Oxford Digital Enterprises Ltd.

Brad Zoom in Better Dead Than Alien

Brad Zoom in Better Dead Than Alien

Commodore Amiga - Released - 1988

Brad Zoom takes on the Brain Eaters from the Purple Planet, in this homage to vintage action games, primarily Galaxians. There are 75 levels, accessed via passcodes. You control a spaceship at the bottom of the screen facing upwards, firing at arrangements of aliens. You can move up and down as well as left and right as you shoot them. At set intervals an alien will emerge from the main pack and sweep down towards you. Other levels feature Asteroids which split when shot, or a single ‘boss’ alien. Aliens with green eyeballs release power-ups, such as improved weapons, shields and bombs. You have a single life with which to survive the carnage. You get points for surviving as well as scoring, so slow but cautious play is more rewarding.

Macbeth

Macbeth

Commodore 64 - Released - 1984

As detailed and careful an examination as any historical military simulation, Macbeth recreates the challenges faced by Lord and Lady Macbeth in their ruthless pursuit of the crown of Scotland. Their progress through Shakespeare's play is split into three text and graphical adventures, with an interlude adventure -- akin to one of the Bard's comic-relief scenes -- of a witch's assistant hunting for ingredients (eye of newt?!) on the blasted heath. Those desiring deeper analysis can sit down with Shakespeare himself as he probes the words and motivations of the Macbeths in four interviews uncomfortably like graduate-level oral exams. Largely the same in each adventure, the command-line parser expects prepositions and even the occasional adverb. Finding the right noun is best done with the play in hand, but the parser will repeat back commands it doesn't understand, highlighting problematic words. Indeed, a copy of the 1623 play is included in the box and necessary in all the adventures and interviews. The first adventure alternates graphical scenes with text descriptions, walking the player through MacBeth's steps and battles in the first four scenes of the play. There's enough variation to make it truly an adventure, with riddles and an ancient script to decipher which just might allow you to alter the future king's fate. The second adventure covers the next seven scenes from Lady MacBeth's perspective, all in text and upping the challenge considerably. With a timer counting down an hour in real-time, you must manage a banquet and rooms for the king and his retinue, concoct a sleeping draught, and finally goad your quivering husband into murder. Don't worry; she had a tough time with that last part, too. The castle you must find your way through is a close match to the real Cawdor Castle, of course. The third adventure offers its clues only in riddles and graphical scenes as you hunt down ingredients from the witches' incantation locking Macbeth to his destiny. Victory there does not seal his doom entirely, though. You can challenge that in the fourth adventure, where Macbeth rushes around Dunsinane Castle, preparing for siege. Mostly text, the interface fixes your attention on the timer again, which not only counts down the fifty minutes to MacDuff's fatal arrival, but burns and flashes with the pursuit of fire and murderous troops. Success rests in solving puzzles and finding secret rooms and, yes, more Shakespearean expertise.

Pacific Islands

Pacific Islands

Commodore Amiga - Released - 1992

Pacific Islands is the follow-up to Team Yankee and as its name suggests is set in the Pacific Islands, where conflicts demand the intervention of the USA and you, as a crack tank commander. You are in complete control of 16 modern American tanks which are divided into 4 squads. The objective in each mission is usually to take control of key areas, destroy enemy communications, escort support groups, etc. In a nice touch, missions may be undertaken at any time of the day; night missions surprisingly being the easiest, as the enemy has inferior Infrared imaging to your tanks. The graphics could be best described as 'functional', they certainly aren't to the standards of other war sims like Gunship 2000, but the functions are well laid out, simple and extremely easy to use. Overall, Pacific Islands is an improvement over Team Yankee, although interface and dumb AI problems still remain. Once the initial problems of controlling 4 groups of 4 tanks are overcome, the rest of the game is quite easy to get into, and very rewarding. Recommended if you like tank sims, but don't expect it to be very realistic.

Pacific Islands

Pacific Islands

MS-DOS - Released - 1992

Sequel to the 1990 bestseller game Team Yankee. While using the same split screen interface as the predecessor, the game now features an enhanced graphics engine, showing the game world much more detailed as it has been shown in Team Yankee. The game is still a mixture of a realistic tank simulation and a strategy wargame. Whereas the predecessor uses the story from the book, this game's story is fictional. A Soviet communist has occupied the Yama Yama Isles in the South Pacific which are an important strategic base in this area. You'll have to regain control of the islands in five missions.

Sleeping Gods Lie

Sleeping Gods Lie

MS-DOS - Released - 1991

After the benevolent god N'Gir has given his blessings to the beautiful land of Tessera, he felt his work was pretty much done, and... fell asleep. Unfortunately, with no gods to watch over the world, an evil Archmage has gradually taken control over it, oppressing the population with his iron rule. The hero of this story lives in the town of Thurin, which is somewhat out of the Archmage's range of influence. However, when a gravely wounded kobold delivers a message to him and dies on the threshold of his house, the hero realizes that his long journey has begun - the journey to wake up the slumbering god! Sleeping Gods Lie combines elements of action and adventure-style gameplay. The entire game world is viewed from first person perspective, rendered in "fake" 3D. The player explores this world, finding items, solving occasional puzzles, and getting closer to the goal. Enemies will often attack the hero; the key to victory is usually the power of the weapon the hero wields. These can be melee weapons as well as long-ranged ones such as a slingshot. Combat is entirely action-oriented. The game has an internal clock, and the hero can get tired and will have to rest from time to time.

Space Ace

Space Ace

Super Nintendo Entertainment System - Released - May 1, 1994

Life as a space hero can be pretty miserable sometimes. like now, for instance. The evil Commander Borf has blasted you with his Infanto Ray and turned you into a little kid, captured your gal, Kimmy, and is threatening to conquer the Earth. On top of all that, your name is Dexter. Your mission? Rescue the girl, save the world, run the bad guy out of the galaxy, and regain your manhood. Now all of the extraterrestrial action of the smash-hit arcade game comes to your Super NES with 14 wacky and challenging levels of intergalactic mayhem! Over 50 video sequences from the original game put you in the action!!

Team Yankee

Team Yankee

MS-DOS - Released - 1990

In this tank simulation game based on Harold Coyle's book of the same name, Team Yankee is a squad of crack tank drivers and gunners. They are in the latest tanks, such as the well known Abrams M1, Bradley M2, T-72 and T-62, armed with lasers, machine guns and SABOTs. As Commander Sean Bannon, you must use these resources correctly in five missions ranging from defending a hill to attacking a centre through a forest. The control interface of the game is somewhat unique as it features a four-way split screen with different control options in order to grant direct orders to four individual platoons of tanks. The game simulates instruments of war including thermal imaging in a detailed manner, as well as giving access to scrolling maps of the battlefield as combat unfolds.

The Amazing Spider-Man

The Amazing Spider-Man

Commodore Amiga - Released - 1990

In The Amazing Spider-Man, Spider Man has to rescue his girlfriend Mary Jane who was kidnapped by the super villain Mysterio. The whole game takes place on a film set studio. This game is primarily a platforming game in which Spider-Man fights against various enemies. Those can be stunned with Spider-Man's iconic web substance, but touching them or other hazards in the game world will decrease his heath. Another important part of the gameplay are puzzles, mostly with the goal to deactivate some of Mysterio's gimmicks, e.g. changed gravity, to clear the path. Spider-Man can can climb walls and shoot grappling hooks.

The Amazing Spider-Man

The Amazing Spider-Man

Commodore 64 - Released - 1990

In The Amazing Spider-Man, Spider Man has to rescue his girlfriend Mary Jane who was been kidnapped by the super villain Mysterio. The whole game takes place on a film set studio. This game is primarily a platforming game in which Spider-Man fights against various enemies. Those can be stunned with Spider-Man's iconic web substance, but touching them or other hazards in the game world will decrease his health. Another important part of the gameplay are puzzles, mostly with the goal to deactivate some of Mysterio's gimmicks, e.g. changed gravity, to clear the path. Spider-Man can climb walls and shoot grappling hooks.

The Hunt for Red October

The Hunt for Red October

Commodore 64 - Released - 1987

In this adaptation of Tom Clancy's popular novel, you play the part of Captain Marko Ramius attempting to defect to the US. Once into the Atlantic, you must rendezvous with the US Navy and fake the destruction of the Red October. Your crew is not aware of the defection -- but the Soviet Navy is, and will try to stop you at any cost.

The Hunt for Red October

The Hunt for Red October

Commodore Amiga - Released - 1987

In this adaptation of Tom Clancy's popular novel, you play the part of Captain Marko Ramius attempting to defect to the US. Once into the Atlantic, you must rendezvous with the US Navy and fake the destruction of the Red October. Your crew is not aware of the defection -- but the Soviet Navy is, and will try to stop you at any cost.

The Hunt for Red October

The Hunt for Red October

Apple IIGS - Released - 1989

The Hunt for Red October is a video game based on the book The Hunt for Red October. It was released in 1987 and was available for the Atari ST, Amiga, Apple II, ZX Spectrum, MSX, Commodore 64 and IBM PC. A port for the Apple IIGS was released in 1989. The player must navigate the Red October towards U.S. waters while avoiding the Soviet Navy. The game is a combination of submarine simulator and strategy game.

The Hunt for Red October

The Hunt for Red October

MS-DOS - Released - 1988

In this adaptation of Tom Clancy's popular novel, you play the part of Captain Marko Ramius attempting to defect to the US. Once into the Atlantic, you must rendezvous with the US Navy and fake the destruction of the Red October. Your crew is not aware of the defection -- but the Soviet Navy is, and will try to stop you at any cost.

Titanic: The Recovery Mission

Titanic: The Recovery Mission

Commodore 64 - Released - 1986

You're the president of the Titanic Salvage Company and it's your job to recover any artifacts you can find from the wreck of the H.M.S. Titanic and ultimately raise the ship to the surface. The game combines both above and below water aspects. Above the water, you must manage the company, press conferences and finances. Below the water, you explore the Titanic and her many secrets by navigating T.S.1 (your underwater robot) through a maze-like environment while trying to find a way to raise the ship to the surface. Along the way, you'll find several hidden items that combine to create yet another item, many of which are required to open locked doors, safes and other hidden compartments.

Trivial Pursuit (1987)

Trivial Pursuit (1987)

MS-DOS - Released - 1987

This is the earliest home computer incarnation of Horn Abbot International Ltd's classic board game, Trivial Pursuit. The game involves answering questions on one of six subject categories to gain moves, and answering questions on special squares to gain one of the six 'Wedges' you need to gain the right to take on the final winning question. Questions are aimed at British players - many entertainment questions are based on British TV, and sport questions relate to popular British sports. Two game modes are available: Single Player (which involves answering questions against the clock) and Multiplayer (where you can take on up to five human-controlled players). The computer reveals the answer, and you select 'yes' or 'no' to tell it whether you got it right. The question categories are exactly the same as the board game: Art & Literature, Science & Nature, Geography, History, Sports & Leisure, and Entertainment. However two different question styles are added to take advantage of computer technology - some questions relate to a picture or diagram and some relate to a piece of music. One additional feature not available in the board game is a statistical analysis of the number and type of questions answered correctly. This can be split into the performances of all the players, or the performance of an individual player within the six categories. It is especially useful at the end of the game, when choosing which category a player must answer to win the game.

Trivial Pursuit: A New Beginning

Trivial Pursuit: A New Beginning

Commodore 64 - Released - 1988

After recreating the original board game as closely as possible with the first licensed game, Oxford did something different with the sequel. Each player now controls a spaceship, and the overall aim is to convince the Elders of the planet Genus to accept your people's plan to colonize it. The Elders are all located in different parts of the galaxy, and can only be reached by travelling through the galaxy answering questions correctly, and answering a specific question once you get there. As a result, the gameplay isn't vastly different from the original. The six question categories are the same as the original, and there are 50 levels of question to clear, but the big difference is that the question category is random, so players who are only knowledgeable in one or two areas are no longer at an advantage.

Trivial Pursuit: A New Beginning

Trivial Pursuit: A New Beginning

Amstrad CPC - Released - 1988

After recreating the original board game as closely as possible with the first licensed game, Oxford did something different with the sequel. Each player now controls a spaceship, and the overall aim is to convince the Elders of the planet Genus to accept your people's plan to colonize it. The Elders are all located in different parts of the galaxy, and can only be reached by travelling through the galaxy answering questions correctly, and answering a specific question once you get there. As a result, the gameplay isn't vastly different from the original. The six question categories are the same as the original, and there are 50 levels of question to clear, but the big difference is that the question category is random, so players who are only knowledgeable in one or two areas are no longer at an advantage.

Trivial Pursuit: The Computer Game: Baby Boomer Edition

Trivial Pursuit: The Computer Game: Baby Boomer Edition

Amstrad CPC - DLC - 1988

Trivial Pursuit: Baby Boomer Edition is another add-on question pack for Domark's original Trivial Pursuit: Genus Edition for those who were born in the post-World War II era or people who enjoy 1960-70s nostalgia. This pack gives players thousands more questions and adds these new categories: Broadcasting, Stage and Screen, Nightly News, Publishing, Life and Times, and RPM.

Trivial Pursuit: The Computer Game: Baby Boomer Edition

Trivial Pursuit: The Computer Game: Baby Boomer Edition

Commodore 64 - DLC - 1987

Trivial Pursuit: Baby Boomer Edition is another add-on question pack for Domark's original Trivial Pursuit: Genus Edition for those who were born in the post-World War II era or people who enjoy 1960-70s nostalgia. This pack gives players thousands more questions and adds these new categories: Broadcasting, Stage and Screen, Nightly News, Publishing, Life and Times, and RPM.

Trivial Pursuit: The Computer Game: Commodore Genus Edition

Trivial Pursuit: The Computer Game: Commodore Genus Edition

Commodore 64 - Released - 1986

This is the earliest home computer incarnation of Horn Abbot International Ltd's classic board game, Trivial Pursuit. The game involves answering questions on one of six subject categories to gain moves, and answering questions on special squares to gain one of the six 'Wedges' you need to gain the right to take on the final winning question. Questions are aimed at British players - many entertainment questions are based on British TV, and sport questions relate to popular British sports. Two game modes are available: Single Player (which involves answering questions against the clock) and Multiplayer (where you can take on up to five human-controlled players). The computer reveals the answer, and you select 'yes' or 'no' to tell it whether you got it right. The question categories are exactly the same as the board game: Art & Literature, Science & Nature, Geography, History, Sports & Leisure, and Entertainment. However two different question styles are added to take advantage of computer technology - some questions relate to a picture or diagram and some relate to a piece of music. One additional feature not available in the board game is a statistical analysis of the number and type of questions answered correctly. This can be split into the performances of all the players, or the performance of an individual player within the six categories. It is especially useful at the end of the game, when choosing which category a player must answer to win the game.

Trivial Pursuit: The Computer Game: Young Players Edition

Trivial Pursuit: The Computer Game: Young Players Edition

Commodore 64 - DLC - 1987

Trivial Pursuit: Young Players Edition is the first add-on question pack for Domark's Trivial Pursuit: Genus Edition designed for children and teens. This adds an additional 3,000 trivia questions separated into 2 age groups: 7 thru 12 & 12+. Original categories Sport & Leisure, Science & Nature, and Entertainment are replaced with People & Places, the Nature World and Games & Hobbies.

War in the Gulf

War in the Gulf

MS-DOS - Released - 1993

A third game in the tank combat series, following from Team Yankee (whose story and setting came from a book) and Pacific Islands (set in an imaginary 1995 war). The third game imagines a situation in which Iraq invades Kuwait for a second time. The series' main distinguishing feature was the way you always viewed all 4 tanks in a platoon at the same time, via a split screen. Action here is purely mouse-driven. The AI has been significantly updated from previous games in the series. A full roster of tanks and weapons are included, with Iraq mainly using Soviet machinery. A major consideration involves destroying particular buildings for money, and preventing other particular ones being destroyed, also for financial reasons.

War in the Gulf

War in the Gulf

Commodore Amiga - Released - 1993

A third game in the tank combat series, following from Team Yankee (whose story and setting came from a book) and Pacific Islands (set in an imaginary 1995 war). The third game imagines a situation in which Iraq invades Kuwait for a second time. The series' main distinguishing feature was the way you always viewed all 4 tanks in a platoon at the same time, via a split screen. Action here is purely mouse-driven. The AI has been significantly updated from previous games in the series. A full roster of tanks and weapons are included, with Iraq mainly using Soviet machinery. A major consideration involves destroying particular buildings for money, and preventing other particular ones being destroyed, also for financial reasons.

Yes Prime Minister: The Computer Game

Yes Prime Minister: The Computer Game

MS-DOS - Released - 1988

A week in the life of the British Prime Minister. But not just any Prime Minister, this game puts you in the shoes of Prime Minister James (Jim) Hacker from the classic BBC television comedy "Yes, Prime Minister". Much like most political simulations, you must balance your popularity with the needs of your party, the meddling of foreign governments, and the small minded incompetence of the civil servants that surround you. All of this is played out with multiple choice dialogues between Hacker and the other cast members of the series (complete with lo-res digital pictures). The dry humor of the show abounds as you must deal with crises such as the French refusing to continue work on the channel tunnel until Waterloo station is renamed. Fans of the show will recognize much of the material and non-fans should still find enough laughs to keep them interested. The game takes place over 5 working days and at the end the PM has a final discussion with his colleagues Sir Humphrey Appleby and Bernard Wooley who assess his performance at trying to manage the country.

Yes Prime Minister: The Computer Game

Yes Prime Minister: The Computer Game

Commodore 64 - Released - 1987

A week in the life of the British Prime Minister. But not just any Prime Minister, this game puts you in the shoes of Prime Minister James (Jim) Hacker from the classic BBC television comedy "Yes, Prime Minister". Much like most political simulations, you must balance your popularity with the needs of your party, the meddling of foreign governments, and the small minded incompetence of the civil servants that surround you. All of this is played out with multiple choice dialogues between Hacker and the other cast members of the series (complete with lo-res digital pictures). The dry humor of the show abounds as you must deal with crises such as the French refusing to continue work on the Channel Tunnel until Waterloo station is renamed. Fans of the show will recognize much of the material, and non-fans should still find enough laughs to keep them interested. The game takes place over 5 working days and at the end the PM has a final discussion with his colleagues Sir Humphrey Appleby and Bernard Wooley who assess his performance at trying to manage the country.

Yes, Prime Minister

Yes, Prime Minister

Sinclair ZX Spectrum - Released - 1987

A week in the life of the British Prime Minister. But not just any Prime Minister, this game puts you in the shoes of Prime Minister James (Jim) Hacker from the classic BBC television comedy "Yes, Prime Minister". Much like most political simulations, you must balance your popularity with the needs of your party, the meddling of foreign governments, and the small minded incompetence of the civil servants that surround you. All of this is played out with multiple choice dialogues between Hacker and the other cast members of the series (complete with lo-res digital pictures). The dry humor of the show abounds as you must deal with crises such as the French refusing to continue work on the channel tunnel until Waterloo station is renamed. Fans of the show will recognize much of the material and non-fans should still find enough laughs to keep them interested. The game takes place over 5 working days and at the end the PM has a final discussion with his colleagues Sir Humphrey Appleby and Bernard Wooley who assess his performance at trying to manage the country.

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