The Amstrad CPC is a series of 8-bit home computers produced by Amstrad between 1984 and 1990. It was designed to compete in the mid-1980s home computer market dominated by the Commodore 64 and the Sinclair ZX Spectrum, where it successfully established itself primarily in the United Kingdom, France, Spain, and the German-speaking parts of Europe.
The ZX Spectrum is an 8-bit home computer that was developed by Sinclair Research. It was released in the United Kingdom on 23 April 1982, and became Britain's best-selling microcomputer.
Odin Computer Graphics were a Liverpool-based computer games developer who came to prominence in the mid-1980s with a variety of titles for the ZX Spectrum, Commodore 64 and Amstrad CPC home computers.
Dinamic Software was a Spanish video game producer and publishing company. It was founded in 1983, and its activity ceased in 1992, comprising the Golden Era of Spanish Software. One year later, a part of its owners founded an independent company named Dinamic Multimedia. At the end of the 1980s, another company, Aventuras AD destined to produce text adventures, was born from Dinamic Software.
Ocean Software Ltd was a British software development company that became one of the biggest European video game developers and publishers of the 1980s and 1990s.
The GX4000 is a video game console that was manufactured by Amstrad. It was the company's short-lived attempt to enter the games console market. The console was released in Europe in 1990 and was an upgraded design based on the then still-popular CPC technology. The GX4000 shared hardware architecture with Amstrad's CPC Plus computer line, which was released concurrently. This allowed the system to be compatible with the majority of CPC Plus software.
Mastertronic was originally a publisher and distributor of low-cost computer game software founded in 1983. Their first games were distributed in mid-1984. At its peak the label was one of the largest software publishers in the UK, achieved by selling cassette-based software at £1.99. As well as supplying leading retailers such as Woolworth's and Toys "R" Us, Mastertronic sold software in outlets such as newsagents which had not been previously associated with the software market.
Atari Program Exchange (APX) was a division of Atari, Inc. that sold software via mail-order for the Atari 8-bit family of home computers. Quarterly APX catalogs were sent to all registered Atari 8-bit owners. APX encouraged any programmer, not just professionals, to submit software for commercial distribution. If selected, a program was added to the catalog, with credit given to the programmer. The top submissions in each category were awarded, and several popular APX titles, such as Caverns of Mars, were moved to Atari's official product line.
Opera Soft was a Spanish computer game developer of the Golden Era of Spanish Software of the 1980s. It released many games for the ZX Spectrum, Amstrad CPC and similar computers in the mid-1980s, but its games were not as popular on the PC. Founded in 1986, the company obtained success with its title Livingstone, supongo in the same year. The game is based on the 19th-century explorer Dr. Livingstone. Within Spain, one of their most popular games was La Abadía del Crimen, based on Umberto Eco's novel The Name of the Rose.
Topo Soft was a Spanish software house for 8-bit home computers that emerged during the eighties. They were part of the golden era of Spanish software. It dissolved in 1994 due to economic problems related with the late arrival of 16-bit computers in Spain. Some of its workers founded Pyro Studios in 1998.
Bugaboo , later published in Spain as La Pulga, is a computer game created in 1983 by the Spanish team of programmers Paco & Paco for the ZX Spectrum. Later versions for the Commodore 64, Amstrad and MSX were produced. Bugaboo, besides being the first video game made in Spain, is one of the first computer games to include cut scenes. Its publication marked the official beginning of the Golden Era of Spanish Software. It was ported to the Amstrad CPC under the name Roland in the Caves, to exploit the CPC's recurring Roland character. A sequel was released in Spain by Opera Soft under the title "Poogaboo", made by Paco Suarez, one of the authors of the original game. Paco Portalo, the other member of Paco & Paco, left the project after the publication of the original game for the ZX Spectrum.
Abandonware is a product, typically software, ignored by its owner and manufacturer, and for which no official support is available.
Francisco "Paco" Menéndez (1965–1999) was a Spanish computer game programmer who wrote games for 8-bit computers. His most famous work is La abadía del crimen which is regarded as one of the best games made for 8-bit computers.
The golden age of Spanish software was a time, between 1983 and 1992, when Spain became the second largest 8 bit computer entertainment software producer in Europe, only behind the United Kingdom. The disappearance of the 8 bit technology and its replacement by the 16 bit machines marked the end of this era, during which many software companies based in Spain launched their career: Dinamic Software, Topo Soft, Opera Soft, Made in Spain and Zigurat among others. The name Edad de oro del soft español was coined by specialized magazines of the time and has been used to refer to these years until nowadays.
Jet-Boot Jack is a platform game written by Jon Williams for the Atari 8-bit family and published by English Software in 1983. It was ported to the Acorn Electron, Amstrad CPC, BBC Micro, and Commodore 64. A C64-only sequel, Legend of the Knucker-Hole, was released in 1984.
Game-Maker is an MS-DOS-based suite of game design tools, accompanied by demonstration games, produced between 1991 and 1995 by the Amherst, New Hampshire based Recreational Software Designs and sold through direct mail in the US by KD Software. Game-Maker also was sold under various names by licensed distributors in the UK, Korea, and other territories including Captain GameMaker and Create Your Own Games With GameMaker!. Game-Maker is notable as one of the first complete game design packages for DOS-based PCs, for its fully mouse-driven graphical interface, and for its early support for VGA graphics, Sound Blaster sound, and full-screen four-way scrolling.
The history of video gaming in Spain dates back to the 1970s, and by 2014 the country was the 10th-highest-grossing market for video games worldwide. In 2018, the Spanish video game market posted a revenue of €1.53 billion, up from €1.35 billion in 2017. The country's audience of game players was 16.8 million that year; demographically, it was 59% male and 41% female. Reportedly 80% of people aged 6-to-10 played video games, while 24% of those in the 45–64 age range did so.
Carlos Sainz: World Rally Championship is a 1990 racing video game co-developed by the Spanish companies Zigurat Software and Arcadia Software, and published by Zigurat for Amstrad CPC, MS-DOS, MSX and ZX Spectrum. Featuring Spanish rally driver Carlos Sainz and themed around rallying, the game pit players with races across various locations to qualify for the next couse in the World Rally Championship and modify characteristics of the Toyota Celica to accommodate each courses.
Sito Pons 500cc Grand Prix is a 1990 racing video game developed and published by the Spanish company Zigurat Software for Amstrad CPC, MS-DOS, MSX and ZX Spectrum. Featuring former Spanish racer Sito Pons and themed around motorcycle racing, the game pit players driving the Honda NSR500 with races against AI-controlled opponents across various countries to qualify in the 500cc class of the Grand Prix motorcycle racing.
Capitán Sevilla is a 1988 platform video game developed by the Spanish group Hi-Score and published by Dinamic Software for the Amstrad CPC, MSX and ZX Spectrum. In the game, players assume the role of Mariano López, a transporter-turned superhero after eating a radiation-affected blood sausage to fight against the mad scientist Torrebruno and protect Earth.
