''Science Horizons Survival'' is a ZX Spectrum video game developed by Five Ways Software. It was published by Sinclair Research in association with Macmillan Education in

1984 Events January * January 1 – The Bornean Sultanate of Brunei gains full independence from the United Kingdom, having become a British protectorate in 1888. * January 7 – Brunei becomes the sixth member of the Association of Southeast A ...

. It is an educational game in which the player takes on the role of one of a series of animals, and had to find food to survive while avoiding predators.

Gameplay

left, Screenshot The aim was to teach users about food chains; as an insect life is short, with the constant danger of being eaten by a bird - but as an eagle the player is at the top of the food chain with mankind or

starvation Starvation is a severe deficiency in caloric energy intake, below the level needed to maintain an organism's life. It is the most extreme form of malnutrition. In humans, prolonged starvation can cause permanent organ damage and eventually, dea ...

as the only dangers. The simulation allows the player to be one of six animals: a

hawk Hawks are bird of prey, birds of prey of the family Accipitridae. They are widely distributed and are found on all continents except Antarctica. * The subfamily Accipitrinae includes goshawks, sparrowhawks, sharp-shinned hawks and others. Th ...

, a

robin Robin may refer to: Animals * Australasian robins, red-breasted songbirds of the family Petroicidae * Many members of the subfamily Saxicolinae (Old World chats), including: **European robin (''Erithacus rubecula'') **Bush-robin **Forest rob ...

, a

lion The lion (''Panthera leo'') is a large Felidae, cat of the genus ''Panthera'' native to Africa and India. It has a muscular, broad-chested body; short, rounded head; round ears; and a hairy tuft at the end of its tail. It is sexually dimorphi ...

, a

mouse A mouse ( : mice) is a small rodent. Characteristically, mice are known to have a pointed snout, small rounded ears, a body-length scaly tail, and a high breeding rate. The best known mouse species is the common house mouse (''Mus musculus' ...

, a

fly Flies are insects of the Order (biology), order Diptera, the name being derived from the Ancient Greek, Greek δι- ''di-'' "two", and πτερόν ''pteron'' "wing". Insects of this order use only a single pair of wings to fly, the hindwing ...

or a butterfly. The world appears in scrolling grid form, with ice caps to the north and south. The player moves one square at a time, with visibility depending on the chosen animal, avoiding predators and find food and water. The game ends when the animal dies, either through starvation, dehydration, being killed by a predator, or old age.

Development

''Survival'' was developed as part of a series of educational software aimed at children aged between 5 and 12. This "Science Horizons" series was instigated by Sir Clive Sinclair and ex-Prime Minister

Harold Macmillan Maurice Harold Macmillan, 1st Earl of Stockton, (10 February 1894 – 29 December 1986) was a British Conservative statesman and politician who was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1957 to 1963. Caricatured as "Supermac", he ...

Reception

'' CRASH'' magazine described ''Survival'' as an interesting and enjoyable program which can be used to reinforce learning, or on a self-discovery basis. One criticism was difficulty in remembering the control keys.

References

External links

''Survival''
at World of Spectrum 1984 video games Survival video games Biological simulation video games Science educational video games Children's educational video games Video games developed in the United Kingdom ZX Spectrum games ZX Spectrum-only games {{life-simulation-videogame-stub