What's the deal with the "Lite" C64 version?

[MJongo]

Does anyone know the details of its release and why it was made?

[Adz.M]

I haven't got the slightest clue why a lite version was released.

Unless the Commodore game players thought the original was too big to complete and the lite version was released to be less difficult.

I managed to beat the lite version and I'm not sure anyone else is gonna realise that the net and the scissors act as heavy rocks so you can go further down the shaft and save Pogie. :v2_dizzy_confused2:

[Mataeus]

I was aware that there were other 'heavy' items in the game, but it's been so long since I played it... But I found that an odd continuity factor.

[Meph]

umm net and scissors.. = one heavy rock?

Odd

[AndyC]

I've never had a chance to play the "Lite" version. Any chance of a DizzyAGE remake at some point in the future?

[Dizzy9]

Dizzy.pl have one.
Maybe you can use google translator?
http://www.dizzy.pl/gry/spbound/droga08d.shtml
If it's unreadable(google translation quality is poor)i'll translate it in day or two

[AnthonyJDB]

I'm almost sure that the "lite" version was the result of the development team failing to get the game ready on time, hence the weird workarounds (such as having other, small items act as heavy rocks), the slow screen updates, and that unfortunate bug that allowed you, one screen before the end sequence, to jump off the map and into an inescapable limbo of messy test graphic screens. Deeply frustrating, and a clear sign of inadequate playtesting.

It also looks very much as if C64 Spellbound was an attempt to completely rewrite the game engine for C64, with a distinctly different main sprite, background tileset, and transparency effects on Dizzy and the text panels. Possibly writing the engine caused delays, and they had to release the lite game as a stopgap while working on the full version (and even that was lacking many features from the Spectrum version).