Colossal Adventure is a text based adventure game published by

Level 9 Computing Level 9 was a British developer of computer software, active between 1981 and 1991. Founded by Mike, Nicholas and Pete Austin, the company produced software for the BBC Micro, Nascom, ZX Spectrum, Commodore 64, Oric, Atari, Lynx 48k, RML 380Z, ...

in 1982. It was originally released for the

Nascom The Nascom 1 and 2 were single-board computer kits issued in the United Kingdom in 1977 and 1979, respectively, based on the Zilog Z80 and including a keyboard and video interface, a serial port that could be used to store data on a tape cassette ...

Gameplay

''Colossal Adventure'' is an expanded version of the original ''

Adventure An adventure is an exciting experience or undertaking that is typically bold, sometimes risky. Adventures may be activities with danger such as traveling, exploring, skydiving, mountain climbing, scuba diving, river rafting, or other extreme spo ...

'' by

Will Crowther William Crowther (born 1936) is an American computer programmer, caver, and rock climber. He is the co-creator of ''Colossal Cave Adventure'' from 1975 onward, a seminal computer game that influenced the first decade of video game design and ins ...

and

Don Woods Donald Woods (1933–2001) was a South African journalist and activist. Donald or Don Woods may also refer to: * Donald Woods (actor) (1906–1998), Canadian-born American film and television actor * Donald Devereux Woods (1912–1964), British m ...

. Over 70 additional locations were added.

Development and release

''Colossal Adventure'' was the first commercial game from Level 9. It was later released as the first game in the '' Jewels of Darkness'' trilogy.

Reception

Allan J. Palmer for ''

Page 6 ''Page 6'' (subtitled ''Atari Users Magazine'' and later known as ''Page 6 Atari User'', then ''New Atari User'') was an independent British publication aimed at users of Atari home computers. It was published between 1982 and 1998. The magazi ...

'' said "Great Scott (Adams?)! Level 9 Computing have a winner here in this excellent rendition of the original Crowther/Woods mainframe Adventure game." Steve Cooke for ''

Personal Computer Games ''Personal Computer Games'' was a multi-format UK computer games magazine of the early/mid-1980s published by VNU. History ''Personal Computer Games'' was launched in July 1983. The magazine was part of VNU and had its headquarters in London ...

'' said "Although by contrast with some programs available on other machines this program looks a little dated, it shines out like a star in an empty sky as far as Lynx owners are concerned." John Conquest for ''

Big K Big K may refer to: * Kuhn's-Big K, southeast American department store chain, sold out to Wal-Mart in 1981 * A larger store format of Kmart * A store brand used by Kroger The Kroger Company, or simply Kroger, is an American retail company th ...

'' said "Even by Level 9's present standards, ''Colossal Adventure'' is not the best game available, nor the most engrossing, the most difficult, the most fun, or indeed the most anything." Stuart Menges for ''

Acorn User ''Acorn User'' magazine was founded by Acorn Computers in 1982, contract-published by Addison-Wesley, to coincide with the launch of the BBC Micro. It covered the range of Acorn home computers, the BBC Micro and Atom at first and later the Elect ...

'' said "''Colossal Adventure'' is one of the best in its class. I would recommend it to any adventurer." Philip Garritt for ''Acorn User'' said "The program ..is good value and will give many hours of entertainment." ''What MSX?'' said "Level 9 is the number one software house for adventures, and this is the number one title. MSX owners start here." ''Micro Adventurer'' referred to the game as a "first-class version" of the original ''Adventure'', while ''

Amstrad Action ''Amstrad Action'' was a monthly magazine, published in the United Kingdom, which catered to owners of home computers from the Amstrad CPC range and later the GX4000 console. It was the first magazine published by Chris Anderson's Future Publishin ...

'' said "it's still the best and lengthiest version of this text-only classic available for a micro". ''

Crash Crash or CRASH may refer to: Common meanings * Collision, an impact between two or more objects * Crash (computing), a condition where a program ceases to respond * Cardiac arrest, a medical condition in which the heart stops beating * Couch su ...

'' considered the game "Recommended." A retrospective review in ''The Spectrum Show'' said "If you want the granddaddy of all adventures, this is the one to get, closely followed by the Abersoft one that was bought by Melbourne House and released as Classic Adventure."

Reviews

* Your Computer - September 1983 *Home Computing Weekly - Jun 11, 1985 *Home Computing Weekly - Aug 30, 1983 *Happy Computer - Feb, 1984

References

External links

Game manual
* {{IFDB, id=zjivkumr48f0zbqa 1980s interactive fiction 1983 video games Adventure games BBC Micro and Acorn Electron games BBC Micro and Acorn Electron-only games Level 9 Computing games Video games developed in the United Kingdom