| Deathmaze 5000 | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Publisher(s) | Med Systems Software |
| Programmer(s) | Frank Corr, Jr. [1] |
| Series | Continuum [2] |
| Platform(s) | Apple II, TRS-80 |
| Release | 1980 |
Deathmaze 5000 is TRS-80 computer game written by Frank Corr, Jr. and published by Med Systems Software in 1980. [1] It was ported to the Apple II and followed by the second game in the Continuum series, Labyrinth .
Deathmaze 5000 is a first-person graphic adventure in which the player move through the labyrinthine hallways of a five-story building to escape and avoid starving to death. [3] The adventurer must fight monsters, collect objects, and solve puzzles. [2]
Russ Williams reviewed Deathmaze 5000 in The Space Gamer No. 47. [3] Williams commented that "Deathmaze 5000 is an excellent game which will not be solved in a few weeks. If you like the prospect of a game that could last you for a very long time, get it. It's better than many [more expensive] games I've seen, both in price and in gaming value." [3]
The TRS-80 Micro Computer System is a desktop microcomputer launched in 1977 and sold by Tandy Corporation through their Radio Shack stores. The name is an abbreviation of Tandy Radio Shack, Z80 [microprocessor]. It is one of the earliest mass-produced and mass-marketed retail home computers.
Zork is a text-based adventure game first released in 1977 by developers Tim Anderson, Marc Blank, Bruce Daniels, and Dave Lebling for the PDP-10 mainframe computer. The original developers and others, as the company Infocom, expanded and split the game into three titles—Zork I: The Great Underground Empire, Zork II: The Wizard of Frobozz, and Zork III: The Dungeon Master—which were released commercially for a range of personal computers beginning in 1980. In Zork, the player explores the abandoned Great Underground Empire in search of treasure. The player moves between the game's hundreds of locations and interacts with objects by typing commands in natural language that the game interprets. The program acts as a narrator, describing the player's location and the results of the player's commands. It has been described as the most famous piece of interactive fiction.
Apple Panic is a game for the Apple II programmed by Ben Serki and published by Broderbund Software in 1981. Apple Panic is an unauthorized version of the 1980 arcade game Space Panic, the first game with ladders and platforms. While the arcade original remained obscure, Apple Panic became a top seller for home computers. It was ported to the Atari 8-bit family, VIC-20, IBM PC, and TRS-80.
Video Genie is a discontinued series of computers produced by Hong Kong-based manufacturer EACA during the early 1980s. Computers from the Video Genie line are mostly compatible with the Tandy TRS-80 Model I computers and can be considered a clone, although there are hardware and software differences.
SoftSide is a defunct computer magazine, begun in October 1978 by Roger Robitaille and published by SoftSide Publications of Milford, New Hampshire.
Preppie! is an action video game for the Atari 8-bit family published by Adventure International in 1982. It was programmed by Russ Wetmore of Star Systems Software, whose name is prominently displayed on the box cover. Leaning on the preppy trend of the early 1980s, the game follows prep schooler Wadsworth Overcash as he navigates the hazards of a country club to retrieve golf balls. Preppie! borrows heavily from Konami's Frogger, with lanes of traffic in the bottom half of the screen and a river crossing the top portion. Alligators are an element from both Frogger and preppy fashion; an open-mouthed gator is the icon of shirt brand Izod. Reviewers recognized the game as derivative, but called the music and visuals some of the best for Atari 8-bit computers.
Microsoft Adventure is a 1979 interactive fiction game from Microsoft, based on the PDP-10 mainframe game Colossal Cave Adventure, and released for the TRS-80, Apple II, and later for the IBM PC. It was programmed for the company by Gordon Letwin of Softwin Associates.
Russ Wetmore is an American programmer and video game designer best known for writing commercial games and applications for the Atari 8-bit family in the early to mid 1980s. His Frogger-inspired Preppie! was published by Adventure International as well as its sequel. He stopped writing games after the video game crash of 1983 and developed the integrated HomePak productivity suite for Batteries Included.
Air Raid is a fixed shooter video game published by Small System Software for the TRS-80 Level I or II in 1978. It is an adaptation of the game TARGET, developed for the Sol-20 by Steve Dompier.
The Mean Checkers Machine is a 1980 video game designed by Lance Micklaus for The Software Exchange for the TRS-80 Level II Model I microcomputer.
Cosmic Patrol is a first-person space combat game programmed by Jake Commander for the TRS-80 Model I and III, published by Instant Software in 1980.
Simutek Package One is a compilation of video games for the TRS-80 developed by Simutek of Tucson, Arizona and published by Adventure International.
Labyrinth is a 1980 adventure video game published by Med Systems Software for TRS-80. It is the second game in the Continuum series, following Deathmaze 5000.
The Human Adventure is a game written by William F. Denman, Jr. and published by Med Systems Software in 1980 for the TRS-80 and Apple II.
Stone of Sisyphys is a 1981 video game developed by Chameleon Software for the Apple II, Atari 8-bit family, and TRS-80, and published by Adventure International.
Microworld is a 1981 text adventure published by Med Systems Software for the TRS-80. An Atari 8-bit family version followed.
Instant Software was a company that produced game, utility, and education software in the late 1970s and early 1980s primarily for the TRS-80 line of home computers. Instant Software was a subsidiary of Kilobaud Microcomputing, headquartered in Peterborough, New Hampshire and run by Wayne Green.
Med Systems Software was a company that produced video games for home computers in the early 1980s. In 1983, the company name was changed to Screenplay.