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English Software
The English Software Company, later shortened to English Software, was a Manchester, UK-based video game developer and publisher that operated from 1982 until 1987. Starting with its first release, the horizontally scrolling shooter ''Airstrike'', English Software focused on the Atari 8-bit family of home computers, then later expanded onto other platforms. The company used the slogan "The power of excitement". History The company was set up in 1982 by Philip Morris, owner of the Gemini Electronics computer store in Manchester, to release video games for the Atari 8-bit family. By the end of 1983, English Software was the largest producer of Atari 8-bit software in the UK and Morris closed Gemini Electronics to concentrate on English Software."News and Views" |
Captain Sticky's Gold
''Captain Sticky's Gold'' is a scuba diving themed action game written by Steven A. Riding and published by English Software for the Atari 8-bit family in 1983. Riding also wrote '' Airstrike'' for the same publisher. Gameplay In ''Captain Sticky's Gold'' the player controls a scuba diver attempting to retrieve gold bars from the bottom of the ocean. The game plays on a single screen, with most of it covered by water. Gold bars randomly appear in three seabed mines on the bottom. The player needs to avoid obstacles to reach a gold bar, use the rope to retrieve it, and then reach the surface to refill the limited oxygen supply and get a new rope. There is a time limit for retrieving each bar. In the first levels, obstacles include fish that can be shot with a harpoon and leeches that drain oxygen. Later levels add an enemy helicopter attempts to bomb the player, monster crabs, missiles, and force fields. Collecting ten bars of gold advances to the next level. After eight l ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Airstrike II
''Airstrike II'' (shown on the box cover, but not the title screen, as ''Airstrike 2'') is a horizontally scrolling shooter written by Steven A. Riding and published by English Software for the Atari 8-bit family in 1983. ''Airstrike II'' is a successor to the 1982 ''Airstrike_(video_game), Airstrike'' which was also programmed by Riding. Both games have gameplay similar to the ''Scramble (video game), Scramble'' arcade game. Gameplay The goal of ''Airstrike II'' is to clear all five zones using a fighter ship armed with a laser gun and bombs. The ship's ammo and fuel are limited, but can be replenished by shooting a respective dump (F for fuel and A for ammo). The player's ship must navigate tight caverns and watch for enemy fighters and heat-sensitive missiles. The game is split in five zones, which have identical layout but increasing level of difficulty. Some improvements over the predecessor include addition of a scrolling map and a title screen music. Reception ''Airstri ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Video Games
Video games, also known as computer games, are electronic games that involves interaction with a user interface or input device such as a joystick, game controller, controller, computer keyboard, keyboard, or motion sensing device to generate visual feedback. This feedback mostly commonly is shown on a video display device, such as a TV set, computer monitor, monitor, touchscreen, or virtual reality headset. Some computer games do not always depend on a graphics display, for example List of text-based computer games, text adventure games and computer chess can be played through teletype printers. Video games are often augmented with audio feedback delivered through loudspeaker, speakers or headphones, and sometimes with other types of feedback, including haptic technology. Video games are defined based on their computing platform, platform, which include arcade video games, console games, and PC game, personal computer (PC) games. More recently, the industry has expanded on ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Jet-Boot Jack
''Jet-Boot Jack'' (also called ''The Music Machine starring Jet-Boot Jack'') is a platform game written by Jon Williams for the Atari 8-bit family and published by English Software in 1983. It was ported to the Acorn Electron, Amstrad CPC, BBC Micro, and Commodore 64. A C64-only sequel, ''Legend of the Knucker-Hole'', was released in 1984. Plot The player controls Jack, a “space-age jogger,” in a record production plant who must build up the ultimate music collection. Gameplay The production plant is set out as a series of platforms connected by lifts. To complete each level, the player must collect all the musical notes while avoiding monsters, moving lifts and stalactites. Jack can be moved left or right using his jet boots to hover or by ducking and sliding under fatal stalactites or monsters. By hovering, Jack can clear lift shafts but if he stops over the shaft, it is fatal. Jack's jet energy runs down, particularly if he stands still for a while, and must be replenishe ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Chop Suey (1985 Video Game)
''Chop Suey'' is a martial arts fighting game developed by Adam Billyard for the Atari 8-bit family. It was published in 1985 by English Software. Antic Software published the game in the US. The title is a repurposing of the name of the American Chinese dish chop suey. Gameplay ''Chop Suey'' is a one-on-one martial arts fighting game. The action takes place on a box-type stage, watched by an audience sitting in several rows of seats in front of two competitors. Each successful attack on an opponent means their pain bar goes up and when the bar is full, the POW symbol will start blinking. It means the player is in a very fragile state of health - one more punch or kick and the fighter will fall. The match ends when the fighter falls eight times or the timer runs out. At the top of each wall air vents will open occasionally, allowing scorpions to drop to the floor and scuttle away. The players should avoid them at all costs, as they give potentially lethal bites. If the playe ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Superior Software
Superior Software Ltd (also known as Superior Interactive) is a video game publisher. It was one of the main publishers for the BBC Micro and Acorn Electron computers in the 1980s and early 1990s. It currently releases games for Microsoft Windows, iOS and Android; mostly updates of its original games. History Superior Software was established in 1982 by Richard Hanson and John Dyson, two graduates of the University of Leeds, England. They had previously programmed software published by Micro Power, and they wrote Superior's first four-game releases for the BBC Micro: three were written by Hanson and one by Dyson. Describing the early days, Hanson commented: Superior mostly focused on the machines of Acorn Computers Ltd and also published software for other platforms including the Oric-1 and Commodore 64. Key management personnel have included Steve Botterill, Chris Payne and Steve Hanson. Major software developers Peter Johnson, Tim Tyler, Martin Edmondson, Nicholas Chambe ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Legend Of The Knucker-Hole
''Jet-Boot Jack'' (also called ''The Music Machine starring Jet-Boot Jack'') is a platform game written by Jon Williams for the Atari 8-bit family and published by English Software in 1983. It was ported to the Acorn Electron, Amstrad CPC, BBC Micro, and Commodore 64. A C64-only sequel, ''Legend of the Knucker-Hole'', was released in 1984. Plot The player controls Jack, a “space-age jogger,” in a record production plant who must build up the ultimate music collection. Gameplay The production plant is set out as a series of platforms connected by lifts. To complete each level, the player must collect all the musical notes while avoiding monsters, moving lifts and stalactites. Jack can be moved left or right using his jet boots to hover or by ducking and sliding under fatal stalactites or monsters. By hovering, Jack can clear lift shafts but if he stops over the shaft, it is fatal. Jack's jet energy runs down, particularly if he stands still for a while, and must be replenishe ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Colossus Chess
''Colossus Chess'' is a series of chess-playing computer programs developed by Martin Bryant, commercially released for various home computers in the 1980s. History Bryant started ''Colossus Chess'' in 1983, using his '' White Knight Mk 11'' program, winner of the 1983 European Microcomputer Chess Championship, as a basis. It was developed on an Apple II, but was first commercially released for Commodore 64 as ''Colossus Chess 2.0'' ( CDS Micro Systems, 1984). A number of releases for 8-bit microcomputers followed. Version 3.0 was released in 1984 for the Atari 8-bit family of computers (published by English Software), followed by 4.0 in 1985 which was released on most formats of the day (published by CDS). As other games of the time, the Acorn Electron implementation required that part of the screen memory be used as working space. ''Colossus Chess'' featured time-controlled play with game clocks, an opening book with 3,000 positions, and problem-solving mode that could ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
IBM PC Compatible
IBM PC compatible computers are similar to the original IBM PC, XT, and AT, all from computer giant IBM, that are able to use the same software and expansion cards. Such computers were referred to as PC clones, IBM clones or IBM PC clones. The term "IBM PC compatible" is now a historical description only, since IBM no longer sells personal computers after it sold its personal computer division in 2005 to Chinese technology company Lenovo. The designation "PC", as used in much of personal computer history, has not meant "personal computer" generally, but rather an x86 computer capable of running the same software that a contemporary IBM PC could. The term was initially in contrast to the variety of home computer systems available in the early 1980s, such as the Apple II, TRS-80, and Commodore 64. Later, the term was primarily used in contrast to Apple's Macintosh computers. These "clones" duplicated almost all the significant features of the original IBM PC architectures. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mastertronic
Mastertronic was originally a publisher and distributor of low-cost computer game software founded in 1983. Their first games were distributed in mid-1984. At its peak the label was one of the largest software publishers in the UK, achieved by selling cassette-based software at £1.99. As well as supplying leading retailers such as Woolworth's and Toys "R" Us, Mastertronic sold software in outlets such as newsagents which had not been previously associated with the software market. Their range of budget games were incredibly successful during the 1980's, with titles such as '' Kikstart'', ''Action Biker'', ''Finders Keepers'', ''Chiller'' and ''Flash Gordon'' (released under the M.A.D. Label). Later diversification included the setting up of US operations to source and distribute their software, as well as an unsuccessful arcade games division (Arcadia Systems). However, it was their decision to market the Sega Master System in the UK that ultimately proved most successful. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Datamost
Datamost was a computer book publisher and computer game company founded by David Gordon and based in Chatsworth, California. Datamost operated in the early 1980s producing games and other software mainly for the Apple II, Commodore 64 and Atari 8-bit family, with some for the IBM PC. It also published educational and reference materials related to computers and computer programming Computer programming is the process of performing a particular computation (or more generally, accomplishing a specific computing result), usually by designing and building an executable computer program. Programming involves tasks such as ana .... Software Publications * ''How to Program the Apple II Using 6502 Assembly Language'' (1981Using 6502 Assembly Language by Randy Hyde , PDFby Randy Hyde * ''The Elementary Commodore-64'' (1982) by William B. Sanders, Ph.D. * ''How to Write an Apple Program'' (1982) by Ed Faulk * ''Designing Apple Games with Pizazz'' (1983) by Greg Minter and Joh ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Shoot 'em Up
Shoot 'em ups (also known as shmups or STGs ) are a sub-genre of action games. There is no consensus as to which design elements compose a shoot 'em up; some restrict the definition to games featuring spacecraft and certain types of character movement, while others allow a broader definition including characters on foot and a variety of perspectives. The genre's roots can be traced back to earlier shooting games, including target shooting electro-mechanical games of the mid-20th-century and the early mainframe game '' Spacewar!'' (1962). The shoot 'em up genre was established by the hit arcade game ''Space Invaders'', which popularised and set the general template for the genre in 1978, and spawned many clones. The genre was then further developed by arcade hits such as ''Asteroids'' and ''Galaxian'' in 1979. Shoot 'em ups were popular throughout the 1980s to early 1990s, diversifying into a variety of subgenres such as scrolling shooters, run and gun games and rail shoote ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
