Update: 13-Dec-2007
I’ve found an old image of Beyond Dark Castle that is compatible with the version of Mini vMac we are using below! I added it to the existing archive, DarkCastle.zip. Now you can simply drop the ROM file, BDCImage.hfv into the running emulator and be off to the races with the equally legendary sequel. Enjoy.
Dark Castle was one of my favorite games to play on the old mid-1980s Macintoshes like the Mac Plus. I spent some time last year looking for a version I could run in Windows, but with no success. A few weeks ago I discovered a tutorial for running Dark Castle via a Mac emulator. I felt it was a bit confusing and left something to be desired, so I decided to put together a one-stop shop for playing Dark Castle in Windows.
All the files you will need are in the archive DarkCastle.zip.
- Unzip the archive.
- Run the Mini vMac.exe executable. Mini vMac is is a Mac Plus emulator which is freely distributed. Mini vMac requires a ROM image from a Macintosh Plus to run, which I’ve provided as well.
- Once you’ve executed Mini vMac.exe, you are effectively running a Mac Plus with no operating system installed. I consolidated some of the steps in the above mentioned tutorial and created a disk image with System 6 already installed. Go to File > Open Disk Image within Mini vMac and open the file Disk603.dsk or drag the file into the vMac window.
- Now that System 6 is up and running, it would be useful to have a hard drive available to install software and save data to. Just like the previous step drag the included file, hfs10M.DSK into the vMac window to mount the 10M hard disk image I pre-loaded with the Dark Castle software.
- That’s pretty much it. Run the Dark Castle executable to start the game.
Enjoy the game! If you’re anything like me, it should be a nice trip down memory lane. Let me know if you have any questions about the game play.
Next on the list of Mac games I would like to resurrect is Lode Runner…
Wow! This is perfect. I am quite pleased to find a solution to Dark Castle craving that has been dormant for 26 years! Thank you! I look forward to running Logo on this emulator as well.
This is awesome! I never thought I would be able to play dark castle on my pc laptop. Thanks for all of the info.
Also, I have come across a number of games which are *.sit files. Do you know where to find stuffit expander for Mac system 6.x?
Yeeeeessssss!!!!!
At last!!!
thank you so much!
I’ve waited 20yrs to play this again.
Pity I’ve forgotten how.
LOL
Awesome! Thank you so much!
THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!! Seriously, I haven’t played these games for YEARS!!! Nice work!
Omg Thank You SO Much This Brings Back Good Ol Memories Omg I CAnt WAit To play
You are my hero! I have wanted to play this game for so long! Awesome job bringing back the memories!
thank you thank you thank you!!!! I was hoping for so long I could play this game again… back to my childhood yooohooo!!
Thank you. These are two Classic games, and you’ve made a lot of people happy. I only hope I can use this to play The Manhole, too… oh, and maybe Transylvania. Hypercard worked under System 6, I recall…
Hey, whoever you are, we are one in the same! I used to play Dark Castle & Loadrunner nonstop in the 80’s, what memories!!! Thank you thank you thank you!!!! Will you let me know if/when you have loadrunner? That would be amazing.
So only a week of reclaiming my youth and now I want to get Beyond Dark Castle…. where?!?!
What the hey I can’t even read… it’s linked right at the top of the page. Awesome!
You don’t know how long I’ve been searching the internet to play this game. Thank you for reawakening my childhood!
I can’t get no sound when the game runs, it’s awesome that you got this available for Windows XP and Vista, but I can’t get no sound 🙁
You are the man! Such simple instructions to follow. THANK YOU!!
We are forever in your debt.
Thank you thank you!! Your instructions were super-easy and the helper files were great to have. Now if only I could outrun those boulders in Fireball 3…
I bought a Macintosh SE, and it won’t boot. Will I be able to put these images on a floppy, and boot my SE with them?
Please email me at cheery314@hotmail.com if you can help.
Dark Castle was is those days the best game there was. I still have my dusted ’84 mac, but it’s wonderful to show my kids DC on a PC. They also love it.
Thank you very much!! TomG
Yay! I played this game, once, when I was like 7. It had been nagging at me for the past like 20 years, what the game was called, until someone happened to mention it on a slashdot thread earlier today. Pretty sure this was indeed the game – thanks for helping me verify! 😀
Thnaks for your instructions to run that game!
But when I start it, the guy stay in the “great hall” without moving, even after trying to change keyboard setup in “option”… What i did wrong?
You have to press a number key, 1-4 if I remember correctly, to select the door you want. 1 and 2 I think can vary, and sometimes you wind up in the dungeon. 4 always is Shield. Actually, Wikipedia has a nice description of the levels.
I went back here to say that I found out the solution, as I can see you already answer me…
Thanks again for your work I was looking for this game since a long long time!
hello.
very nice work for this emulator!
But just a pb: i cant use elixir or the flail to fight (install on my asus eee 1005ha). Could u notify me the way to do it on keyboard options?
Best regards, hoping for the return of dark castle 😉
Lö
I gotta tell you, I fell in love with this game a quarter of a century ago and I had been yearning to play it on Windows for the longest time. This is a little dream come true. Thank you so much!
Best,
KTG
Thank you! I have been trying a lot of different ways to get DC working in my Linux vMac, but your zip file finally did it. This brings back a lot of memories!
/Daniel
Sweden
Thanks a lot for this wonderfull information.
I got it working in 5 minutes.
This has to be about 25 years ago that I heard these “ya-ya” bird sounds. The real game is back!!!
This is even better than the good old Psycho pinball.
Best regards,
Michel
Hi I think I missed a step. I downloaded everything but I don’t have the game… Please help!
Oh how I’ve missed those little mutants taunting me!
And the gratifying “YOW!” when you hit them with a rock…
Dark Castle and Load Runner: you’ve basically summed up my whole childhood. 🙂
Thank you so much for this, I have been looking for this for my dad, he used to play these games every day! He is going to be excited today when I call him to let him know about it, some of the best games came from the 80’s, thank you once again!
I can’t believe that I just played Dark Castle!!!!!!!!!! THis is freaking awesome, thank you thank you thank you!!!!!!! Haven’t played that game since a child. Can this be done with other games? I had (on my Mac SE30) Deja Vu, Uninvited, Shadowgate, Brickles, Capt. Magneto, This game i forgot the name but it said something like “Zulu begone fences” at the begining, it was like Logo but you had to make boxes and then they would fill in and you had to complete the whole screen, does anyone know what i’m talking about? And there was shufflepuck cafe which was like air hockey.
Oh yeah, and I can’t wait to play it on Christmas day when the suit of armor is replaced with a Christmas tree. (or i could just adjust the system clock) hee hee
OMG OMG OMG you have literally made me tha happiest person on the planet right about now! This game , as so many people of already, was my childhood. I used to pplay this with my older bro and we would always take turns or even have on throwing the rocks and one on moving haha. I have just left him probably the most over top voice mail on his phone, hes guna think I have won the lottery or something, but to be honest this totally tops that and he is guna be just as syked as I am. Thank you so much!. Also do you know if you can run other games, such as arkanoid n the old golf games etc???
Thanks again!
Alec
Nice job…you did good. I remember playing this game in the winters..love the music and sounds..lmao…
thx
WHERE IS LOAD RUNNER!!! please make one for load runner then crystal cray!! and I will be able to die happy. thanks.
Seriously you just made my YEAR!! This is totally the coolest thing in the world. I used to spend days on end playing this game on my old Mac 2e. Thank you so much!!
Well done. This is just great !
You probably know how happy an old “dark castler” would be right now: as happy as can ever be 🙂 thank you!
GREAT!!!
FANSTASTIC
Realmente funciona!!
Muchos años tratando de recuperar este juego fantastico.
Muchas gracias!!
>Someone know whow to do it in full screen??
@Patricio,
You can full screen the emulator with Cmd+F. Cheers.
I had a computer when I was growing up (1991) and this lode-runner, and some air-hockey game was on it. My life was devoted to beating my older brother’s score, but I didn’t understand the controls. I was 4. Now I can finally see why my brother and my dad loved this game. THANK YOU SO MUCH!. (It’s kinda weird that I’m the only one under 60 using this LOL)
-I was gonna submit this and I thought – Oh I should check if the game is a virus. I played for 4 hours before remembering to do this! (By the way it is NOT A VIRUS)
@Gandalf,
I believe the air hockey game you’re thinking of is Shufflepuck Cafe. I’d be thrilled if someone finds a ROM for that game or Lode Runner. These aren’t easy to find, so if any of y’all find one, speak up!
Wow. You made that easy! Thanks!
Thank you so much. You have made my dream come real. I can’t believe I can play BDC on my laptop after so many years. It’s a wonderful day. Thank you very very much
GREAT, great job!!!!! One of my most beloved games from childhood. Thank you, thank you.
Runs great on Win 7 64-bit too, in case anyone was wondering. Just followed the instructions and boom! Dark Castle and BDC.
Too cool!!! 🙂
Ancient Art of War and Airborne next.
Oh, and Grid Wars.
Pretty much, game manufacturers just need to start making actual good games again like they used to back when games like these were our life blood.
a-m-a-z-i-n-g !! right now i’m kind of an apple hater BUT this will bring back memories when I just lurved them – i was 10. 😀 Best game evah!!
Perfect! Though, I had forgotten how hard the Dark Castle games were.
Absolutly AMAZING!!! Fantastic job – everything you need and SOOO simple!
I’ve seen a couple of comments above mentioning no sound – that’s my problem.
If anyone has a solution PLEASE feel free to email me at dh13134@gmail.com. I’m using WIN Vista Home Premium.
PLEASE….I really want this to work!!