Oil’s Well (a pun on “all’s well”) is a video game published by Sierra On-Line in 1983. The game was written for the Atari 8-bit computers by Thomas J. Mitchell. Oil’s Well is similar to the 1982 arcade game Anteater, re-themed to be about drilling for oil instead of a hungry insectivore. Ports were released in 1983 for the Apple II and Commodore 64, in 1984 for ColecoVision and the IBM PC (as a self-booting disk), then in 1985 for MSX and the Sharp X1. A version with improved visuals and without Mitchell’s involvement was released for MS-DOS in 1990.
Gameplay
The player collects oil for a drilling operation by moving the drill head through a maze using four directional control buttons. The drill bit is trailed by a pipeline connecting it to the base. Subterranean creatures populate the maze; the head can destroy the creatures, but the pipeline is vulnerable. As the player traverses the maze, the pipe grows longer, but pressing a button quickly retracts the head. There are 8 levels to play through.
Reception
ANALOG Computing said that Oil‘s Well for the Atari 8-bit was a “truly different and challenging” variant on the “‘gobble the dots’ theme”, with good gameplay and graphics.
Dave Stone in Computer Gaming World stated that “The action’s well-paced, the difficulty progressive. While getting to a higher level is somewhat dependent on getting the right breaks — good eye-hand coordination, timing, and strategy are essential”.
Ahoy! stated that while the Commodore version’s graphics and sounds were only “serviceable; gameplay is, in my experience, unique … Recommended”. InfoWorld called the IBM PCjr version “a clever, basic game”, and InfoWorld’s Essential Guide to Atari Computers cited the Atari 8-bit version as “Sierra’s trickiest”.
The U.S. gaming magazine Computer Games awarded Oil’s Well the 1984 Golden Floppy Award for Excellence, in the category of “Maze Game of the Year.”
Legacy
Despite already being a clone of Anteater, several additional clones borrowed the theme of Oil’s Well: Pipeline Run for the Commodore 64 in 1990 and Oilmania for the Atari ST in 1991.
References
External links
- Oil’s Well at Lemon 64
- The Atari 8-bit version of Oil’s Well can be played for free in the browser at the Internet Archive
- Commodore 64 video at archive.org
Gamer24h Editor's Take
Oil’s Well caught our attention with its unique design and has shaped up to be a must-play masterpiece candidate thanks to the depth of its experience. The visionary approach of developer Sierra Entertainment, Aackosoft, combined with the expertise of publisher Sierra On-Line, has resulted in an exceptionally refined product. Its innovative take on the Maze genre offers a breath of fresh air for fans of the category. All in all, the Gamer24h team stands firmly behind our rating. This is a unique journey you won't want to miss.