That word is ' stet'."Ī platform game for the PC developed by Moonlite Software and published by Apogee Software in June 1994. The editor himself sums it up the best: "To virtually all of his idiosyncrasies I, after much thought, have applied what another author once told me was the most sacred word in a great editor's vocabulary. It must have been the editor's (not to mention the publisher's) nightmare to see so many " creative liberties" in this book.
The author originally drew them himself, but they didn't transfer well onto a printed page, and had to be typeset instead. There are several tombstones in the book which feature words on them (for example: OK, I admit it. He also started certain words in capital letters, which any grammar-respecting editor would have immediately put in lowercase. He did number the pages sequentially so that the editor knew what went where. The shorter the passage, the smaller the scrap. There are lines in the book which separate where one scrap ended and the next began. Instead of using the more conventional method of writing on a typewriter, PC, or perhaps using good 'ol uniform pieces of paper, Vonnegut wrote the book in pencil on whatever scrap of paper he could find (from brown wrapping paper to the backs of business cards). The author, Kurt Vonnegut, chose a few unorthodox methods of writing Hocus Pocus. 'Vade celeriter jubeo' means roughly 'I order you to get out of the way, fast', but none of the other words are Latin at all. Also found in The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology.Ģ: 'Here is the task, and this is the labour'ģ: Gibberish: 'hax' is meaningless ' pax' means 'peace' 'deus' means 'god' and 'adimax' looks like part of the verb adimere meaning to throw away, but isn't.Ĥ: More gibberish. Sources: Phillip Howard, Words Fail Me, chapter 14: ' Lemmings'. The modern word hoax may derive from 'hocus pocus', as may the nineteenth-century expression 'holus bolus', meaning 'all at once'. The etymology site is as unenthusiastic about 'hoc est corpus' as my other sources, but offers 'hocus pocus, tontus talontus, vade celeriter jubeo' 4 as a seventeenth-century juggler's patter. It's from hax pax deus adimax 3, a sixteenth-century quack-doctors' chant used to deceive the illiterate populace.
Although a quite typical platformer, this game is also very fun and interesting to play, with relatively okay graphics (definitely could be better) but lacking a good sound system.In fact, hocus pocus does not appear to derive either from hoc est enim corpus meum 1 in the mass, nor from hic opus, hoc labor est 2, which is in fact from book 6 of Vergil's Aeneid, and describes the escape from hell. The final level of each episode contains a boss fight. You also get bonus points if you finish a level in a specified time frame. The prizes are not obligatory for picking up, but you can get bonus points if you do.
You also collect lots of jewels, emerald, diamonds and other prizes which give you more points. The main objective of this great game is to collect all crystal balls that are in the level to proceed to the next, while jumping over traps and avoiding obstacles as well as vanquishing evil enemies that stand in your way. This was one of my favorite platform games (like Captain Claw is, too) when I was a child and it still is today. Overall, this is a sound platformer that stands up as a good example of the genre and is to be recommended. Although individual levels are quite short, there are enough to provide a good challenge, and each has its own distinct visual flair with cool character design and some striking graphical effects. A variety of potions and power-ups are available and added interest is provided by the boss encounters. While not especially original or imaginative, this is actually a solid platformer, which benefits from tight controls, eye-catching graphics, and even some excellent music and neat sound effects. Along the way, Hocus encounters all number of enemies out to defeat him, including walking mushrooms, giant lizards and even Eskimos. These tasks require the player to collect the magic crystals that will allow Hocus to unleash his true potential, while also winning the hand of his sweetheart.
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It features a surprisingly deep and detailed storyline, which tells the tale of an apprentice magician named Hocus, who must prove his worth by completing a series of tasks set by the Council of Wizards. Fans of classic platformers like Manic Miner, Jetpack and Pitfall would be well advised to check out this little-known gem from 1994.