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Spectral Associates
Spectral Associates was an American maker of computer games for the TRS-80 Color Computer. It was founded in 1980 and went defunct sometime in the late 1980s. Spectral Associates sold their software through Radio Shack RadioShack (formerly written as Radio Shack) is an American electronics retailer that was established in 1921 as an amateur radio mail-order business. Its parent company was purchased by Tandy Corporation in 1962, which shifted its focus from ma ... and via direct sales. It was a very prolific game company for the TRS-80 Color Computer I and II in its heyday. Software Publications Computer Games * ''Cave Walker'' (1986, via Tandy Corporation) * ''Color Meteoroids 1.6'' (1981) * ''Color Space Invaders 1.4'' (1981) * ''Color Space War'' (cassette) * ''Cubix'' * ''Decathlon'' * ''Froggie'' * ''Galagon'' * ''Ghost Gobbler'' (cassette/disk) * ''Ice Castles'' * ''Interbank Incident'' (1985–1987) * ''Lancer'' (1983, cassette/disk) * ''Lunar Rover 1'' * ''Lunar Rover ...
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PC Game
A personal computer game, or abbreviated PC game, also known as a computer game, is a video game played on a personal computer (PC). The term ''PC game'' has been popularly used since the 1990s referring specifically to games on "Wintel" (Microsoft Windows software/Intel hardware) which has dominated the computer industry since. Mainframe and minicomputer games are a precursor to personal computer games. Home computer games became popular following the video game crash of 1983. In the 1990s, PC games lost mass market traction to console games on the fifth generation of video game consoles, fifth generation such as the Sega Saturn, Nintendo 64 and PlayStation (console), PlayStation. They are enjoying a resurgence in popularity since the mid-2000s through digital distribution on online service providers. Personal computers as well as general computer software are considered synonymous with IBM PC compatible systems; while mobile devices – smartphones and tablets, such as t ...
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Computer Game
A video game or computer game is an electronic game that involves interaction with a user interface or input device (such as a joystick, controller, keyboard, or motion sensing device) to generate visual feedback from a display device, most commonly shown in a video format on a television set, computer monitor, flat-panel display or touchscreen on handheld devices, or a virtual reality headset. Most modern video games are audiovisual, with audio complement delivered through speakers or headphones, and sometimes also with other types of sensory feedback (e.g., haptic technology that provides tactile sensations). Some video games also allow microphone and webcam inputs for in-game chatting and livestreaming. Video games are typically categorized according to their hardware platform, which traditionally includes arcade video games, console games, and computer games (which includes LAN games, online games, and browser games). More recently, the video game industry h ...
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TRS-80 Color Computer
The RadioShack TRS-80 Color Computer, later marketed as the Tandy Color Computer, is a series of home computers developed and sold by Tandy Corporation. Despite sharing a name with the earlier TRS-80, the Color Computer is a completely different system and a radical departure in design based on the Motorola 6809, Motorola 6809E processor rather than the Zilog Z80 of earlier models. The Tandy Color Computer line, nicknamed CoCo, started in 1980 with what is now called the Color Computer 1. It was followed by the Color Computer 2 in 1983, then the Color Computer 3 in 1986. All three models maintain a high level of software and hardware compatibility, with few programs written for an older model being unable to run on the newer ones. The Color Computer 3 was discontinued in 1991. All Color Computer models shipped with Color BASIC, an implementation of Microsoft BASIC, in ROM. Variants of the OS-9 computer multitasking, multitasking operating system were available from third parties ...
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Radio Shack
RadioShack (formerly written as Radio Shack) is an American electronics retailer that was established in 1921 as an amateur radio mail-order business. Its parent company was purchased by Tandy Corporation in 1962, which shifted its focus from mail-order radio equipment to hobbyist electronics sold at retail. Tandy ended the mail-order business, opened small stores staffed by people who knew electronics, greatly reduced the number of items carried, and replaced name-brand products with private-label items from lower-cost manufacturers. These moves were successful and the brand grew. In the late 1970s, the company branched into personal computers, and in the 1990s, it began to focus on wireless phones and de-emphasize the hobbyist market. RadioShack reached its peak in 1999, when Tandy operated over 8,000 stores in the United States, Mexico, and Canada, and under the Tandy name in The Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, France, the United Kingdom, and Australia. However, its sales strat ...
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Madness And The Minotaur
''Madness and the Minotaur'' is a text adventure game, published in 1981 for the TRS-80 Color Computer by Radio Shack in North America and by Microdeal in the United Kingdom. It was developed by Spectral Associates founder, Thomas Rosenbaum. A Dragon 32 version was published in 1982 by Dragon Data Dragon Data Ltd. was a Welsh producer of home computers during the early 1980s. These computers, the Dragon 32/64, Dragon 32 and Dragon 64, strongly resembled the Tandy Corporation, Tandy TRS-80 Color Computer ("CoCo")—both followed a standard .... Gameplay The goal of the game is to retrieve a number of treasures. In the course of doing this, the player will encounter other objects that may or may not be useful. Often, the player needs one object to act as a "key" for another. There is no rhyme or reason to this. The player doesn't ''use'' the key object to obtain the other; he just needs to be carrying it. For example, the player may see a shield. Perhaps the player needs to b ...
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Defunct Video Game Companies Of The United States
Defunct may refer to: * ''Defunct'' (video game), 2014 * Zombie process or defunct process, in Unix-like operating systems See also * * :Former entities * End-of-life product * Obsolescence Obsolescence is the process of becoming antiquated, out of date, old-fashioned, no longer in general use, or no longer useful, or the condition of being in such a state. When used in a biological sense, it means imperfect or rudimentary when comp ...
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Video Game Companies Established In 1980
Video is an electronic medium for the recording, copying, playback, broadcasting, and display of moving visual media. Video was first developed for mechanical television systems, which were quickly replaced by cathode-ray tube (CRT) systems, which, in turn, were replaced by flat-panel displays of several types. Video systems vary in display resolution, aspect ratio, refresh rate, color capabilities, and other qualities. Analog and digital variants exist and can be carried on a variety of media, including radio broadcasts, magnetic tape, optical discs, computer files, and network streaming. Etymology The word ''video'' comes from the Latin verb ''video,'' meaning to see or ''videre''. And as a noun, "that which is displayed on a (television) screen," History Analog video Video developed from facsimile systems developed in the mid-19th century. Early mechanical video scanners, such as the Nipkow disk, were patented as early as 1884, however, it took several decades b ...
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