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CDS Software (also known as CDS Micro Systems for its earlier titles) was an independent publisher and developer of computer game software based in Doncaster, South Yorkshire, UK.
The company was founded by Ian Williams, a computer programmer from Doncaster who started developing games for the Sinclair ZX80 shortly after its launch. After the initial company success he employed Giles Hunter (A manager from Doncaster W.H Smiths) to help expand the business. He sold his company to Giles Hunter to pursue other interests in 1985.
In 1985, the company launched the Blue Ribbon budget label.
In 1988 CDS Software, under the CDS group of companies changed its name to Nimrod Holdings Ltd, also publishing games for the Amiga. [1] Publishing continued under the CDS Software Label until the early 1990s.
The company operated as RHSCO One Limited between January 1994 and March 1994, and then as Guildhall Leisure Services between March 1994 and May 2002. [2] As Guildhall, the company published games for the Amiga [3] including the well-regarded title Gloom .
Subsequently, the company operated as iDigicon Limited until its dissolution in May 2013. [2]
The first games released in 1982-3 were for the 16k ZX Spectrum consisting mainly of clones of arcade games. The company expanded to different formats with titles like Steve Davis Snooker and Colossus Chess seeing releases on most platforms of the day. [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10]
The launch of the budget label Blue Ribbon saw simple arcade type games diverted to that label with CDS concentrating on full price titles, often incorporating tie-in licences such as Brian Clough's Football Fortunes and Sporting Triangles . [11] [12] [13] [14] [15] They also released the computer game crossed with a board game, TankAttack. [16] The Complete Home Entertainment Centre was a compendium of games that were later split and sold as stand alone titles by Blue Ribbon (such as Video Card Arcade and Dominoes). [17] [18] [19]
In the early 90s, CDS re-issued or picked up UK distribution of games for companies such as D&H Games (e.g. Multi-Player Soccer Manager ), MicroIllusions (e.g. Fire Power ) and Artworx (e.g. the Strip Poker games).
As CDS:
As Guildhall:
The ZX Spectrum is an 8-bit home computer developed and marketed by Sinclair Research. It is one of the most influential computers ever made, and it is also one of the best selling computers ever, with over five million units sold. It was first released in the United Kingdom on 23 April 1982, and around the world in the following years, most notably in Europe, the United States, and Eastern Bloc countries.
Sinclair BASIC is a dialect of the programming language BASIC used in the 8-bit home computers from Sinclair Research, Timex Sinclair and Amstrad. The Sinclair BASIC interpreter was written by Nine Tiles Networks Ltd.
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Bug-Byte Software Ltd. was a video game company founded in 1980 in Liverpool, initially producing software for the Acorn Atom and ZX80. Bug-Byte's first hit was Don Priestley's Mazogs which was one of the most successful titles for the ZX81. In 1983, it published Manic Miner, considered to be one of the most influential platform games of all time. The company went into liquidation in 1985 but their name and logo were purchased by Argus Press PLC for use as a budget software label.
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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.
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Snooker is a sports video game published by Visions Software Factory in 1983. The game simulates the cue sport of snooker. It was released for the Acorn Electron, BBC Micro, Commodore 64, VIC-20, and ZX Spectrum.
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The manual indicates that the program version which loads in to a Model B or Electron is different to that for the Master or B+, and the board display shows this very clearly. The 32k program displays less than a full mode 4 screen as the program loads right up to %6040 [Mode 4's screen memory starts at %5800]