The mythical Basilisk was known as the King of Serpents because it was so deadly. As it was said that a snake could immobilize a bird with it's stare, the gaze of the Basilisk would paralyze any living creature. And it was supposedly so poisonous that if it were pierced with a lance the venom would travel up the shaft of the spear and slay the wielder.

This game uses the Immobilizer from Ultima. The object is to stalemate your opponent. There are no captures. The first player unable to make a move on his turn, loses.

All pieces slide forward any number of spaces, either straight or diagonally. Unlike many games, where the two sides move in direct opposition to each other, here both sides move in the same direction, up the board. The top and bottom of the board are considered to be connected, as if forming a tube. A piece leaving the top edge will be re-entered at the appropriate space on the bottom edge.

The Basilisk immobilizes any enemy pieces that are adjacent to it. These pieces can't move as long as the Basilisk is there. A Basilisk doesn't affect pieces that are simply moving past it, though if the piece ends its movement beside a Basilisk it will immediately be frozen. Enemy adjacent Basilisks will immobilize each other and become locked together for the remainder of the game.

An immobilized Lancer has the option of committing suicide, capturing itself as a move. This is occasionally useful to clear the way. To make this move, simply click on an immobilized Lancer.