Information about Interactive Fiction Games - Part Three -------------------------------------------------------- Original author Hans Persson unicorn@lysator.liu.se Supplied by The Grue @~Continued from issue 38 Carnel Software: *************** Black Crystal [G] For Spectrum. Divided into six parts. You move your character with the arrow keys. Written in Basic. CDS: *** They distributed SCR Adventures. Channel 8: ********* English company specializing in adventure games. They distributed the Brian Howarth Mysterious Adventures Series. Cognetics Corporation: ********************* American company. Distributed by Electronic Arts. Amnesia [TO, 1984-87] By Thomas M. Disch and Kevin Bentley. For Apple II. Colleen Ltd: *********** Mystery Voyage Adventure [TO] For Commodore 64. Divided into three parts. Collins: ******* The Mystery of the Marie Celeste By Jim Gregory. For Commodore 16. Published in listing form in the book "Commodore 16 Games Book" (Which also includes hints on writing your own adventures). Cookies Under the Floor: *********************** Lost By Jeffrey Hersh (frumple@aol.com). Written for TADS. Shareware. CRL: *** British software company. They distributed Delta 4 Software. Dracula [BG, 1986] By Rob Pike. For Commodore 64. Written (in the first person) with the Quill. This was the first adventure game to be awarded a film censorship rating (15 years) in Britain. The Very Big Cave Adventure [DG] For Commodore 64. Written with The Quill and The Illustrator. Divided into two parts. Jack the Ripper Murder off Miami By Fergus McNeill and Jason Somerville. For Commodore 64. Datasoft, Inc: ************* Distributed by IntelliCreations. The Dallas Quest [BG, 1984] By James Garon. For Atari, Commodore 64. Based on the TV series. Delphine Software: ***************** French company. They used a system called Cinematique. Future Wars For PC. Operation Stealth In the US as Ye Stealth Affair. Cruise for a Corpse Delta 4 Software: **************** A British company. They started the label Abstract Concepts in 1987 for serious adventures. Distributed by CRL Group and Macmillan. Sherwood Forest By Fergus McNeill. The Dragonstar Trilogy By Fergus McNeill. Divided into three parts. Quest for the Holy Joystick By Fergus McNeill. For Spectrum 48K. Written with The Quill. Return of the Joystick By Fergus McNeill. For Spectrum 48K. Written with The Quill. Bored of the Rings [1985] By Fergus McNeill. For Amstrad CPC, Commodore 64 [1986], Spectrum. Divided into three parts. Written with The Quill. A parody on "Lord of the Rings". This might be based on the book by the same name by The Harvard Lampoon. Robin of Sherlock By Fergus McNeill. For Amstrad CPC, Commodore 64, Spectrum. A parody on "Sherlock Holmes" and "Robin Hood". Divided into three parts. The Boggit By Fergus McNeill. For Amstrad CPC, Commodore 64, Spectrum. A parody on "The Hobbit". Divided into three parts. The Big Sleaze [1987] By Fergus McNeill. Divided into three parts. The Colour of Magic [BG] By Fergus McNeill. For Amstrad CPC, Commodore 64, Spectrum. Based on the book of the same title by Terry Pratchett and contains passages straight from the book. Written with The Quill and The Illustrator. Divided into four parts. Digital Fantasia: **************** They distributed the Brian Howarth Mysterious Adventures Series. Beyond the Infinite. Domark Software: *************** Eureka [BG, music and sound effects, 1984-10-31] Story by Ian Livingstone. Programmed by Hungarians Don‡t Kiss and Andr‡s Cs‡sz‡r. For Commodore 64, Spectrum. Divided into five parts (prehistory, roman, medieval, world war II and the present). Since each part was set in a different time, it did not matter which one you played first. If you managed to solve it all, you got a telephone number to call and the first person to do so before a set date (probably 1986-12-31) would win œ25.000. If no-one managed to solve the game before the set date, the money would be distributed among the participating players. The game was solved by 15-year-old Mathew Woodley from the UK 4-5 months before the deadline. A book of maps and hints (written by Ian Livingstone and Mathew Woodley) was published a while after the game was first solved. Duckworth: ********* Castle Dracula [TO] For Amstrad. Colossal Cave Adventure [TO] By Peter Gerrard. For Amstrad. The Odyssey [TO] For Commodore 64. Eduware: ******* Mystery House For Apple II. (I've seen an ad for this game. Is it the same as the one under Sierra On-Line? Is Eduware just a distributor?) Prisoner For Apple II. Prisoner II For Apple II. 8th Day: ******* British company. They produced at least six adventures (with The Quill). Quann Tulla By Mike Smith and Gary Kelbrick. Written with The Quill. Faerie By Mike Smith and Gary Kelbrick. Written with The Quill. Electronic Arts: *************** They distributed Interplay Productions (from about 1987) and Cognetics Corporation. Epyx: **** The Robots of Dawn Based on the book of the same title by Isaac Asimov. Firebird: ******** The Helm Seabase Delta [DG] For Commodore 64. Subsunk [BG] Prequel to Seabase Delta. You are trapped in a sunk submarine and have to find a way to escape. Runestone First Row Software: ****************** American company. Dr. Dumont's Wild P.A.R.T.I. [TO] By Michael Berlyn. Games Workshop: ************** Tower of Despair For Commodore 64, Spectrum. Tower II: The Key of Hope [G] For Spectrum 48K. Divided into two parts. Global Software: *************** The Magician's Ball [G] Old Friends For Commodore 128 (with on-screen map), Commodore 64. Grana Software: ************** Swedish software company. I think they made some other games too. Excalibur For Commodore 64. Gremlin Software: **************** Suspicious Cargo Hewson Consultants: ****************** Quest [G] For Spectrum. High Energy Software: ******************** High Energy Software also produces the text adventure design system TADS which has also been used to write these adventures. It is shareware $40 and available from ftp.gmd.de. Commercial ---------- Perdition's Flames [TO, 1993] By Michael J. Roberts. Source code available to registered users. Freeware/Shareware ------------------ Ditch Day Drifter [TO, 1990] By Michael J. Roberts. Included (with source) in the TADS distribution. Deep Space Drifter [TO, 1990] By Michael J. Roberts and Steve McAdams. Shareware $15. Source code available to registered users. Highland Computer Services: ************************** Mummys Curse For Apple II. Oldorfs Revenge For Apple II. Horrorsoft: ********** Elvira Development (see Accolade). Personal Nightmare Brian Howarth: ************* See also under Tynesoft. Mysterious Adventures Series ---------------------------- These games were originally released for the TRS-80. At least some of these games were available for Dragon-32. Brian Howarth used a basic game design tool for writing Scott Adams databases and wrote his own TRS-80 driver so he could then ship and sell them. This driver became the Adventure International Spectrum driver for all games including Scott's and Brian did a lot of the code used for the graphics system in the later Spectrum games. After all these games Brian was involved in Dungeons & Dragons game stuff. The ScottFree interpreter on ftp.gmd.de will play the Brian Howarth databases. Distributed by Molimerx Ltd and Channel 8 Software, later by Adventure International. Some time also by Digital Fantasia. These games are available in both the UK and the US. The Golden Baton [DG, 1981, 82] By Brian Howarth. For Commodore 64, Spectrum, TRS Model 1 [TO]. The Time Machine [DG, 1981] By Brian Howarth. For Commodore 64, TRS Model 1 [TO]. Arrow of Death, part 1 [DG, 1981, 82] By Brian Howarth. Commodore 64, For TRS Model 1 [TO]. Arrow of Death, part 2 [DG, 1982] By Brian Howarth. For Commodore 64, TRS Model 1 [TO]. Escape from Pulsar 7 [DG, 1982] By Brian Howarth and Wherner Barnes. For BBC Micro, Commodore 64, TRS Model 1 [TO]. Circus [DG, 1982] By Brian Howarth and Wherner Barnes. For BBC Micro, Commodore 64, Spectrum, TRS Model 1 [TO]. Feasibility Experiment [G] For Commodore 64. The Wizard of Akyrz [G] By Brian Howarth and Cliff J. Ogden. For Commodore 64. Perseus and Andromeda [DG, 1983] By Brian Howarth. For Commodore 64. Ten Little Indians [G] By Brian Howarth. For Commodore 64. Waxworks [G] By Brian Howarth and Cliff J. Ogden. For Commodore 64. Hutchinson Computer Publishing: ****************************** The Fourth Protocol [G] For Spectrum. Based on the book of the same title by Frederick Forsyth. Divided into three parts. Both icon and text input. @~More next issue - o -