Hugo: The Magic Oak

Genres

Themes

Player Perspectives

Also known as

Franchise

Age Ratings

About

Hugo: The Magic Oak or The Magic Oak is a 1998 video game developed and published by ITE Media for the PC as part of the "Play and Learn" series. It was titled Den Fortryllede Eg / Hugo: Leg Og Lær 1 in Denmark, Tajemný les (Mystic forest) in Czechia, Taikatammi in Finland, Die Zaubereiche in Germany, Zaczarowany dąb in Poland, and Кузя и его друзья: Волшебное дерево (Kuzya and friends: The magic tree) in Russia. Originally released on 1 June 1998, the game was re-released on 21 April 2005 as Hugo Gold III in Germany. It was also re-released as part of the compilations Hugo 2 in 1 and Hugo - Sonderpaket 1 (with a beach wristwatch) together with Wild River in 1999 in Germany, Hugo: Birthday Party in 2000, and in the Best of Hugo series with Hugo Classic #1 (Hugo) in Denmark.

Storyline

The evil witch Scylla casts a spell on an old oak to set a trap for Hugo. During a family picnic, Hugo's young son Rat is suddenly swallowed by the cursed tree and spirited away. Only with the help of the player can he find his way back home. Rat meets a friendly mole, who gives him an old, dirty map that is the only way he can orient himself in the unknown part of the woods. He needs to use it navigate and to return before all sand in the hourglass trickles away. If Rat succeeds, he happily reunites with his family, and Scylla gets her comeuppance by being launched in the air across the Troll Forest and smashed into the Skull Cave wall.