''Amazon'' is an

interactive fiction Interactive fiction (IF) is software simulating environments in which players use text Command (computing), commands to control Player character, characters and influence the environment. Works in this form can be understood as literary narrati ...

graphic adventure game. The game was published by Telarium in 1984 and written by

Michael Crichton John Michael Crichton (; October 23, 1942 – November 4, 2008) was an American author, screenwriter and filmmaker. His books have sold over 200 million copies worldwide, and over a dozen have been adapted into films. His literary works heavil ...

Development

Best-selling novelist and director

was a computer hobbyist who taught himself the programming language

BASIC Basic or BASIC may refer to: Science and technology * BASIC, a computer programming language * Basic (chemistry), having the properties of a base * Basic access authentication, in HTTP Entertainment * Basic (film), ''Basic'' (film), a 2003 film ...

. In the early 1980s he, programmer Stephen Warady, and artist David Durand began developing an

Apple II Apple II ("apple Roman numerals, two", stylized as Apple ][) is a series of microcomputers manufactured by Apple Computer, Inc. from 1977 to 1993. The Apple II (original), original Apple II model, which gave the series its name, was designed ...

graphic adventure game based on Crichton's novel ''Congo (novel), Congo''; he sometimes programmed game sequences which Warady converted into much faster assembly language. They worked on the project for 18 months and, before Crichton found a publisher, Spinnaker Software approached him about adapting his novels for its Telarium division's new "bookware" games. The author revealed the game, amazing Spinnaker, and signed a contract in late 1983. Crichton did not realize, however, that he had already sold all adaptation rights to ''Congo'' to another party. The team revised the game (renamed ''Amazon''), moving the setting from

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and changing a diamond mine to an emerald mine; the novel's Amy the talking

gorilla Gorillas are primarily herbivorous, terrestrial great apes that inhabit the tropical forests of equatorial Africa. The genus ''Gorilla'' is divided into two species: the eastern gorilla and the western gorilla, and either four or five su ...

became Paco the talking

parrot Parrots (Psittaciformes), also known as psittacines (), are birds with a strong curved beak, upright stance, and clawed feet. They are classified in four families that contain roughly 410 species in 101 genus (biology), genera, found mostly in ...

. Because the game was mostly complete, Telarium was able to

port A port is a maritime facility comprising one or more wharves or loading areas, where ships load and discharge cargo and passengers. Although usually situated on a sea coast or estuary, ports can also be found far inland, such as Hamburg, Manch ...

it to the Commodore 64 before ''Amazon''s release. Crichton later said that he was disappointed with the game due to technological limitations at the time of its development.

Reception

''Amazon'' was the best-selling Telarium title with as many as 100,000 copies sold, the majority likely for the Commodore 64. ''

Computer Gaming World ''Computer Gaming World'' (CGW) was an American Video game journalism, computer game magazine that was published between 1981 and 2006. One of the few magazines of the era to survive the video game crash of 1983, it was sold to Ziff Davis in 199 ...

'' praised its rarely used animated graphics and Crichton's cooperation with its designers, stating that "the cohesive manner in which the game's storyline unfolds reflects Crichton's skill as a writer". James Delson of '' Family Computing'' reviewed the Apple II version and wrote that the game "has limited graphics, but what's there is choice." Delson also noted the game's difficulty and wrote, "Patience is more than a virtue in this game, it's a necessity." German reviewers recognized the suspenseful, atmospheric and elaborated prose. Storyline, graphics and text parser got the score "sehr gut" (very good).Heinrich Lenhardt: ''7 Klasse-Adventures auf einen Streich'', Happy Computer 9/1985, p.145; Boris Schneider-Johne, Heinrich Lenhardt: ''Science Fiction-Adventures'', Happy Computer 5/1985, p.145ff.

References

External links

*
''Amazon''
at Museum of Computer Adventure Game History * * * {{Michael Crichton 1980s interactive fiction 1984 video games Apple II games Atari ST games Classic Mac OS games Commodore 64 games DOS games MSX games Single-player video games Telarium games Video games based on novels Video games developed in the United States Video games set in the Amazon Works by Michael Crichton