From TES issue 59 (September 2009)

Series 6. Level 2.
PEGGATTY’S FIREBALLS

Throughout series 6, whenever a dungeoneer entered Witch Haven (which they inevitably did at some point during level two) we were informed that witches did not like visitors, and so Witch Haven was not the safest place to quest through. However, the only witch who ever really showed any overt animosity towards dungeoneers was Peggatty, who would fly around above their heads (always in the same chamber, of course) and attempt to blast them with fireballs. Both Heggatty and Greystagg mentioned on occasion Peggatty’s penchant for doing this, but made it clear that they did not actively disapprove of her destructive hobby, just as they did not actively disapprove of dungeoneers passing through Witch Haven.

The first dungeoneer to encounter Peggatty was Sumayya. The witch’s cackling laughter filled the chamber for quite some time before she actually flew in on her broomstick, which made for a suitably atmospheric and ominous effect. In order to pass by, Sumayya had to drink a SHIELD potion to protect herself from Peggatty’s fireballs, which seemed to indicate that this challenge could not be completed simply by a mad dash across the room. However, as the very next dungeoneer proved, this was not to be the case.

Alan, Ben and Sofia all passed Peggatty’s fireballs by running across the chamber at top speed, throwing the necessity of Sumayya’s SHIELD potion into some doubt. Having said that, Ben and Sofia both received a blast for their troubles, which caused damage to life force, thus proving that the challenge was not intended to be lethal, but rather a bit of excitement for the watchers that might go some way towards proving that Witch Haven did actually have witches in it. And it certainly did that, there can be no denying.

The final appearance of Peggatty and her fireballs was a little different, as Chris attempted to fly across the room on his own broomstick, which he had bought from Ah Wok. Certainly this prevented him from being hit by any of the fireballs, although the task of controlling the pesky broomstick was so arduous, undoubtedly it would have been easier just to dash across the room and risk a small amount of life force damage!

So, this challenge was visually pleasing and quite atmospheric, and certainly helped to conceptualize Witch Haven to some degree. However, it was never intended to present a lethal challenge, although it certainly did a lot to unnerve and confuse some advisors, which inevitably injected a welcome bit of tension and excitement into the proceedings.

Difficulty: 6 Quite tricky not to get hit, although this wasn’t fatal.
Killer Instinct: 5 Two direct hits, but no lasting damage.
Gore Factor: 4 Some nice explosion sounds and effects.
Fairness: 7 Life force could be damaged quite easily, but not irreparably.

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Sister of Heggatty and inhabitant of Witch Haven. She's what one might call a classic witch, i.e. she wore black, flew about on a broomstick and cackled.

Peggatty appeared in Series 6, and dungeoneers would encounter her flying back and forth and attempting, gleefully and doggedly, to zap them (as guard duty, or maybe just for kicks). Sumayya of Team 2 of Series 6 was able to protect herself with a Shield potion (see picture and ITV Children's Classics clip), and Chris of Team 7 of Series 6 had the use of a broomstick, but other dungeoneers simply had to dodge Peggatty's attacks on foot as they crossed the room. All who tried succeeded in doing so.
A clip of Peggatty in flight appeared as the backdrop to the closing credits of Episode 5 of Series 6, although the actress herself went uncredited.

The Peggatty obstacle was also featured in Lords of the Game, the pilot of Knightmare's remake for the USA.[Earlier version: 2005-12-15 11:18:29]

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