Are You Afraid of the Dark? The Tale of Orpheo's Curse
Are You Afraid of the Dark: The Tale of Orpheo's Curse is an adventure video game for MS-DOS and Classic Mac OS developed and published by Viacom New Media. Released in 1994, it is based on the TV show Are You Afraid of the Dark?. It has been described as a Myst clone and having Myst-like graphics.
Are You Afraid of the Dark? The Tale of Orpheo's Curse
- Date
- 1994
- Genre
- horror video game
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Documentary summary
Are You Afraid of the Dark: The Tale of Orpheo's Curse is an adventure video game for MS-DOS and Classic Mac OS developed and published by Viacom New Media. Released in 1994, it is based on the TV show Are You Afraid of the Dark?. It has been described as a Myst clone and having Myst-like graphics.
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wikidata · Q74117123 · wikipedia · Are You Afraid of the Dark? The Tale of Orpheo's Curse
In this article
The object
The object
Producers from the network behind the brand collaborated with developers and oversaw the games.
Key facts
Key facts
• Developer — Viacom New Media • Publisher — Viacom New Media • Writer — Raymond Benson • Composer — George Sanger • Series — Are You Afraid of the Dark? • Released — 1994 • Genre — Adventure, Horror • Modes — Single-player • Platforms — MS-DOS, Classic Mac OS
Development
Development
Donna L. Friedman served as managing producer for Nickelodeon Interactive/Viacom New Media, where she led Nickelodeon's entry into the multimedia publishing business with games such as Are You Afraid of the Dark? and The Tale of Orpheo's Curse. A.l. Nilsen, VP-marketing for Viacom New Media, said "We have gone to great lengths to re-create the actual text and content of the TV programs our viewers enjoy in an interactive platform." Louis Fournier, Cinar VP of sales and marketing said "the CD-ROM is the strongest extension of the TV show that you’ll find today. And it is reaching the audience in a different fashion; the CD-ROM will enrich the viewers". Raymond Benson co-designed the game and wrote the screenplay. The game was part of a trend that saw Hollywood studios making video game adaptions of projects. This posed a challenge for the Screen Actors Guild due to residuals, actor salaries, dense scripts, and the realities of filming. In December 1994, Viacom was in the final testing phase of the game. The game didn't receive much advertising, and as a result, is rare.
History of the object
Dated record
History of the object
The full dated record · 2 entries
1994
Are You Afraid of the Dark? The Tale of Orpheo's Curse published.
1994
Are You Afraid of the Dark? The Tale of Orpheo's Curse is recorded as published in 1994.
Places
Named by the record
Places
Only places the record itself states, plotted where the house gazetteer settles their coordinates. Nothing is inferred from a name or a nationality.
- United States
Reception
Much of the critical reception surrounded the game's lack of violence. Mr. Bill's Adventureland said the game was "engrossing entertainment". Electronic Entertainment felt the game offered "limitless possibilities". The Washington Post wrote the game is "proof that interactive fiction doesn't need violence, gore or sex". (This was only a year or two after the video game violence congressional hearings over Mortal Kombat and Night Trap.) Sun-Sentinel said the game had a spooky atmosphere but was ultimately harmless. Just Adventure deemed it a great game for kids, and bemoaned its lack of sequels. MacHome felt the non-violent theme would be appealing to parents. Gamecreate deemed it "clunky". Adventure Gamers wrote that at the core of the title is a clever idea, implemented well.
Primary material
Documents and archives
reference work
- “Are You Afraid of the Dark? The Tale of Orpheo's Curse”, English Wikipedia, consulted as further reading
Reputable secondary · Wikipedia
authority record
- Wikidata, structured authority record Q74117123: Are You Afraid of the Dark? The Tale of Orpheo's Curse
General reference · Wikidata
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.Are You Afraid of the Dark? The Tale of Orpheo's Curse for DOS (1994).
- 2.McFarland, Melanie. CD-ROM Goes Hollywood. chicagotribune.com. 23 October 1994.
- 3.Nielsen Business Media, Inc. Billboard. 1994-07-16.
- 4.Cogburn, Jon. Philosophy Through Video Games. Routledge. 2009-09-10. 9781135859695.
- 5.Nielsen Business Media, Inc. Billboard. 1994-07-09.
- 6.Batelle, John. Viacom Doesn't Suck. Wired. 1995-04-01. 1059-1028.
- 7.Graser, Marc. Friedman tapped for Kids' WB. Variety. 1999-01-28.
- 8.Videogames based on Disney's Mickey Mouse and "The Lion King" will show up in stores this fall."Tetris" creator Alexey Pajitnov will endorse an expanding line of puzzle games. Playing the Software Game Movie Tie-Ins and Licensing Agreements Bring Ready. Ad Age. 1994-07-04.
- 9.Merchandising cross-pollination. June 19, 1995.
- 10.Antioch News 05/17/1996.
- 11.Nästa Bond: Spanien tar tillbaka Gibraltar-klippan. DAST Magazine.
- 12.Chicago Emerges as Computer Game Center; Stage, Music Talent Fuel CD-ROM Development. Crain's Chicago Business. 1995-09-23.
- 13.INTERACTING WITH FAMILIAR SURROUNDINGS. The Washington Post. 1994-12-19. 0190-8286.
- 14.Are You Afraid.?. www.retrojunk.com.
- 15.Are You Afraid Of The Dark: The Tale Of Orpheo's Curse Review - Mr. Bill's Adventureland. 2016-04-01.
- 16.Electronic Entertainment 16 Apr 1995. April 1995.
- 17.THE KIDS' MUSIC IMPLOSION. The Washington Post. 1995-03-29. 0190-8286.
- 18.Hsu, Tiffany. When Mortal Kombat Came Under Congressional Scrutiny. The New York Times. 2018-03-08. 0362-4331.
- 19.Are You Afraid of the. Computer?. Sun-Sentinel.com. 31 January 1995.
- 20.Review: Are You Afraid of the Dark?. 2004-06-14.
- 21.MacHome Product Review- Are you Afraid of the Dark? The Tale of Orpheo's Curse. 2000-10-12.
- 22.Throwback Thursday: Are You Afraid of the Dark? The Tale of Orpheo's Curse. Gamecrate.
- 23.Are you afraid of the dark? review. Adventure Gamers. 2002-05-19.
References
Citations
References
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reference work
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General reference
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The identifiers under which Are You Afraid of the Dark? The Tale of Orpheo's Curse may be traced in institutional catalogues. Are You Afraid of the Dark? The Tale of Orpheo's Curse is classed in the genre horror video game. The Tale of Orpheo's Curse is associated with United States.
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 20 August 2026.
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