Spy's Demise

Last updated
Spy's Demise
Spy's Demise Cover Art.jpg
Publisher(s) Penguin Software
Designer(s) Alan Zeldin [1]
Platform(s) Apple II, Atari 8-bit, Commodore 64, TI-99/4A, Vector-06c
Release
Genre(s) Action

Spy's Demise is an action game written by Alan Zeldin for the Apple II and published by Penguin Software in 1982. [1] It was ported to the Atari 8-bit computers, Commodore 64, TI-99/4A, and Vector-06c. The game contains a puzzle which at the time of release could be solved for a Spy's Demise T-shirt. According to Antic magazine in June 1984, only four people had solved it. The game was followed by a 1983 sequel, The Spy Strikes Back.

Contents

Gameplay

The first level of Spy's Demise consists of twelve floors. The player must cross the series of floors, one at a time, while avoiding seven elevators at varying positions. Being hit by an elevator results in loss of a life. Finishing all floors starts the next level. Floors are gradually removed from level to level making it more difficult for the player to avoid the elevators. Ports of the game had a music loop of renditions of Eastern European classical and folk tunes, including:

The puzzle consisted of a nine-line cryptogram, one line of which was displayed after completing the corresponding level. It revealed a phone number to call, and a person's name for whom to ask. [2] There is a tenth line in the programming code which is never displayed in the game itself. That tenth line gives a code word that is to be spoken to the person who answers the phone, but it was a trap planted by Penguin Software to foil anyone who tried to solve the puzzle by scanning the program code instead of playing through the end of the game!

Development

The original title of the game was Poof!, with identical gameplay. For marketing reasons, it was decided to change the graphics to fit a spy theme and Mary Locke at Penguin Software created the animated spy character. The Spy's Demise title was inspired by a drink name at a spy-themed bar in Milwaukee named The Safe House . [3]

Reception

In the July/August 1983 "New Products" column of Atari computer magazine ANALOG Computing , the author wrote "SPY'S DEMISE is the winner of this issue's 'Potato Chip' award. You can't stop playing it." [4]

In 1984 Softline readers named the game the eighth-worst Atari program of 1983, tied with Gwendolyn. [5]

Legacy

The 1983 sequel, The Spy Strikes Back, [6] was not written by Zeldin, but Penguin Software founder Mark Pelczarski and Robert Hardy. Both games, along with Penguin's Thunderbombs, were later released together as Arcade Album #1 for the Apple II, Atari 8-bit, and Commodore 64. [7]

In the UK, the game and the sequel were released together in a single package in 1985. U.S. Gold published the compilation on its "Electric Dreams" label (not to be confused with Electric Dreams Software) [8] [9] for the Commodore 64 and Atari 8-bit computers. Reviewers for Zzap!64 magazine were extremely critical of the games and awarded the release an overall score of 10%.

A machine language type-in program for a clone of Spy's Demise was printed in Atari computer magazine ANALOG Computing as Elevator Repairman (1985). [10] Another clone is Elevator (1986) by David Bayliss for MS-DOS.

Related Research Articles

<i>Rescue on Fractalus!</i> 1985 computer game

Rescue On Fractalus! is a space combat simulator video game created by Lucasfilm Games. It was originally released in 1985 for the Atari 8-bit computers and Atari 5200 console, then ported to the Apple II, ZX Spectrum, Amstrad CPC, Tandy Color Computer 3, and Commodore 64. The player flies a space fighter near the surface of a planet, with the goal of rescuing downed pilots. The terrain is generated via fractals, from which the eponymous planet and game title are taken.

<i>Boulder Dash</i> (video game) 1984 video game

Boulder Dash is a 2D maze-puzzle video game released in 1984 by First Star Software for Atari 8-bit computers. It was created by Canadian developers Peter Liepa and Chris Gray. The player controls Rockford, who collects treasures while evading hazards.

<i>Nebulus</i> (video game) 1987 video game

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tynesoft</span> Former software developer and publisher

Tynesoft Computer Software was a software developer and publisher in the 1980s and early 1990s.

<i>Trailblazer</i> (video game) 1986 video game

Trailblazer is a racing video game developed by Mr. Chip Software and published by Gremlin Graphics for the ZX Spectrum, Commodore 64, Atari 8-bit family, Amstrad CPC and Commodore 16/Plus/4 in 1986. It was ported to the Amiga and Atari ST.

<i>Brataccas</i> 1985 video game

Brataccas is a science fiction action-adventure game released in 1985 for the Amiga, Atari ST, and Macintosh. It was the first game published by Psygnosis. Brataccas is built on the remains of the much-hyped vaporware project Bandersnatch, which was partially developed by Imagine Software. The storied tale of the game's development led to close press attention in the UK computer market. When Brataccas finally shipped, this attention resulted in considerable coverage in the computer press. It was generally reviewed poorly due to significant control problems, although the graphics were widely praised.

<i>Puzzle Panic</i> 1984 video game

Puzzle Panic, also known as Ken Uston's Puzzle Panic, is a puzzle video game created by blackjack strategist Ken Uston, Bob Polin, and Ron Karr. It was published by Epyx in 1984 for the Atari 8-bit computers and Commodore 64.

<i>Beach Head II: The Dictator Strikes Back</i> 1985 video game

Beach Head II: The Dictator Strikes Back is a 1985 video game for the Commodore 64, a sequel to Beach Head, developed and published by Access Software. It was designed by Bruce Carver and his brother, Roger, and was released for the Amstrad CPC, Apple II, Atari 8-bit family, Commodore 64, and ZX Spectrum.

<i>Beach Head</i> (video game) 1983 video game

Beach-Head is a video game developed and published in 1983 by Access Software for the Atari 8-bit computers and Commodore 64 in the US. Versions for the ZX Spectrum, BBC Micro, and Acorn Electron were published in Europe by U.S. Gold in 1984, followed by versions for the Amstrad CPC, Commodore 16 and Plus/4 in 1985.

<i>Temple of Apshai Trilogy</i> 1985 video game collection

Temple of Apshai Trilogy is a remake of three games from the Dunjonquest series, Temple of Apshai, Upper Reaches of Apshai, and Curse of Ra.

<i>Boulder Dash Construction Kit</i> 1986 video game

Boulder Dash Construction Kit is the fourth game in the Boulder Dash series. It was published for the Commodore 64 and Atari 8-bit computers in 1986 by Epyx. Ports were released for the Apple II, Atari ST, Amiga, Amstrad CPC, ZX Spectrum, and MS-DOS. The Spectrum version was rereleased as Boulder Dash IV: The Game. Boulder Dash Construction Kit includes new levels and a level editor.

<i>Transylvania</i> (video game) 1982 video game

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 family and Commodore 64. A Macintosh conversion was published in 1984, then versions for the Amiga, Atari ST, and MS-DOS in 1985.

<i>Spy vs. Spy II: The Island Caper</i> 1985 video game

Spy vs. Spy II: The Island Caper is a 1985 video game developed by First Star Software. It is the sequel to Spy vs. Spy. It can be played as both single-player and multiplayer

<i>Blue Max 2001</i> 1984 video game

Blue Max 2001 is a diagonally-scrolling shooter written by Bob Polin for Atari 8-bit computers and published by Synapse Software in 1984. A Commodore 64 version was released the same year. Blue Max 2001 is the sequel to 1983's Blue Max, also by Polin, with the player piloting a futuristic hovercraft instead of a World War I biplane. Critics found the game disappointing compared with the original, citing the indistinct graphics and confusing documentation.

<i>Chopper Hunt</i> 1984 video game

Chopper Hunt is a side-view shoot 'em up written by Tom Hudson and published by Imagic in 1984 for Atari 8-bit computers and Commodore 64. It was one of the last games from Imagic before the company went out of business. Chopper Hunt is an enhanced version of the Atari 8-bit game Buried Bucks released by ANALOG Software in 1982. In both games, the player files a helicopter that uses bombs to unearth buried items. Contemporaneous reviews were mixed.

<i>Combat Leader</i> 1983 war video game

Combat Leader is a 1983 video game published by Strategic Simulations.

<i>Bristles</i> (video game) 1983 video game

Bristles is a video game by Fernando Herrera for Atari 8-bit computers and published by the company he co-founded, First Star Software, in 1983. It was ported to the Commodore 64, ZX Spectrum, and Exidy's Max-A-Flex arcade system. As Peter the Painter, the player uses ladders and elevators move through a cutaway view of a house to paint all the walls.

<i>Field of Fire</i> (video game) 1984 video game

Field of Fire is a computer wargame for the Atari 8-bit computers designed by Roger Damon and published by Strategic Simulations in 1984. The game was ported to the Commodore 64, by Brian Fitzgerald, and Apple II. Roger Damon also wrote Operation Whirlwind.

<i>Stealth</i> (1984 video game) 1984 video game

Stealth is a pseudo-3D rail shooter designed by Tracy Lagrone and Richard Sansom. The game was published in 1984 by Broderbund for the Atari 8-bit and Commodore 64 home computers.

References

  1. 1 2 Hague, James. "The Giant List of Classic Game Programmers".
  2. ↑ "Easter Eggs: Spy's Demise". Digital Press.
  3. ↑ "Arcade-style Animated Action Games". Polarware Archive site. Retrieved July 25, 2017.
  4. ↑ "New Products". ANALOG Computing (12): 18. July 1984.
  5. ↑ "The Best and the Rest". St.Game. Mar–Apr 1984. p. 49. Retrieved 28 July 2014.
  6. ↑ Cotone, Mark (June 1984). "Product Review: The Spy Strikes Back". Antic. 3 (2).
  7. ↑ "Arcade Album #1". Atari Mania.
  8. ↑ "Review: Spy's Demise / The Spy Strikes Back". Zzap. No. 8. Newsfield. December 1985. p. 22. Retrieved 2 February 2023.
  9. ↑ "Advertisement: Electric Dreams". Zzap. No. 7. Newsfield. November 1985. p. 105. Retrieved 2 February 2023.
  10. ↑ Caprilli, Fred (September 1985). "Elevator Repairman". ANALOG Computing (34): 73–79.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.