| Jupiter Mission 1999 | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Publisher(s) | Avalon Hill Microcomputer Games |
| Designer(s) | Scott Lamb [1] |
| Platform(s) | Atari 8-bit, Commodore 64 |
| Release | 1983 |
| Genre(s) | Action-adventure [2] |
| Mode(s) | Single-player |
Jupiter Mission 1999 is an action-adventure game written by Scott Lamb for the Atari 8-bit computers and published by Avalon Hill Microcomputer Games in 1983. [1] The game shipped on four floppy disks. [3] It was followed by a sequel in 1984, Quest of the Space Beagle . [4]
Jupiter Mission 1999 is an adventure game in which the government chooses the player to pilot a spaceship to Jupiter. [5] The game consists of 11 interrelated mini-games. [3]
Mark Bausman, in a review for Computer Gaming World , wrote, "All eleven games have been tied together nicely to present a coherent adventure." [2] Bausman disliked the amount of time spent waiting for parts of the game to load, but concluded "from the standpoint of overall playability, I would have to say that this is the best adventure game I have seen in a long time." [2] Bill Wallace reviewed Jupiter Mission 1999 in Space Gamer No. 70, writing "If Jupiter moon trivia is your thing, or if you enjoy clunky Basic games, you should own Jupiter Mission 1999." [5] Scott Mace of InfoWorld wrote, "What Jupiter Mission lacks in characterization, it makes up for in action, strategy, and the sheer panorama of the game." [6] He also commented on the difficulty of the space navigation. [6]
Suspended: A Cryogenic Nightmare is an interactive fiction video game written by Michael Berlyn and published by Infocom in 1983. Infocom's sixth game, it was released for Amstrad CPC, Apple II, Atari 8-bit computers, Commodore 64, Commodore Plus/4, IBM PC compatibles, TRS-80, and TI-99/4A. It was later available for Mac, Amiga, and Atari ST.
Pinball Construction Set is a video game by Bill Budge written for the Apple II. It was originally published in 1982 through Budge's own company, BudgeCo, then was released by Electronic Arts in 1983 along with ports to the Atari 8-bit computers and Commodore 64.
M.U.L.E. is a multiplayer video game written for Atari 8-bit computers by Ozark Softscape. Designer Danielle Bunten Berry takes advantage of the four joystick ports of the Atari 400 and 800 to allow four-player simultaneous play. Published in 1983, M.U.L.E. was one of the first five games from new company Electronic Arts, alongside Axis Assassin, Archon: The Light and the Dark, Worms?, and Hard Hat Mack. It is primarily a turn-based strategy game, but incorporates real-time elements where players compete directly as well as aspects that simulate economics.
River Raid is a video game developed by Carol Shaw for the Atari Video Computer System and released in 1982 by Activision. The player controls a fighter jet over the River of No Return in a raid behind enemy lines. The goal is to navigate the flight by destroying enemy tankers, helicopters, fuel depots and bridges without running out of fuel or crashing.
Atari Logo is ROM cartridge-based version of the Logo programming language for the Atari 8-bit computers published by Atari, Inc. in 1983. It was developed by Logo Computer Systems, Inc. (LCSI) in Quebec, Canada. LCSI wrote Apple Logo, and the Atari version maintains strong compatibility with it.
Synapse Software Corporation was an American software developer and publisher founded in 1981 by Ihor Wolosenko and Ken Grant. Synapse published application software and developer tools and was primarily known for video games. It initially focused on the Atari 8-bit computers, then later developed for the Commodore 64 and other systems. Synapse was purchased by Broderbund in late 1984 and the Synapse label retired in 1985.
Oil's Well is a video game published by Sierra On-Line in 1983. The game was written for the Atari 8-bit computers by Thomas J. Mitchell. Oil's Well is similar to the 1982 arcade game Anteater, re-themed to be about drilling for oil instead of a hungry insectivore. Ports were released in 1983 for the Apple II and Commodore 64, in 1984 for ColecoVision and the IBM PC, then in 1985 for MSX and the Sharp X1. A version with improved visuals and without Mitchell's involvement was released for MS-DOS in 1990.
Wizard and the Princess is a graphic adventure game written for the Apple II and published in 1980 by On-Line Systems. It is the second installment in the Hi-Res Adventures series after Mystery House. Unlike its predecessor, which featured monochrome drawings, Wizard and the Princess introduced color graphics. Ports for the Atari 8-bit computers and Commodore 64 were released in 1982 and 1984 respectively. The 1982 self-booting disk version for IBM PC compatibles was renamed Adventure in Serenia.
Transylvania is an adventure video game published by Penguin Software. It was released for the Apple II in 1982 followed by ports to the Atari 8-bit computers and Commodore 64. A Mac conversion was published in 1984, then versions for the Amiga, Atari ST, and MS-DOS in 1985.
Rainbow Walker is an action game designed by Steve Coleman for Atari 8-bit computers and published by Synapse Software in 1983. A Commodore 64 port followed. The player hops along a rainbow, changing monochromatic squares to color, while avoiding dangerous creatures and gaps in the surface. Coloring the entire rainbow ends the level. There are bonus rounds between levels.
Preppie! is an action video game for Atari 8-bit computers 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.
Russ Wetmore is an American programmer and video game designer best known for writing commercial games and applications for Atari 8-bit computers in the early to mid 1980s. His Frogger-inspired Preppie! was published by Adventure International and praised by reviewers for the music and visuals. He also wrote the maze-game sequel, Preppie! II. Wetmore stopped writing games after the video game crash of 1983 and developed the integrated HomePak productivity suite for Batteries Included. He has remained in software development in director and architecture roles.
Adventure in Time is a text adventure written by Paul Berker for the Apple II. It was published in 1981 by Phoenix Software, followed by a version for Atari 8-bit computers in 1983.
Empire of the Over-Mind is an interactive fiction game written by Gary Bedrosian and published by Avalon Hill for the Apple II, Atari 8-bit computers, and TRS-80 in 1981. A version with an enhanced display for IBM PC compatibles by Bedrosian was published in 1986.
Space Cowboy is a video game written by Scott Lamb for Atari 8-bit computers and published by Avalon Hill Microcomputer Games in 1983.
Quest of the Space Beagle is an action-adventure game written by Scott Lamb for Atari 8-bit computers and published by Avalon Hill Microcomputer Games in 1984. It's the sequel to Jupiter Mission 1999. A Commodore 64 port followed in 1985.
Hockey is a ice hockey video game published by Gamma Software for Atari 8-bit computers in 1981. Gamma released the Atari 8-bit game Soccer the following year.
Cohen's Towers is a platform game written by Frank Cohen and released by Datamost in 1983 for Atari 8-bit computers and Commodore 64. It was re-released in 1986 by Databyte in the United Kingdom.
Action Quest is a video game written by Jack Verson for Atari 8-bit computers. It was published in 1982 by his company, JV Software. Action Quest combines real-time action with puzzle solving as the player explores 30 rooms in an attempt to collect 20 treasures. Reviewers found the combination to be different from how puzzles in games—such as graphic adventures—worked at the time.
