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Thorn EMI Computer Software
Thorn EMI Computer Software was a British video games software house set up in the early 1980s as part of the now-defunct British conglomerate Thorn EMI. They released a number of games in the early 1980s, initially for the Atari 8-bit family, and later for the ZX Spectrum, Commodore 64 and VIC-20 computers. In 1984, the Thorn EMI name was dropped in favour of Creative Sparks as the company were reportedly unhappy with their image in the video games market. A budget label, Sparklers, was created in early 1985 to publish titles at £2.50. Later in 1985, Creative Sparks, Sparklers and the distribution company, Creative Sparks Distribution (CSD) gained independence from Thorn EMI after a management buyout. In July 1987, six months after buying software company Mikro-Gen for a "substantial" sum, Creative Sparks went into receivership with debts estimated at up to £1.5million. The back catalogue of the company was acquired by Tynesoft, Alternative Software and Maynard International ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Creative Sparks All Four
{{disambiguation ...
Creative may refer to: * Creativity, phenomenon whereby something new and valuable is created * "Creative" (song), a 2008 song by Leon Jackson * Creative class, a proposed socioeconomic class * Creative destruction, an economic term * Creative director, an occupation * Creative industries, exchange of finance for rights in intellectual properties * Creative nonfiction, a literary genre * Creative writing, an original, non-technical writing or composition * Creative Commons, an organization that deals with public copyright issues * Creative Labs, a brand owned by Creative Technology * Creative Technology, Singapore-based manufacturer of computer products See also *Creativity (other) Creativity refers to the invention or origination of any new thing (a product, solution, artwork, literary work, joke, etc.) that has value. Creativity may also refer to: *''Creativity (magazine)'' * Creativity (process philosophy) *Creativity (rel ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Management Buyout
A management buyout (MBO) is a form of acquisition in which a company's existing managers acquire a large part, or all, of the company, whether from a parent company or individual. Management-, and/or leveraged buyout became noted phenomena of 1980s business economics. These so-called MBOs originated in the US, spreading first to the UK and then throughout the rest of Europe. The venture capital industry has played a crucial role in the development of buyouts in Europe, especially in smaller deals in the UK, the Netherlands, and France. Overview Management buyouts are similar in all major legal aspects to any other acquisition of a company. The particular nature of the MBO lies in the position of the buyers as managers of the company and the practical consequences that follow from that. In particular, the due diligence process is likely to be limited as the buyers already have full knowledge of the company available to them. The seller is also unlikely to give any but the mo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Orc Attack
Orc Attack is a fixed shooter video game written by Dean Lock for Atari 8-bit computers and published in 1983 by Thorn EMI. The game was re-released, along with Commodore 64 and ZX Spectrum ports, when Thorn rebranded as Creative Sparks, and later at budget price by Sparklers and Top Ten. In ''Orc Attack'', the player protects a castle wall by dropping boulders on ladder climbing orcs. Though the visuals are low resolution, ''Orc Attack'' has a high level of violence. Gameplay The player moves back and forth along the top of a castle wall, defending it from an orc horde by dropping rocks and pouring boiling oil. Attackers use ladders to scale the wall. Should one of them climb all the way to the ramparts, the player can kill it with a sword, but this diverts attention from the climbing orcs. An evil sorcerer also sends evil spirits against players. Reception Atari 8-bit magazine ''ANALOG Computing ''ANALOG Computing'' (an acronym for Atari Newsletter And Lots Of Games ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
River Rescue
River Rescue is an action game for the VIC-20 published by Thorn EMI Computer Software in 1982. It was designed by Jeremy Smith and programmed by Will Kemp. Ports were released for the Atari 8-bit family and ZX Spectrum in 1983 and the Commodore 64 in 1984. A TI-99/4A The TI-99/4 and TI-99/4A are home computers released by Texas Instruments in 1979 and 1981, respectively. Based on the Texas Instruments TMS9900 microprocessor originally used in minicomputers, the TI-99/4 was the first 16-bit home computer. ... version was advertised but never released. Gameplay The player guides a boat along a river, which scrolls from right to left across the screen in a top-down view. The boat must avoid colliding with various hazards in the river - these include small islands, crocodiles and logs. The aim is to rescue explorers lost in the jungle. The boat periodically passes a pair of docks arranged across from each other on either side of the river. If the boat moves to the upper ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Alternative Software
Alternative Software is a British software developer and publisher founded in 1985. From the mid 1980s to the early 1990s, the company published well over a hundred games, primarily for the 8-bit computer formats in the budget (£1.99 to £3.99) market. These included both original titles (e.g. MC Lothlorien's ''Pro Mountain Bike Simulator'') as well as reissues of other developers' and publishers' software such as ''River Rescue'' which it acquired from the liquidation of Creative Sparks Distribution. In 1988, the company's catalogue expanded rapidly when it obtained the rights to re-release games from Piranha Software, Audiogenic, Incentive and Bubble Bus. By late 1988, Commodore Computing International were noting Alternative's success, observing that they had topped Gallup Gallup may refer to: *Gallup, Inc., a firm founded by George Gallup, well known for its opinion poll *Gallup (surname), a surname *Gallup, New Mexico, a city in New Mexico, United States **Gallup st ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tynesoft
Tynesoft Computer Software was a software developer and publisher in the 1980s and early 1990s. History The company was originally set up in 1983 to release educational software but soon moved into the video games market on which it concentrated for most of its time. It developed numerous games for a wide variety of 8-bit micros, particularly those less well catered for by other publishers such as the Commodore 16, BBC Micro and Atari 8-bit. They also had a budget label, Micro Value, that issued compilations, reissues and some original games. They had most success with their multi-load games such as ''Summer Olympiad'', ''Circus Games'' and ''Rodeo Games''. They also released licensed ports to smaller systems such as Software Projects' ''Jet Set Willy'' (Atari 8-bit, Commodore 16/Plus/4, BBC Micro and Acorn Electron), First Star Software's ''Boulder Dash'' (BBC, Electron) and ''Spy vs. Spy'' (C16/+4, BBC, Electron) and Mindscape's ''Indoor Sports'' (C16/+4, BBC, Electron). Fr ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Receivership
In law, receivership is a situation in which an institution or enterprise is held by a receiver—a person "placed in the custodial responsibility for the property of others, including tangible and intangible assets and rights"—especially in cases where a company cannot meet its financial obligations and is said to be insolvent.Philip, Ken, and Kerin Kaminski''Secured Lender'', January/February 2007, Vol. 63 Issue 1, pages 30-34,36. The receivership remedy is an equitable remedy that emerged in the English chancery courts, where receivers were appointed to protect real property. Receiverships are also a remedy of last resort in litigation involving the conduct of executive agencies that fail to comply with constitutional or statutory obligations to populations that rely on those agencies for their basic human rights. Receiverships can be broadly divided into two types: *Those related to insolvency or enforcement of a security interest. *Those where either **One is Incapable o ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mikro-Gen
Mikro-Gen was a UK software company based in Bracknell, Berkshire that produced games for home computers in the early to mid-1980s. The company was formed by Mike Meek and Andrew Laurie in 1981, in order to capitalise on the growing boom of microcomputers in the home. The company had a solid reputation but became more prominent with its series of games featuring Wally Week and his family, all of which got excellent reviews in the highly respected computer magazine CRASH (magazine), Crash. Later, the company produced the Mikro-Plus add-on for the ZX Spectrum. The company was bought out by Thorn EMI Computer Software, Creative Sparks Distribution in 1987, which subsequently went into receivership six months later. Releases * ''Star Trek'' - 1982. * ''Knockout'' - 1983. * ''Mad Martha'' - 1983. * ''Genesis II'' - 1984 - written by Dale & Shelley McLoughlin. * ''Witch's Cauldron'' - 1985 - written by Dale & Shelley McLoughlin * ''Laserwarp'' - 1983; Reviewed in ''Crash'' with an o ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
VIC-20
The VIC-20 (known as the VC-20 in Germany and the VIC-1001 in Japan) is an 8-bit home computer that was sold by Commodore Business Machines. The VIC-20 was announced in 1980, roughly three years after Commodore's first personal computer, the PET. The VIC-20 was the first computer of any description to sell one million units. It was described as "one of the first anti-spectatorial, non-esoteric computers by design...no longer relegated to hobbyist/enthusiasts or those with money, the computer Commodore developed was the computer of the future." The VIC-20 was called ''VC-20'' in Germany because the pronunciation of ''VIC'' with a German accent sounds like the German expletives "fick" or "wichsen". The term ''VC'' was marketed as though it were an abbreviation of ''VolksComputer'' ("people's computer," similar to Volkswagen and Volksempfänger). History Origin and marketing The VIC-20 was intended to be more economical than the PET computer. It was equipped with 5 KB o ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Video Game
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] |
Commodore 64
The Commodore 64, also known as the C64, is an 8-bit home computer introduced in January 1982 by Commodore International (first shown at the Consumer Electronics Show, January 7–10, 1982, in Las Vegas). It has been listed in the Guinness World Records as the highest-selling single computer model of all time, with independent estimates placing the number sold between 12.5 and 17 million units. Volume production started in early 1982, marketing in August for . Preceded by the VIC-20 and Commodore PET, the C64 took its name from its of RAM. With support for multicolor sprites and a custom chip for waveform generation, the C64 could create superior visuals and audio compared to systems without such custom hardware. The C64 dominated the low-end computer market (except in the UK and Japan, lasting only about six months in Japan) for most of the later years of the 1980s. For a substantial period (1983–1986), the C64 had between 30% and 40% share of the US market and two ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
ZX Spectrum
The ZX Spectrum () is an 8-bit home computer that was developed by Sinclair Research. It was released in the United Kingdom on 23 April 1982, and became Britain's best-selling microcomputer. Referred to during development as the ''ZX81 Colour'' and ''ZX82'', it was launched as the ''ZX Spectrum'' to highlight the machine's colour display, which differed from the black and white display of its predecessor, the ZX81. The Spectrum was released as six different models, ranging from the entry level with 16 KB RAM released in 1982 to the ZX Spectrum +3 with 128 KB RAM and built in floppy disk drive in 1987; altogether they sold over 5 million units worldwide (not counting unofficial clones). The Spectrum was among the first home computers in the United Kingdom aimed at a mainstream audience, and it thus had similar significance to the Commodore 64 in the US and the Thomson MO5 in France. The introduction of the ZX Spectrum led to a boom in companies producing softwar ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
