Today we have a treat (or not depends on how you feel about the book) for all of our Jewish readers. Hershel and the Hanukkah goblins by Eric Kimmel and illustrated by Trina Schart Hyman will always have a place in my heart. While I'm not Jewish, it was one of my earliest exposures to Hanukkah and it had goblins. The book was released in 1989 with the video game coming shortly after for the Nintendo Entertainment System. For you unfamiliar with the book, it's about a man named Hershel traveling on the first night of Hanukkah. He comes across a town hoping for some delicious holiday foods, but is greeted by a town shrouded in darkness. He is informed that up on the hill is a synagogue that houses Hanukkah hating goblins who do their best to ruin it for the town. He vows to defeat the goblins and their king by keeping a menorah light each night and on the final night tricking the king in to lighting the eight candle. Armed with candles, eggs, pickles and a menorah he sets out on his journey.
The video game loosely follows the book, much like any other video game based on a property. You play as Hershel traveling to the synagogue, but rather than tricking goblins each night he must battle his way through armies of them using candles, pickles, hard boiled eggs, a large star of David and a fire ball shooting menorah. Each level the goblins grow progressively larger until the finale with the king who fills half of the screen. At the end of each level there is some short text taken from the book explaining what happened in the story. This addition is nice as not everyone is familiar with the book. The game itself is sub-par, with many glitches. But don't let that reflect the book as it's a classic.
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