| The Goonies | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Publisher(s) | Datasoft U.S. Gold |
| Programmer(s) | Scott Spanburg |
| Artist(s) | Kelly Day |
| Platform(s) | Amstrad CPC, Apple II, Atari 8-bit, Commodore 64, ZX Spectrum |
| Release | 1985 |
| Genre(s) | Puzzle-platform |
The Goonies is a puzzle-platform game programmed by Scott Spanburg and published in 1985 by Datasoft. [1] It is based on the 1985 Richard Donner film The Goonies .
The game has eight stages, each based on a scene from the film. In each stage, the two Goonies must work together to solve puzzles and reach the exit to move on to the next stage. In single-player mode the joystick button can be used to switch between the two characters, and in the two player mode, each player controls one Goonie.
The game received positive reviews. Computer and Video Games reviewer said that "each screen is packed with interesting puzzles and problems. The attention to detail is good - and the game is fun to play." [2] Computer Gamer magazine said: "Even if it doesn't break all software records, it's one of the best platform games I've played." [3]
Zork is a text 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.
Sabre Wulf is an action-adventure game released by British video game developer Ultimate Play the Game for the ZX Spectrum home computer in 1984. The player navigates the pith-helmeted Sabreman through a 2D jungle maze while collecting amulet pieces to bypass the guardian at its exit. The player does not receive explicit guidance on how to play and is left to decipher the game's objectives through trial and error. Sabreman moves between the maze's 256 connected screens by touching the border where one screen ends and another begins. Each screen is filled with colourful flora, enemies that spawn at random, and occasional collectibles.
Knight Lore is a 1984 action-adventure game developed and published by Ultimate Play the Game, and written by company founders Chris and Tim Stamper. The game is known for its use of isometric graphics, which it further popularized in video games. In Knight Lore, the player character Sabreman has forty days to collect objects throughout a castle and brew a cure to his werewolf curse. Each castle room is depicted in monochrome on its own screen and consists of blocks to climb, obstacles to avoid, and puzzles to solve.
The Goonies II is an adventure platform video game developed and published by Konami for the Nintendo Entertainment System. It was released on March 18, 1987 in Japan, November in North America, and on December 19, 1988 in Europe. It is a sequel to a prior Goonies video game released on the Family Computer in Japan, which was only available in North America on Nintendo VS. System arcade units.
Ghostbusters is a licensed game by Activision based on the film of the same name. It was designed by David Crane and released for several home computer platforms in 1984, and later for video game console systems, including the Atari 2600, Master System and Nintendo Entertainment System. The primary target was the Commodore 64 and the programmer for the initial version of the game was Adam Bellin. All versions of the game were released in the USA except for the Amstrad CPC and ZX Spectrum versions, which were released only in Europe, and the MSX version, which was released only in Europe, South America, and Japan.
Barbarian: The Ultimate Warrior is a 1987 video game developed and published by Palace Software for the Amstrad CPC, Commodore 64, and ZX Spectrum. The game was ported to many other systems and was licensed to Epyx who published it as Death Sword in the United States.
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Puzzle Bobble 2 is a tile-matching video game by Taito. The first sequel to Puzzle Bobble, it is also known in Europe and North America as Bust-A-Move Again for arcades and Bust-A-Move 2: Arcade Edition for home consoles. Released into the arcades in 1995, home conversions followed for the PlayStation, Sega Saturn, Nintendo 64, and Windows platforms. The game was included in Taito Legends 2, but the US arcade version was included on the US PS2 version instead. Further ports for the Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One were released by City Connection alongside Puzzle Bobble 3 in February 2023.
Cauldron is a video game developed and published by British developer Palace Software in 1985 for the ZX Spectrum, Commodore 64, and Amstrad CPC home computers. It contains both platform game and horizontally scrolling shooter sections. Players control a witch who aims to become the "Witch Queen" by defeating an enemy called the "Pumpking".
Batman Forever is a beat 'em up video game based on the film of the same name. Though released by the same publisher at roughly the same time, it is an entirely different game from Batman Forever: The Arcade Game. The game was followed by Batman & Robin in 1998.
Datasoft, Inc. was a software developer and publisher for home computers founded in 1980 by Pat Ketchum and based out of Chatsworth, California. Datasoft primarily published video games, including ports of arcade video games, games based on licenses from movies and TV shows, and original games. Like competitor Synapse Software, they also published other software: development tools, word processors, and utilities. Text Wizard, written by William Robinson and published by Datasoft when he was 16, was the basis for AtariWriter. Datasoft initially targeted the Atari 8-bit computers, Apple II, and TRS-80 Color Computer, then later the Commodore 64, IBM PC, Atari ST, and Amiga. Starting in 1983, a line of lower cost software was published under the label Gentry Software.
Predator is a 1987 side-scrolling action game based on the 1987 film Predator, and the first game based on the franchise.
Bruce Lee is a platform game written by Ron J. Fortier for Atari 8-bit computers and published in 1984 by Datasoft. The graphics are by Kelly Day and music by John A. Fitzpatrick. The player takes the role of Bruce Lee, while a second player controls either Yamo or alternates with player one for control of Bruce Lee.
Zorro is a puzzle-platform game written by James Garon and published by Datasoft in 1985. Versions were released for the Apple II, Atari 8-bit family, Commodore 64, and Amstrad CPC. A ZX Spectrum port was published in 1986 by U.S. Gold.
Jurassic Park is a 1993 action video game developed and published by Ocean Software, for DOS and Amiga computers. The game is based on director Steven Spielberg's 1993 film, Jurassic Park, and also includes elements from author Michael Crichton's 1990 novel of the same name, which the film is based upon.
Pacific Coast Highway is a video game written by Ron Rosen for Atari 8-bit computers and published by Datasoft in 1982. It is a clone of Frogger, with the key gameplay differences being that Pacific Coast Highway allows two-player simultaneous play, and the road and water segments are split into separate, alternating, screens.
Canyon Climber is a video game designed by Steve Bjork and James Garon for the TRS-80 Color Computer and published by Tandy Corporation in 1982. Ports to other home computers were published by Datasoft. Canyon Climber is a three-screen platform game with an American Southwest theme. Two of the screens are direct analogs of those in Donkey Kong.
Indiana Jones in the Lost Kingdom is a puzzle video game developed by Michael J. Hanson and published by Mindscape for the Commodore 64. The game is based on the Indiana Jones series, and it was released in North America in late 1984. In the UK, the game was imported and distributed by U.S. Gold.
Top Gun is a 1986 combat flight simulation game based on the film of the same name. It was developed and published by British company Ocean Software, and was released for several computer platforms. In the United Kingdom, it was released for Amstrad CPC, Commodore 64, and ZX Spectrum in December 1986. The following year, it was released for Atari ST. In the United States, it was published by Thunder Mountain. In 1989, it was published by The Hit Squad as a budget re-release for ZX Spectrum and Commodore 64.
