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''Knightmare'' is a British television programme for children and was broadcast on CITV from 7 September 1987 to 11 November 1994. An adventure game show, ''Knightmare'' involves a team of four children—one taking the role of the sightless dungeoneer, and the remaining three acting as their guide—traversing a medieval environment as they attempt to complete a quest and exit the dungeon, using their wits to overcome puzzles, obstacles and the unusual characters they meet along the journey. The show is most noted for its use of blue screen chroma key (an idea borrowed by Tim Child from weather forecasts, where it had just started to be used) and use of 'virtual reality' interactive gameplay on television. Broadcast to high viewing figures throughout its original run, it has garnered a cult status amongst its fans since its final television episode in 1994. It was revived for a one off special by YouTube in August 2013. ==Overview== The show features teams of four children (around 11–16 years old). On the call of "Enter, Stranger", the first member of the team (the "dungeoneer") enters Knightmare Castle via an antechamber belonging to Treguard of Dunshelm (played by Hugo Myatt).〔(【引用サイトリンク】url=http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0616585/filmoseries#tt0193677 )〕 After giving his or her name, the dungeoneer is asked by Treguard to call three advisors, who magically appear next to the viewing apparatus (though, in Series 8, all members of the team appeared at once). Before entering the dungeon, the dungeoneer is given a knapsack to wear, in which food found along the way is to be placed, in order to replenish ''Life Force'' (see below). In addition, the "Helmet of Justice" is put on the dungeoneer's head, blocking vision except for the area immediately around. The story is that this is to protect the dungeoneer from seeing the real danger ahead. The dungeoneer then enters Treguard's partly computer-generated, partly hand-drawn fantasy dungeon which was accomplished through blue screen chroma key — hence the need for the helmet, as the dungeoneer otherwise just sees a large blue room. The team watches the dungeoneer from a screen in the antechamber, and guides the player using hurried descriptions and shouted instructions, overcoming a variety of puzzles and traps in the dungeon. The instructions might be "Sidestep left, walk forward, take a small step to your right, pick up the key", much like many text-based computer games (for example the appropriately named "multi-user dungeons") which rely on description and commands rather than any visuals. Spells can also be cast, which enable the dungeoneer to attack, open doors, restore life force, reveal clues, and perform other special abilities. This is accomplished by spelling the name of the spell the team wishes to cast. For example, to cast a WELL spell that reveals a wellway to the next level, an advisor calls out: "Spellcasting: W-E-L-L". It is also possible to reverse or stop a previously cast spell by dispelling, which can be done by calling out "Dispel", followed by the letters of the spell in an incorrect order, but not necessarily in reverse order. One team (Team 7 of Series 2) was confounded by incorrect spellcasting, initially when they continually missed out the letter O of a SHROUD spell they were trying to dispel when it was put on their dungeoneer by Mogdred, while Treguard, apparently constrained by magic, tried to tell them ("Let...ter...O!"). In their subsequent episode, they then misinterpreted a SHOVEL spell that they had been given as SPADE, resulting in their death. There are three levels in the dungeon. The object of the game is to collect various items, meeting a selection of the many inhabitants of the dungeon along the way, and get out alive after finding a specified treasure. In some series, the teams could choose one of four treasures to pursue. The choice would only affect the first room entered, and the prize found. It was always located towards the end of level 3. There are various ways to travel between levels, including wellways, mine cart rides, lifts ('descenders'), and even airborne rides on the dragon Smirkenorff. The dungeon's inhabitants include: jesters, maids, and wizards, who help the dungeoneer; and guards, witches, and sorcerers, who either demand passwords, spells, or objects, or who simply try to kill the dungeoneer. Mary Whitehouse was initially critical of this latter aspect of the programme (i.e. the simulated deaths of the dungeoneers) after having been given a macabre description of ''Knightmare'' by the press. However, she apologised after she saw ''Knightmare'', noting that there was no gore and Treguard always made it clear that the dungeoneers still survived in "their own time". If the team manages to complete all three levels and master the dungeon, it is awarded with a prize, which changed over the years from the "Silver Spurs of Squiredom", to medallions (Series 4), to "Frightknight" trophies (a design of a Knight holding a sword). Unlike most other children's shows, ''Knightmare'' had no qualms over having a very high difficulty level. In its eight-year history, only eight teams managed to conquer the dungeon: two in Series 2 (teams 4 and 10), one in Series 4 (team 6), one in series 5 (team 4), one in series 6 (team 5), two in Series 7 (teams 6 and 7), and one in Series 8 (team 6). The last team to play in each series often faced an impossible quest, as the dungeon always collapsed (indicating the end of the series) before the conclusion of the quest. While the essence of ''Knightmare'' remained the same, there was also much change and development throughout its series. In Series 2 (1988), a quest object system was introduced, so that dungeoneers now had a specific item to reclaim at the end. There were four main quest items: The Sword of Freedom (originally The Sword of Justice, retrieved once), The Shield of Justice (originally The Shield of Liberty, retrieved twice), The Cup that Heals (never retrieved), and The Crowning Glory (retrieved three times). There were occasionally others, such as "Free the Maid" (used twice, freed once) or "Find the Talisman" (used once, retrieved once). In its early series, ''Knightmare'' lacked a single major antagonist or 'baddie'. Indeed, originally Treguard was specifically a neutral character, neither on the side of good nor evil. The closest there was to a main villain was Mogdred (portrayed by John Woodnutt), but his main duty was (according to wizard Merlin - Mogdred's 'alter ego' in the first series - in the penultimate episode of Series 2) to "scare you into making a mistake", though he did kill two dungeoneers, one in Series 2 and another early in Series 4. In Series 5 (1991), however, changes were made. The majority of the characters were split into two sides: the righteous "Powers that Be", and the villainous "Opposition", the leader of which was Lord Fear played by Mark Knight. By this time, Treguard's stance had now fully evolved into that of a strictly good character. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Knightmare」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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