Graphic Adventure Creator | |
---|---|
Developer(s) | Sean Ellis, Brendan Kelly, Dave Kirby, "The Kid" |
Publisher(s) | Incentive Software |
Designer(s) | Sean Ellis |
Platform(s) | ZX Spectrum, Amstrad CPC, Commodore 64, BBC Micro |
Release | 1985 |
Genre(s) | Game creation system, utility |
Mode(s) | n/a |
Graphic Adventure Creator (often shortened to GAC) is a game creation system/programming language for adventure games published by Incentive Software, originally written on the Amstrad CPC by Sean Ellis, [1] and then ported to other platforms by, amongst others, Brendan Kelly (Spectrum), [2] Dave Kirby (BBC, Electron) [3] and "The Kid" (Malcolm Hellon) (C64). [4] The pictures in the demo adventure, Ransom, were made by Pete James and the box cover art by Pete Carter.
GAC was released in 1985 for the Amstrad CPC [1] and in 1986 for the ZX Spectrum, [5] [2] Commodore 64 [6] [4] and BBC Micro. [3] A simplified version without graphics, called just the Adventure Creator, was also released for the Acorn Electron in 1987. [7] GAC was ported to the Atari ST in 1988 as ST Adventure Creator (STAC) by the original author. [8] [9]
GAC had a more advanced parser than The Quill , allowing commands like GET THE LAMP THEN LIGHT IT, and a built-in graphics editor. Over 300 titles were written using GAC. [10] It also came with a built in text compressor. [5]
GAC was well received, earning a Zzap! Gold Medal Award [6] and a Crash Smash. [11] Your Sinclair reviewed the ZX Spectrum version giving it a 9/10 score. [5] The ST version reached number 18 on the bestsellers chart in August 1988. [9]
The Quill is a game creation system for text adventures. Written by Graeme Yeandle, it was published on the ZX Spectrum by Gilsoft in December 1983. Although available to the general public, it was used by several games companies to create best-selling titles; over 450 commercially published titles for the ZX Spectrum were written using The Quill.
CRL Group plc was a British video game development and publishing company. Originally CRL stood for "Computer Rentals Limited". It was based in King's Yard, London and run by Clem Chambers.
Nebulus is a platform game created by John M. Phillips and published by Hewson Consultants in the late 1980s for home computer systems. International releases and ports were known by various other names: Castelian, Kyorochan Land, Subline, and Tower Toppler.
Jet Set Willy II: The Final Frontier is a platform game released 1985 by Software Projects as the Amstrad CPC port of Jet Set Willy. It was then rebranded as the sequel and ported to other home computers. Jet Set Willy II was developed by Derrick P. Rowson and Steve Wetherill rather than Jet Set Willy programmer Matthew Smith and is an expansion of the original game, rather than an entirely new one.
Artic Computing was a software development company based in Brandesburton, England from 1980 to 1986. The company's first games were for the Sinclair ZX81 home computer, but they expanded and were also responsible for various ZX Spectrum, Commodore 64, BBC Micro, Acorn Electron and Amstrad CPC computer games. The company was set up by Richard Turner and Chris Thornton. Charles Cecil, who later founded Revolution Software, joined the company shortly after it was founded, writing Adventures B through D. Developer Jon Ritman produced a number of ZX81 and Spectrum games for Artic before moving to Ocean Software.
Gyroscope is an action video game published by Melbourne House in 1985 for the Acorn Electron, Amstrad CPC, BBC Micro, Commodore 64, and ZX Spectrum. It is based on the Atari Games arcade title Marble Madness. Melbourne House would go on to publish the official ports of Marble Madness for the ZX Spectrum and Amstrad CPC, but these were not based on Gyrosope.
Kane is a multi-section action game published by Mastertronic for the Commodore 64 in 1986. It was ported to the Acorn Electron, Amstrad CPC, BBC Micro, ZX Spectrum, and the Commodore 16 and Plus/4. The game is set in the Wild West, and its name is a reference to the main character of the film High Noon. It consists of four distinct scenes, although some versions only contain two. A sequel was released in 1988.
Alligata Software Ltd. was a computer games developer and publisher based in Sheffield in the UK in the 1980s.
Iron Lord is an adventure video game developed by Orou Mama and Ivan Jacot for the Atari ST and published by Ubi Soft in 1989. It was ported to the Amiga, Acorn Archimedes, Amstrad CPC, Commodore 64, ZX Spectrum, and MS-DOS.
Rebel Planet is a role-playing video game published by Adventure Soft in 1985 for the Acorn Electron, Amstrad CPC, BBC Micro, Commodore 64, and ZX Spectrum.
Bugsy, also known as The King of Chicago, is a 1986 graphic adventure game for the Commodore 64, Amstrad CPC, and ZX Spectrum developed by St. Bride's School and published by CRL Group exclusively in Europe. Its protagonist, Bugsy Maroon, is a rabbit gangster in 1922 Chicago.
Superman: The Game is a 1985 video game designed by Fernando Herrera and published in the US by First Star Software for the Commodore 64. For European release, Superman was ported the Acorn Electron, Amstrad CPC, Atari 8-bit computers, BBC Micro, and ZX Spectrum.
Brian Clough's Football Fortunes is a sports video game featuring English football player Brian Clough. It was released in 1987 for the Amiga, Amstrad CPC, Amstrad PCW, Atari 8-bit computers, Atari ST, BBC Micro, Commodore 16, Plus/4, Commodore 64, MS-DOS, Acorn Electron, MSX, and ZX Spectrum.
Addictive Games was a UK video game publisher in the 1980s and early 1990s. It is best known for the Football Manager series of games created by company founder Kevin Toms. The company was originally based in Milton Keynes, England, and later relocated to Bournemouth, in southern England.
Survivors is a puzzle video game published by Atlantis Software in 1986 for the ZX Spectrum. It was ported to the MSX, Atari 8-bit computers, Commodore 64, Commodore 16, Acorn Electron, and BBC Micro and the Amstrad CPC (1988). It is based on the "rocks and diamonds" mechanics of Boulder Dash.
The English Software Company, later shortened to English Software, was a Manchester, UK-based video game developer and publisher that operated from 1982 until 1987. Starting with its first release, the horizontally scrolling shooter Airstrike, English Software focused on Atari 8-bit computers of home, then expanded to other platforms. The company used the slogan "The power of excitement".
By Fair Means or Foul is a boxing video game first published for a range of 8-bit home computers in 1988 by Superior Software. It was later reissued with the new title by Codemasters who also published conversions for 16-bit computers. The game offers a variety of boxing moves including fouls. The game received mixed reviews.
Joe Blade is a video game published by Interceptor Micros on their Players budget label for the ZX Spectrum, Commodore 64 and Amstrad CPC in 1987. It reached the top of the UK game charts, replacing Renegade. In Germany, the game peaked at number 7. It was ported to the Acorn Electron, BBC Micro, Atari 8-bit computers, MSX, Amiga, and Atari ST. A sequel, Joe Blade 2, was published in 1988. Another sequel, Joe Blade 3, was released in 1989.
Judge Dredd is a 1991 platform shoot 'em up video game based on the character of the same name. It was developed by Random Access and published by Virgin Mastertronic. It was released in Europe in 1991, for the Amiga, Atari ST, Commodore 64, and ZX Spectrum. Critics found the gameplay repetitive.