windows / Mac (Online)
Publisher: Sequence [website]
Control the Doctor as he runs around a maze connecting the dots, in this beautiful adaptation of the Fear Her storyline.
Controls
Cursor keys
Tips
Whatever you do, turn the sound off – it’ll irritate you like mad! Otherwise just follow round clockwise (or anti-clockwise for level 2) and avoid the scribbles. The final level has an especially tight time-limit, so we’d recommend dieing immediately and restarting the level with full health, allowing you to run through the scribbles without any major concern.
Ghostwatch
PC Windows / Mac (Online)
Publisher: Sequence [website]
Control Suzy Monroe of Ghostwatch as she chases ghosts to capture them on camera.
Controls
Cursor keys
Tips
Level 1: The hardest thing is getting the hang of focussing on the ghosts’ chests and not letting the camera wobble. Just leave your strong hand resting on the cursor keys (not a natural position for the average gamer, who would automatically place their strong hand on the mouse and their week one on the cursors) and tap up regularly.
Level 2: You’re not meant to win this one. Run around a bit and see a couple of fakes (cats, wheelie bins etc) and then bump into a Cyberman.
Daleks vs Cybermen
PC Windows / Mac (Online)
Publisher: Sequence [website]
Control the Cybermen forces, killing Daleks and humans along the way…
Controls
Mouse
M for Map
K.9: Deja Who
PC Windows / Mac (Online)
Publisher: Sequence [website]
Play K.9 as he relives the Doctor’s greatest adventures, putting himself in the place of the Time Lord. There is a primary objective for each level, but also battery packs to collect – if you find all of them, an exclusive desktop (usually a well known publicity image with K.9 plastered on top) is released for your use.
The game remembers how many packs you’ve retrieved, so you can always go back and have another attempt. Often they are hidden out of view, behind props (tables, chairs etc) so it’s worth going behind things to see if you pick up more packs.
Overview with tips..:
Rose: Search the city streets for battery packs, then enter the Pizza parlour and find five ice cubes to fire at plastic Mickey and find more packs. Then back out into the streets to find some more packs and to locate the manhole cover that the Nestene Consciousness is down (it’s the middle one of the the three at the top). Find more packs (by drawing the Auton’s fire to destroy the barrels) and the anti-plastic (the shiny thing in the middle of the room) then take the exit to destroy the Consciousness.
End of the World: First go through four rooms and catch the spiders revealing the code ACDB. Then activate Cassandra’s air con units in that order to destroy her. Head down the walkway on the left to find twenty seven battery packs, then back up and through the blue door on the right to get to a maze – be careful round here, and switch off any fan switches you come across, and find the final battery back. It’s not hidden! Don’t walk into the path of any ‘on’ fans, as they’ll blow you down to the lower level. EXCEPT the one with the big yellow arrow, which you actually NEED to use to propel yourself over a gap. Activate the sun filter to finish the level.
World War III: Move around 10 Downing Street finding the packs and five vinegar vials. The Slitheen will attack if they see you, but they take a very basic walking pattern which can easily be followed (especially in the room with two circling a table – just follow behind them and they won’t spot you). When you meet the Commander, you’ll only have four vials, but there’s an exit to a room with the fifth. The Commander is a little faster, but otherwise also follows a semi-predictable pattern (although will home in on you unlike the other Slitheen).
The Empty Child
New Earth: Go through the wards, bumping into the Nurses to get medicine vials (they mirror your movements, even if you’re pushing up against something and can’t actually move yourself – use this to your advantage!) and battery packs. The last few packs and the last vial are contained in the units that the zombies have escaped from in the final room – there’s a lot of zombies, but again with predictable walking patterns, and they don’t home in on you. So take it slowly and then vaccinate everyone by putting the vials into the sprinkler system.
Controls
Cursor keys to move
CTRL to fire
Cyber Assault
PC Windows / Mac (Online)
Publisher: Fish in a Bottle [website]
Another online game released post-series two, and set between the two Cybermen two-parters.
This is an in-depth affair, that hops effortlessly between three games: Overall it’s a strategy, based loosely on Risk, in which you must move your human forces around the globe to take control of different countries. Where a conflict takes place with the Cybermen, a mini rock-scissors-paper type game takes place to see who wins, and when a country with a Cyber factory is taken over, an overheard shoot-em-up takes place in order to destroy the factory once and for all.
At the start of the game, one of two Preacher commanders can be chosen: Charlie, who gives you stronger base assaults, or Arthur, who gives you more recruits to start with. Once the game has been won as either of these, a third option opens up: the Cyberleader. Playing as him switches the playing field, and the Cybermen must try and take out the Preacher bases.
The game features the voices of Nick Briggs and Andrew Hayden-Smith, reprising their roles from the Cybermen episodes to give vocal instructions, and a surprisingly clever (for an online game, anyway) AI engine.
Controls
Various
Escape from Skaro
Internet Game
Publisher: Altered Vistas [website]
As a homage to the 80s Choose Your Own Adventure interactive books, Stuart Palmer (aka Altered Vistas) – the producer of a series of highly acclaimed CGI short movies based on the 1960s Dalek Chronicles comic strips – created this original story.
Playing Earth space pilot Zak Rogers, you have crashed on the Dalek homeworld of Skaro and must make your escape. The game is primarily text based, with some CG images and sound effects to help illustrate the action. At the end of each section, a small selection of choices are made from which you are passed to a different part of the tale.
Sonic Who: The First TimeHog
PC Windows (Download)
Publisher: SCSoft [website]
In April 2000 (before we knew better) TME created some images of a modification to Sega’s famous Sonic The Hedgehog game (originally released in 1991).
Even though it didn’t really exist, it got a few interested parties asking some questions!
(The Sonic range of games just happens to be among TME’s favourite).
Then, on December 28th 2006 we were contacted by Simon Charlott (who we knew from his highly acclaimed Quake mods) to announce that the game really existed…
Based loosely on our fakes and using the Game Maker software along with Shane Dobson’s Sonic Engine, Charlott put together a two level Sonic Who game and released it on his website in time for the new year.
To say we were bowled over would be an understatement…
Controls
Cursor Keys to move
Space to jump or spinattackEnter to start/pauseS = SaveL = LoadR = RegenerateN = Next room
H = Help
F4 – Full screen
Q = Quit
2007 – Another Five Doctors, Smith and Jones Video Game
PC Windows (Download)
Programmers: Paul Somers & Wil Roysden [website] using Game Maker.
A year after The Beginning, Somers and Roysden released a sequel to their first game, this time covering the exploits of the sixth through tenth Doctors with levels inspired by The Two Doctors, Battlefield, The TV Movie, Rose and The Christmas Invasion. When they originally produced this, New Earth had yet to air (hence their choice for the tenth Doctor) – a hard drive crash, however, postponed this release by around a year.
Celebrating the start of the new series of Doctor Who, Paul Somers worked alone to create another small game, made in just a day, for the readers of Outpost Gallifrey in which the Doctor must rescue Martha from the Judoon.
Controls
Cursor Keys to move
Space to use object
R to Restart, Escape to quit
Y to restart level
Downloads
2007 – Sonic De-cloaker
PC Windows / Mac (Online)
Publisher: BBCi
Although BBCi had launched a great many new games to tie in with the 2006 season of Doctor Who, the following year would be much more sparse. Sonic De-cloaker was a simple game in which the Doctor (making use of the Flash design made for The Infinite Quest) must use his Sonic Screwdriver to uncover hidden enemies while avoiding black holes.
Controls
Mouse
2007 – DWOMedia Series Three Games
PC Windows / Mac (Online)
Publisher: DWOMedia
Making up where BBCi were lacking, drwho-online released eleven games to tie in with the third series of Doctor Who (covering every episode bar The Lazarus Experiment and Last of the Time Lords). Due to the quick turnaround time and the fact that the games had to largely be designed based on pre-series rumours, they were rather simplistic in nature… but at the same lots of fun and in some cases rather addictive.
Judoon Lander
Using the cursor keys, help the Judoon ship land safely on a pad on the moon.
Witch Hunt
Click on the witches fast, losing power if you’re too slow or if you accidentally zap Shakespeare. The Sonic’s rune regains your power.
Gridlock
A Frogger clone (or should that be a First Adventure clone?) in which you must use the cursor keys to guide the Doctor safely across the motorway.
Sec’s in the City
Click on humans to destoy them, avoiding the Daleks but also aiming for Dalek Power icons. Very similar to Witch Hunt.
Dalek Invaders
A Space Invaders clone, in which you use the mouse to shout Daleks as they swoop down over New York.
Escape Velocity
Use the cursor keys to control the spaceship on a mission to hunt for escape pods, without touching the sides of the screen or the meteors flying around everywhere. Challenging!
Scarecrow
Click on the scarecrows (but not the various Doctors and Marthas) as they run across the screen, and click the crow for extra lives.
Bloodline
Catch falling blood and watches in a barrel. Eh?
Haunted House
Well, this would be Witch Hunt again, with Sally and the Angels instead of Shakespeare and the Witches.
Spaced Out
In a plot entirely dissimilar to that of Utopia, you must use the cursor keys to steer the TARDIS around some asteroids and collect vortexes.
Fireball
Toclafane are falling down the screen at you. Shoot them with your mouse/screwdriver!
2007 – Eye of the TARDIS
PC Windows / Mac (Online)
Publisher: BBCi
After the broadcast of the third series of the new Doctor Who, BBCi released a further free game onto their website: Eye of the TARDIS. A simple little arcade platormer in which the Doctor has to collect Artron energy while avoiding capture from the Judoon, Sycorax, Cybermen and so on. As with Sonic De-cloaker before it, this game used the animation style created that year by Firestep.
Controls
Cursor keys to move, down to fire sonic (opens doors)
2007 – Robot
PC Windows (Download)
Programmers: Paul Somers [website] using Game Maker.
The next game from Paul centred around the fourth Doctor’s premier story. Following reports from several fans, including ourselves, that the game was too difficult, Paul added a save game feature.
Controls
Cursor keys
Downloads
2007 – Circuit Training, Mr Smith Quiz, Z-Wingers
PC Windows / Mac (Online)
Publisher: BBCi
Tying in with the first series of Sarah Jane Adventures, the BBC website launched a series of mini-games.
The first, Circuit Training, tied in with Revenge of the Slitheen in some bizarre way, forming a maze game. The second was a quiz testing knowledge on Doctor Who, Sarah Jane Adventures, arithmetic, spatial awareness and other randomness. Finally, Z-Wingers was a rather bland and slow-moving Space Invaders clone.
2007 – Doctor in a Dash
PC Windows / Mac (Online)
Publisher: BBCi
BBC Blast, the website dedicated to providing news and assistance to budding young artists in a variety of fields (musicians, designers, writers etc), teamed up Doctor Who to set a competition to design a computer game based around the characters in our favourite show. On 30th August a young chap by the name of Colin Smith was announced as the winner, and his racing-themed game was professionally produced and launched on the official website on 7th December.
…and then…
This guide hasn’t been updated since 2007. In the intervening years, the following (and more!) have graced our sceens in various formats, which we have yet to catalogue…
| 2008 | Top Trumps: Doctor Who | DS / PS2 / Windows / Wii |
| 2010 | The Mazes of Time | iOS / Android |
| 2010 | Return to Earth | Wii |
| 2010 | Evacuation Earth | Nintendo DS |
| 2010-2011 | The Adventure Games (Series) | Windows / MacOS |
| 2012 | The Eternity Clock | Windows / PS3 / PS Vita |
| 2012 | Worlds in Time | Online MMORPG |
| 2013 | Legacy | iOS / Android / Kindle / Facebook |
| 2019 | The Edge of Time | PSVR / Steam / Oculus |
