The game features series protagonist and aristocrat adventurer, Sir Arthur Pendragon, as he attempts to escape an ancient Egyptian tomb before all oxygen runs out.

The game was created and designed by brothers Dave and Bob Thomas, with Ultimate founders Tim and Chris Stamper otherwise being uninvolved in development.

[1] To achieve this end, the player must navigate a series of chambers linked by corridors, solve logic puzzles and deal with hostile enemies by either avoiding or fighting them.

The Pendragon series and The Staff of Karnath were created by brothers Dave and Robert "Bob" Thomas, rather than Ultimate founders Tim and Chris Stamper.

Although he later began working for the company in producing video games, he quit due to the strain of his daily 68 miles (109 km) commute.

Bob Thomas was a trained technical illustrator for the Ministry of Defence and had experience with designing interiors for the Royal Navy, which later aided to the military-themed visuals of the Pendragon series.

[1] Julian Rignall of Zzap!64 similarly praised the presentation of the game, expressing surprise on the size and graphical advancements from its predecessor.