3D Asteroids

Acorn Atom - Released - 1982

In this game you have to fly your space craft at high speed through an asteroid storm.

Acheton

BBC Microcomputer System - Released - 1984

Acheton was written by Jon Thackray, David Seal and Jonathan Partington. The BBC Micro version was originally published by Acornsoft in 1984 and re-released in 1987 by Topologika. Acheton is a home computer conversion of the mainframe adventure of the same name. Similar to Zork (which was released on the VAX mainframe not long before Acheton's original appearance), it is a fantasy treasure hunt set in a claustrophobic dungeon. It boasts over 400 rooms and 200 objects, thereby making it much bigger than Zork. As with many games of this kind the most time is spent by exploring the environment and solving item-based puzzles. Everything is described solely with plain text and the player interacts with the game by typing in phrases which describe his desired action, e.g. "take bottle". It also features a help function with graded hints.

Adventures

Acorn Atom - Released - 1981

Adventures comprises the Adventure program plus three adventure games: DUNGEON Search for treasure in a maze of interconnected caverns, tunnels and caves, inhabited by friendly and unfriendly monsters. Find treasure and take it to the Throne Room. HOUSE You start on the doorstep of a haunted house, in whose rooms lurk the ghosts of some familiar people. Find treasure and take it to the Grand Banqueting Hall. INTERGALACTIC You play the part of an intergalactic traveller. Battle against the inhabitants of alien planets and return home to Earth with treasure.

Amoeba

Acorn Atom - Released - 1981

Arcade Action

BBC Microcomputer System - Released - 1982

Arcade Action is a collection of four games. Space Invaders is a one or two player game and the other three are single player. Breakout: A musical version of an all-time favourite where you knock bricks out of a multi-coloured wall. There are seven variations on the standard game, including progressive walls and captive balls. Dodgems: Your racing car has to outwit the computerised car, which is programmed to crash into you. You have the advantage of acceleration, but must keep switching lanes to avoid a head-on collision. Snake: Guide the hungry snake towards its prey, and watch it grow as it consumes different kinds of food. The idea of the game is to score as many points as possible while preventing the snake from bumping into itself or the walls as it gets longer and longer. Space Invaders: Fight off the waves of advancing aliens while dodging behind four shelters to avoid being hit by their missiles. The closer they get, the faster they move, and the thicker the hail of missile fire. In full colour. complete with sound effects and hi-score.

Asteroids

Acorn Atom - Released - 1980

The objective of Asteroids is to destroy asteroids and saucers. The player controls a triangular ship that can rotate left and right, fire shots straight forward, and thrust forward. Once the ship begins moving in a direction, it will continue in that direction for a time without player intervention unless the player applies thrust in a different direction. The ship eventually comes to a stop when not thrusting. The player can also send the ship into hyperspace, causing it to disappear and reappear in a random location on the screen, at the risk of self-destructing or appearing on top of an asteroid

Bouncer

BBC Microcomputer System - Released - 1984

Bouncer is a QBert clone developed and published by Acornsoft for the BBC Microcomputer.

Boxer

BBC Microcomputer System - Released - 1984

Boxer is a platform game written by Wal Mansell. It was released for the BBC Microcomputer by Acornsoft. You and your computer controlled rival are competing for the attentions of a young lady. At the bottom of the screen, she is releasing balloons which you must try to catch when they get stuck in the rafters of the Gym. Any balloons which escape to the top of the screen will be awarded to your opponent. If you collect five balloons before your opponent does, your score will be increased by the bonus in the top right-hand corner of the screen, and you will move to a more challenging Gym. If your opponent is the first one to collect five balloons, you will lose a life and stay in the same Gym. You can only catch balloons safely while they are caught in the rafters. If you try to grab or touch one while it is moving you will fall over. This will also happen if you have contact with your opponent or any of the boxing gloves, hammers or dumb-bells which move across the Gym. Every time you get three falls, you will lose a life. Gloves and hammers can be punched and dumb-bells jumped over to score points. Points can also be scored by jumping up to the punch balls at the bottom of the screen.

Boxer

Acorn Electron - Released - 1984

Boxer is a platform game written by Wal Mansell. You and your computer controlled rival are competing for the attentions of a young lady. At the bottom of the screen, she is releasing balloons which you must try to catch when they get stuck in the rafters of the Gym. Any balloons which escape to the top of the screen will be awarded to your opponent. If you collect five balloons before your opponent does, your score will be increased by the bonus in the top right-hand corner of the screen, and you will move to a more challenging Gym. If your opponent is the first one to collect five balloons, you will lose a life and stay in the same Gym. You can only catch balloons safely while they are caught in the rafters. If you try to grab or touch one while it is moving you will fall over. This will also happen if you have contact with your opponent or any of the boxing gloves, hammers or dumb-bells which move across the Gym. Every time you get three falls, you will lose a life. Gloves and hammers can be punched and dumb-bells jumped over to score points. Points can also be scored by jumping up to the punch balls at the bottom of the screen. You start the game with three boxers but you will receive a bonus boxer for every 10,000 points you score, up to a maximum of three at any one time.

Business Games

Acorn Electron - Released - 1984

Business Games contains two educational games. Although intended for use in business and economic studies, teaching the games are entertaining and thought-provoking in their own right. This guide describes the two programs that make up Business Games. STOKMARK, which simulates the conditions of the stock market, with realistic behaviour of share prices based on an analysis of real companies. In TELEMARK, four teams or players each control the finances of a firm that makes and sells televisions. In both these games each player in turn will be prompted either to select an option (for example, Yes or No) or to enter numbers or letters: the RETURN key should be pressed after each selection or input.

Carousel

BBC Microcomputer System - Released - 1983

Carousel is a clone of the arcade game Carnival, which is a fixed screen shoot 'em up with an amusement park theme. The game was written by David Shepherd and published by Acornsoft in December 1983. The player controls a gun and has to shoot the targets above him. The player has a limited amount of bullets and when out of them, the game ends. The targets are made up of three different animals: ducks, rabbits and owls as well as letters of the word BONUS. Hitting the letters in the correct order gives a bonus score for each. Ducks are special as they might swoop down towards the player and the player has to shoot them before they land or else he will lose bullets. In addition to the targets, there is also a rotating wheel at the top of the screen, and all of its spokes has to be shot to complete a level. Once everything on the screen has been shot, the player moves on to a bonus round featuring a polar bear. It will move across the screen and the player has to shoot it as many times as possible. For every hit, the bear reverses its direction and increases its speed until it escapes, and the player moves on to the next level.

Castle of Riddles

BBC Microcomputer System - Released - 1983

Castle of Riddles is a text adventure released by Acornsoft for the BBC Micro (in 1982) and Acorn Electron (1984) home computers. The game was written by Peter Killworth and was one of a series of text adventures written for, or ported to the BBC Micro by the same author (others including Countdown to Doom and Philosopher's Quest). As with all such games, only text is used. The player must use a simple 'verb-noun' format (e.g. 'Go North', 'Get lamp') to control the game. Unlike Killworth's other Acornsoft adventures, Castle of Riddles was not updated and reissued by Topologika so became unavailable after 1985 when Acorn Computers (parent company of Acornsoft) pulled out of the games publishing market. Some of the puzzles however were included in the Topologika version of Philosopher's Quest.

Castle of Riddles

Acorn Electron - Released - 1984

"The adventuring trade just isn't what it used to be," you reflect gloomily. "Nobody seems to need a trusty sword or a keen intellect any more." You're down to your last silver piece, and there's tomorrow's dinner yet to be found. Sitting at the inn you contemplate earning an honest living for a change. Perhaps a steady income wouldn't be too boring, after all... Suddenly, a cold draught and the slam of the door distract you from your train of thought, and seconds later, a tall-silver-haired figure in a black cloak slips on to the bench next to you... So begins your magical adventure, with wizardry and hocus pocus of all kinds, booby traps and fiendish riddles to be unravelled along the tortuous route to the Magic Ring of Power. Your reward is to keep the treasure that you find on the way.

Chess

Acorn Electron - Released - 1984

Chess allows you to play a game of chess against either the computer or another player. All the rules of chess are included and the winner is the player that makes the other players King unable to move without being taken. Against the computer you are able to play as white or black and the computer has 10 skill levels (0-9) with zero being the easiest. You are also able to watch the computer play itself. There is also an Editor mode that allows you to set the board up with the pieces in any position you chose and you can attempt to get a mate in two or five moves as well. The program has been designed to support both joysticks, and a printer when available. It was written by Arthur Norman and Nick Pelling.

Countdown to Doom

Acorn Electron - Released - 1984

While orbiting the treasure-laden, but inhospitable, planet Doomawangara (Doom for short) your ship suffers a devastating attack from the local air defence system. Grounded on Doom, your ship is both damaged, and threatened with total disintegration due to the corrosive effects of the Doom atmosphere. Repairs to the ship must be made before you can escape, and there's also a tempting array of treasure to be collected; but the clock is ticking away all the while, and it's only a matter of time before the ship will disappear in a cloud of dust, whereupon you must resign yourself to a life in the wilderness of Doom. This ROM Cartridge is designed for use with the Electron Plus 1. As you play the game, you'll find that you will want to SAVE a game at a particular point (for example, before doing something risky, or simply to return to the game at a later time). You will be prompted to find a suitable area on one of your tapes, followed by the usual "RECORD then RETURN" message. This will put the 'dynamic' part of the database onto tape - this is the part which attends to the general house-keeping - where you are, where the objects are etc. The file is automatically called INIT so if you make several SAVEs, you'll need to keep track of which INIT is where. If you wish to restart at one of these positions, load the program as usual, but select S to start from a saved position. You'll be asked to Position the database file. Locate the saved position on tape, set it playing, and press RETURN. Once INIT is loaded (about 45 seconds) the game will start from where you left off. Should you QUIT or die, you'll be asked if you want another game. "Y" or "y" will return you to the start of the game; "N" or "n" will simply end it.

Crazy Tracer

Acorn Electron - Released - 1984

You are in charge of a paint roller which you must guide around the edges of a maze of rectangles. Trying to prevent you from repairing these lines are several monsters which attempt to catch and crush the roller as it moves along. There are two different kinds of screen to paint: one which offers you the chance of gaining bonus points by painting in rectangles containing different objects, the other which poses the problem of how to avoid running out of paint. Crazy Tracer is fully compatible with either keyboard or joysticks.

Crime & Detection Quiz

Acorn Electron - Released - 1984

How does your knowledge of Crime fiction rate against a Grandmaster of the genre? This rewarding and compelling program for your BBC Model B or Acorn Electron computer has been specially adapted from the Weidenfield Quiz book and will provide many hours of edification and amusement for family and friends. Here are Sherlock Holmes, Lord Peter Wimsey and Philip Marlowe, together with James Bond and George Smiley. This fascinating quiz includes questions on crime techniques, television cops, the history of detection and writers such as Raymond Chandler and Agatha Christie. Crime and detection is one of a series of six Grandmaster Quizzes, in which you can pit your knowledge against a grandmaster of the subject. The writer's specialised skill and expert knowledge makes the quiz both challenging and exciting. Each program has thirty sections of ten questions - a massive 300 questions in all - and you can take the quiz alone, in competition with a friend, or in teams. You can choose a timed option too - and if you're getting too many of the answers right, your computer can reduce the time you have to answer! Julian Symons is the author of twenty-one crime novels. He is President of the Detection Club and has written the definitive history of the genre, "Bloody Murder".

Finest Favourites

Acorn Electron - Released - 1984

Firebug

Acorn Electron - Released - 1984

As fireman on duty, you have been called out to a warehouse where a firebug is reported to be attempting to burn it down. Your main concern is to rescue the drums of highly inflammable petrol and take them to the safety of a water tank. You can jump over the fires or put them out with a fire extinguisher, but be careful to avoid the clouds of dense white smoke. Complete with sound effects, full colour graphics and a table of high scores, Firebug is fully compatible with either keyboard or joysticks.

Firebug

BBC Microcomputer System - Released - 1984

Firebug is a platform game written by Wal Mansell. It was published by Acornsoft for the BBC Microcomputer in 1984. It was also released for the Acorn Electron.

Free Fall

Acorn Electron - Released - 1985

When the Alphoid battleship attacked Deep Space Station Coriolis and Alphoid life forms injected the air supplies with their own cyanide-based atmosphere, only one crew member managed to don his space suit in time. Unable to reach the armoury, he must face the Alphoid warriors barehanded to defend not only his own life but also the vital computer records which the Space Station contains. In this game you control the crewman, manoeuvring him around the Space Station as he tries to destroy Alphoids before being destroyed himself - either by the enemy or due to lack of oxygen. Acornsoft Free Fall is compatible with either keyboard or joysticks.

Games of Strategy

BBC Microcomputer System - Released - 1982

Games of Strategy is a compilation of four games. It contains: * Galaxy * Gomoku * Masterbrain * Reversi The four games are not available separately and only as part of this compilation.

Games Pack 1

Acorn Atom - Released - 1981

Acornsoft Games Pack 1 is a collection of three games. - Asteroids is a version of the arcade game and plays as can be expected with the player in control of a space ship that moves forward with thrust and can rotate to aim and shoot at the asteroids that move around the screen. There are four asteroids on the screen and when shot they split into smaller ones. The larger ones are worth one point and the small ones two. - Sub Hunt is a text based simulation game where the player is in command of a destroyer and has to destroy a submarine. For every turn the player is given the distance to the submarine and can decide the speed and course of the destroyer. The submarine is automatically destroyed when the destroyer gets within one mile's distance of it. - Breakout is a version of Atari's game with the same name. It works the same with the player controlling a paddle that is used to hit bricks with a ball. For each brick the player earns points depending on how far off they are. Hitting the upper half will lead to increased speed and sending the ball through the wall will lead to the paddle shrinking. When all bricks are gone another set will appear. The player has three balls and game is over when they have all been lost.

Games Pack 10

Acorn Atom - Released - 1981

Acornsoft Games Pack 10 is a collection of ten games. Breakout is variant of the arcade game with the same name where a bat is used to destroy bricks with a ball. Hectic is a variant of the arcade game Avalanche where the player has to catch falling bricks so that they do not build up to the height of the paddle. Mastermind is an adaptation of the board game with the same name where the player gets ten attempts to figure out a four digit code. Ski is a skiing game where the player has to ski down a mountain and reach home safely without hitting any trees. Snake is a variant of a snake game where the player has to eat food that causes the snake to grow while avoiding colliding with walls or body. Track is a racing game where the player has to drive a car along a vertically scrolling race track without hitting any obstacles. Simon is an adaptation of the electronic game with the same name where the player sees letters flashing and then has to enter the correct sequence. Squash is a Pong-like game based on the sport where the player has to hit the walls as many times as possible before missing fifteen times. Moon is a variant of Lunar Lander where thrust controls are used to land a lunar module safely in the bottom of a crater. Bombs-Away is a variant of an artillery game where two players take turns shooting projectiles over a mountain in an attempt to hit the opponent.

Games Pack 11

Acorn Atom - Released - 1981

Comprises: Dominoes (Acornsoft), Missile Base (Acornsoft) and Snooker (Acornsoft)

Games Pack 2

Acorn Atom - Released - 1981

Acornsoft Games Pack 2 is a collection of three games. - Dogfight is a flight combat game similar to the arcade game Biplane and the console game Spitfire. The game is for two players only with no AI option available. The aim for each player is to simply shoot down the opponent without crashing into the ground or the top of the screen. The first player to reach a score of 100 wins the game. - Mastermind is an adaptation of the board game with the same name or the pencil game Bulls and Cows. It's played against an AI opponent whose four digit code the player has to guess on. For each guess the player gets to know the number of bulls (correct digits in the right position) and the number of cows (correct digits in the wrong position). At the same time the AI guesses on player's code who enters the numbers of bulls and cows manually. - Zombie is a variant of Chase (or Robots). The player is a survivor of a plane crash who finds himself surrounded by zombies. There are also swamps and the aim of the game is to lure the zombies into the swamps. The game is turn based and the player can move one square at a time in any direction and the zombies will do the same. The player dies when caught by a zombie and wins when all zombies have moved into the swamps.

Games Pack 3

Acorn Atom - Released - 1984

Comprises: Black Box (Acornsoft), Lunar Lander (Acornsoft) and Rat Trap (Acornsoft)

Games Pack 4

Acorn Atom - Released - 1981

Comprises: Four Row (Acornsoft), Space Attack (Acornsoft) and Star Trek (Acornsoft)

Games Pack 6

Acorn Atom - Released

Acornsoft Games Pack 6 contains the following three games: 1. Dodgems 2. Simon 3. Amoeba

Games Pack 7

Acorn Atom - Released - 1981

Acornsoft Games Pack 7 contains the following three games: Ballistics (Acornsoft), Green Things (Acornsoft) and Snake (Acornsoft)

Games Pack 8

Acorn Atom - Released - 1981

Comprises: Gomoku (Acornsoft), Robots (Acornsoft) and Stargate (Acornsoft)

Gateway to Karos

BBC Microcomputer System - Released - 1983

As a local historian, you had been allowed into the great library of Karoway Manor. There between the pages of an ancient book you found a seemingly much older sheet of paper. it told of a stone gateway to the mythical land of karos opening only at midnight on the summer solstice. Were it not for the majestic stone arch in the centre of the manor lawn, and that it was by then dusk on MidSummer's Day, you might have replaced the page without a thought... This is a vast and fascinating adventure with the accent firmly on intrigue and ingenuity. There is more than one route to many of the treasures on the island of Karos but whichever path you choose you will be beset by treacchery. even the recovery of the Talisman of Khoronz- of which you will learn on you travels- will be no guarantee of a safe return nor proof against the wish that you had remained a historian in some quiet manor library.

Go

Acorn Electron - Released - 1984

Go is a computerised development of an original game played with stones on a 13 by 13 grid, based upon occupying territory and capturing enemy stones. It is a powerful program for either one or two players, plus an option where the computer plays against itself. The program will only accept legal moves so beginners can experiment and let the program teach t hem how to play. Players start with a blank grid and take it in turns to place markers at the points where the grid lines intersect; the main aim is to occupy as much territory as possible and then to capture enemy markers, or groups, by surrounding them. Markers of the same colour joined together along the lines of the grid are a group and can be captured when an opposing marker is placed on the group's last liberty point. Liberties are the adjacent intersections to a single or group of markers. Markers cannot be joined across diagonals to form groups.

History Quiz

Acorn Electron - Released - 1984

How does your knowledge of History rate against a Grandmaster of the genre? This rewarding and compelling program for your BBC model B or Acorn Electron computer has been specially adapted from the Weidenfield Quiz book and will provide hours of edification and amusement for family and friends. Do you know what was extraordinary about the execution of Anne Boleyn? Or whose horse was awarded campaign medals by special command of Queen Victoria? If you can answer these questions, you are likely to do pretty well with the other 298 included in this quiz. It covers all aspects of British history, from Julius Caesar to Margaret Thatcher: kings and queens, riots and rebellions, mysteries and murders.

Hopper

Acorn Electron - Released - August 1, 1984

Hopper for the Acorn Electron Hop the frog across the busy motorway trying to avoid four lanes of fast-moving traffic. To get across the river to the frog's lair you must leap on to the logs and turtles' backs, but beware of the diving turtles, the crocodile and the snake. Complete with music and full sound effects, dragonfly, timer and table of high scores. Acornsoft Hopper is fully compatible with either keyboard or joysticks.

Hopper

BBC Microcomputer System - Released - 1983

for the BBC Microcomputer Model B Hop the frog across the busy motorway trying to avoid four lanes of fast-moving traffic. To get across the river to the frog's lair you must leap on to the logs and turtles' backs, but beware of the diving turtles, the crocodile and the snake. Complete with music and full sound effects, dragonfly, timer and table of high scores. Acornsoft Hopper is fully compatible with either keyboard or joysticks.

How To Write Adventure Games

Acorn Electron - Released - 1984

The programs on this cassette are designed to be used in conjunction with the book How To Write Adventure Games for the BBC Microcomputer Model B and Acorn Electron by Peter Killworth.

I Do

Acorn Electron - Released - May 1, 1984

This program is based upon a series of fascinating questionnaires used by Hans Eysenck in his book '...I Do' Your Guide to a Happy Marriage published by Century Books in 1983. The program can provide couples (married or unmarried) with a great deal of useful information about themselves and their relationship. Used honestly "I Do The Program" can help you understand just what psychologists mean by the terms introversion versus extraversion, emotional stability versus instability, high libido versus low libido; and give you a fairly clear idea of how you compare with your partner in these areas of personality and indicate what this could mean for your relationship. I Do The Program" will provide information on the following: PERSONALITY MARITAL SATISFACTION SOCIAL ATTITUDES FEMINISM AND ANTI-FEMINISM MASCULINITY/FEMININITY SEXUAL ATTITUDES Warning : The Author and Publishers accept no responsibility whatsoever for the success or failure of any existing or future relationship examined by this program.

Introductory Cassette

Acorn Electron - Released - 1982

The cassette which came with the Electron computer. It contains a collection of 15 utility, demo and game programs.

Introductory Package 4: Games

Acorn Atom - Released - 1982

JCB Digger

BBC Microcomputer System - Released - 1983

JCB Digger was programmed by Jonathon Griffiths and released by Acornsoft. This was a new type of game for AcornSoft - a sideways scroller. The object of the game was to capture the 'meanies' in holes and then fill them in to put the 'meanies' to sleep. In reality, the game was jerky, flickery and a fiddle to play. But it did introduce a continuous scrolling level which was put to good effect by future games such as the Repton trilogy, Ravenskull and others.

Magic Mushrooms

BBC Microcomputer System - Released - 1985

Magic Mushrooms is a platform game released by Acornsoft for the BBC Microcomputer and Acorn Electron. You have to go around the levels, collecting the mushrooms and avoiding the monsters. To obstruct you there are one-way ladders, conveyor belts, trampolines and more, and you really have to think about the path you are taking. The graphics are low-res, but very crisp and clear, making them look much better. The game also has a screen designer built in, so that you can create your own levels.

Magic Mushrooms

Acorn Electron - Released - September 1, 1985

Magic Mushrooms isn't only an exciting game of skill and quick thinking - it's also a complete game constructor allowing unlimited scope for ingenuity in designing games for you and your friends to play. Guide Murphy around the screen leaping from brick to brick, bouncing on trampolines, sliding down slides and gliding up escalators in his quest for mushrooms. He'll find them all over the place. Even on slippery ice sheets and treacherous ground which wobbles beneath his feet, or disappears as he steps off it. Collecting mushrooms is a hazardous occupation; Murphy must watch out for marauding monsters as he races against time towards the chequered flag. The game includes nine screens, ranging in difficulty from easy to extremely hard and showing just a small selection of the many techniques you can use in designing your own screens.

Mathematics 2

Acorn Electron - Released - 1985

Maze

Acorn Electron - Released - 1984

You have entered the top-secret installation of a rival company with the aim of stealing secret information. Inside the building is a multi-level security system, each level consisting of a maze of corridors patrolled by robot guards who will shoot you on sight. The robots are armed with guns which they can recharge by running over special power points which are marked by pentangles on the floor of the maze. Your company's scientists have been able to duplicate the design of these guns so that you too are able to replenish your ammunition by running over the power points. You have a maximum of three bullets at any one time. The only exit from each level is a computer-controlled lift, programmed to open its doors only when triggered by an electronic security key; a separate key is needed at each level. This key can be found in an indestructible iridium box somewhere in the maze. The box can only be opened when three coloured idenity tags have been dropped into it. These three tags; red, blue and green, are randomly positioned in the maze. When you have collected all three, take them to the box and drop them. The box will open automatically and you can take the key. To help you find your way about, you have an advanced electronic compass. This will remember the layout of all the corridors as you explore them and can automatically detect the positions of the guards. The compass will also remember the positions of power points and the box containing the key once you have found them. The compass can display a plan view of the maze at any time showing all the features you have so far encountered. When you have the key, take it to the lift which will open as you approach and carry you to the next level. Higher levels are protected by more guards and have fewer power points.

Me And My Micro

Acorn Electron - Released - 1984

Comprises: Anagrams (Acornsoft), Bomber (Acornsoft), Kongo (Acornsoft), Matchem (Acornsoft), Mazerace (Acornsoft), Monsterzap (Acornsoft), Pairs (Acornsoft) and Twister (Acornsoft)

Meteors

Acorn Electron - Released - 1983

"Steer your laser-ship through a hall of meteors smashing them with your laser bolts as they hurtle towards you on all sides. Avoid being hit by the missiles from hostile flying saucers which fire at you as they pass. Your ship is equipped with as many laser bolts as you can fire and as a last resort, you can escape through hyperspace. Complete with sound effects and table of high scores." Steer the ship to avoid the meteors, firing at them as you go. Large meteors will split into smaller ones when they are hit, and these will in turn break into four fragments. Watch out for hostile flying saucers which fire at you as they pass. When the going gets too rough you try try escaping through hyperspace but you can't be sure where you will re-materialise and so this can be risky! Clear all the meteors before going on to the next screen. You start off with three ships but can gain an extra one every time you score 10000 points.

Meteors

BBC Microcomputer System - Released - 1982

Meteors is an Action game, developed and published by Acornsoft, which was released in Europe in 1982. Another almost perfect arcade conversion, this one is of Atari's Asteroids. The gameplay was just like the arcade game, and the visuals had been enhanced from the original Black and White graphics

Missile Base

Acorn Atom - Released - 1981

Missile Base was released for the Acorn Atom as part of the Acornsoft Games Pack 11 which also included the games Dominoes and Snooker. In Missile Base you must defend your cities from enemy attack with intercept missiles launched from the three ground bases.

Missiles

Acorn Atom - Released - 1981

You must defend your cities from the falling missiles and the aircraft. You have 3 missile bases each containing 15 missiles.

Monsters

Acorn Electron - Released - 1984

Pursued by monsters along walls and up and down ladders, your only hope of survival is to trap them in holes which you dig in their path. If a monster falls in, the hole must be filled in completely or the monster will crawl out. Monsters can be killed in one of two ways: either by falling through holes which you dig and fill, or by being hit by monsters from above. If a monster is hit by a falling monster, both die. If you manage to kill all the monsters, you graduate to another screen. The longer you survive, the more you can score as the monsters vary and become more devious. Whereas red monsters only need to fall through one level, green monsters must fall through two levels and white monsters must fall through three levels before they actually die. If they fall through more than the minimum number of levels, then your score will be even higher. From the second screen onwards, any red or green monster that is allowed to crawl out of a hole, mutates into a green or white monster respectively.

Music Quiz

Acorn Electron - Released - 1984

How does your knowledge of Music rate against a Grandmaster of the genre? This rewarding and compelling program for your BBC model B or Acorn Electron computer has been specially adapted from the Weidenfield Quiz book and will provide hours of edification and amusement for family and friends. Do you know who said 'My music is best understood by children and animals?' Or which love song mentions Woolworths? This amusing and fascinating quiz will challenge any music lover, whether your tastes are for Bach, Bizet, Beiderbecke or the Bee Gees. Music is one of a series of six Grandmaster Quizzes, in which you can pit your knowledge against a grandmaster of the subject. The writer's specialised skill and expert knowledge makes the quiz both challenging and exciting. Each program has thirty sections of ten questions - a massive 300 questions in all - and you can take the quiz alone, in competition with a friend, or in teams. You can choose a timed option too - and if you're getting too many of the answers right, your computer can reduce the time you have to answer! This pack contains one program cassette, one quiz data cassette and an instruction booklet. Steve Race, well-known British broadcaster, writer and musician, is the question-master and compiler of the popular television and radio quiz series 'My Music'. He is the author of 'Musician at Large: An Autobiography', 'Dear Music Lover' and 'My Music'." 'Questioning is not the mode of conversation among gentlemen,'

Paul Daniels' Magic Show

Acorn Electron - Released - December 18, 1984

The pack contains ten magic tricks and some simple props for you, the conjurer, to use. Ideal as a party piece or simply to baffle your friends, here are mind-reading, birthday-guessing, card-divining, money-making tricks, and more besides - all designed for the high-tech conjurer of tomorrow's world to challenge the credibility of what is possible and what your audience sees before it. Let Britain's top showman magician lead you on a spectacular tour of computer magic, and let Britain's top micros take a bow. Together they prove an unbeatable duo.

Philosopher's Quest

Acorn Electron - Released - 1988

Welcome to the adventure! This pack contains programs on cassette plus instructions for Philosopher's Quest, an 'intelligent' adventure where the player explores a strange land full of weird and unlikely things, some dangerous and some even magical. In this new and authentic game the concept of the adventure is exploited to the full, and extended to include abstract thought as a means to progress and survival. However, wild speculation will get you nowhere - you have to use your wits! The objective is to find all the treasures and bring them to where you began, but in the meantime you have to sift clues, weigh up risks, spot magic words and remember which way you came! The game starts with a description of your immediate surroundings, and a choice of objects which you can take with you (use "TAKE" followed by the name of the object) on your quest. Choose carefully, before setting off with a command such as "WEST" if you want to try going west, or "NE" to go to the northeast. The computer becomes your eyes and hands. It will tell you what you can see and what is happening around you. You must tell it, in return, what to do (it prompts you with a colon). Use commands of one or two words (in upper case). The computer only looks at the first four letters of any word you type, so that the command "NORTHEAST" must be typed in as "NE" to distinguish it from "NORTH" (or "N" - there are various abbreviations you will pick up as you go).

Philosopher's Quest

BBC Microcomputer System - Released - 1982

Welcome to the adventure! This pack contains a program on disc plus instructions for Philosopher's Quest, an "intelligent" adventure where the player explores a strange land full of weird and unlikely things, some dangerous, some even magical. In this game the concept of the adventure is exploited to the full, and extended to include abstract thought as a means to progress and survival. However, wild speculation will get you nowhere - you have to use your wits! The objective is to find all the treasures and bring them back to where you began, but in the meantime you have to sift clues, weigh up risks, spot magic words and remember which way you came. Included in this pack is a sealed envelope containing hints and answers for anyone who gets completely stuck. This disc features a new Acornsoft dual format design which allows it to be used with either 40 or 80 track disc drives.

Planetoid

Acorn Electron - Released - May 1, 1985

Action stations! The Aliens are landing! Flying over the planetoid surface your laser-ship speeds to the rescue, firing laser missiles and dodging the enemy and their shell-fire. Save the life-forms while fending off raiders, mutants, bombers, cruisers, spores and megacytes. Lightning reflexes are required to play this game - the fastest ever seen on a micro! Complete with sound effects, full colour graphics and table of high scores."

Revise GCE/CSE... Biology

Acorn Electron - Released - January 1, 1984

This Biology program is a comprehensive O level and C.S.E. revision course. The first part of the program is the inter-related tutorial/test section. Fully-illustrated tutorials explain the major topics of the syllabus clearly. Each tutorial is followed by a test of 10 questions on the material which has just been covered. If you have difficulties with a particular question, the computer returns to you to the relevant tutorial screen to show you where you went wrong. When you are scoring at least 75% on the test questions in all 11 tutorials, you are ready to go on to the second part of the program, the examination. This consists of 30 questions (randomly selected by the computer from its store) to be answered within half an hour. Exam conditions are simulated by the computer: a clock displays elapsed time, and when time is up, the exam is automatically ended. Within the time limit, you can review and change your answers. A special feature of the test and exam sections is the 'scratchpad'. This is a portion of the screen which you can call up for notes and jottings. Topics covered in this pack: Cells, Photosynthesis, Food cycles and feeding, Digestion, Blood and circulation, Respiration, Growth, Plant biology, The nervous system, Reproduction.

Rocket Raid

BBC Microcomputer System - Released - 1983

Rocket Raid was written by Jonathan Griffiths and released in 1983 by Acornsoft for the BBC Microcomputer. It is a side scrolling shoot 'em up and a variant of Scramble. The player has to fly his space craft through a cave that consists of five sections each with different hazards and enemies. Enemies include rockets launching from the ground, small green aliens and indestructible meteoroids that have to be dodged. There are two weapons to use: a gun that shoots forward and bombs that can be dropped on building on the ground. The player has three lives but can earn more by reaching certain scores.

Royal Quiz

Acorn Electron - Released - July 1, 1984

How does your knowledge of Royalty rate against a Grandmaster of the genre? This rewarding and compelling program for your BBC Model B or Acorn Electron computer has been specially adapted from the Weidenfield Quiz book and will provide hours of edification and amusement for family and friends. Do you know where Prince Philip was born? Or whcih King liked to breakfast with his parrot? Or who told the Queen that she didn't recognise her "without your crown on"? From Egbert to Elizabeth II via Cleopatra and Tamburlaine, this is a quiz for royalist and republican alike, which teases, teaches and entertains. Royalty is one of a series of six Grandmaster Quizzes, in which you can pit your knowledge against a grandmaster of the subject. The writer's specialised skill and expert knowledge make the quiz both challenging and exciting. Each program has thirty sections of ten questions - a massive 300 questions in all - and you can take the quiz alone, in competition with a friend, or in teams. You can choose a timed option, too - and if you're getting too many of the answers right, your computer can reduce the time you have to answer! This pack contains one program cassette, one quiz data cassette and an instruction booklet. Anthony Holden, royal biographer and award-winning journalist, asks the questions.

Science Fiction Quiz

Acorn Electron - Released - 1984

How does your knowledge of Science Fiction rate against a Grandmaster of the genre? This rewarding and compelling program for your BBC Model B or Acorn Electron computer has been specially adapted from the Weidenfield Quiz book and will provide hours of edification and amusement for family and friends. This is a quiz about science fiction in its wildest sense, including such modern masters of the indefinable as Jorge Luis Borges as well as the main-liners like Frank Herbert, Arthur Clarke, Philip K. Dick, H. G. Wells, Fredrick Pohl, and the new school of SF film-makers. Science fiction is one of a series of six Grandmaster Quizzes, in which you can pit your knowledge against that of a grandmaster of the subject. The writer's specialised skill and expert knowledge makes the quiz both challenging and exciting. Each program has thirty sections of ten questions - a massive 300 questions in all - and you can take the quiz alone, in competition with a friend, or in teams. You can choose a timed option too - and if you're getting too many of the answers right, your computer can reduce the time you have to answer! This pack contains one program cassette, one quiz data cassette and an instruction booklet."

Snapper

BBC Microcomputer System - Released - 1982

Snapper was one of the first Video Arcade Conversions made for the BBC by AcornSoft. They got this conversion so bang on correct, that a certain arcade manufacturer threatened to sue Acorn. Because of this, the game was later changed: the Pac character changed, and so did the ghosts. Of course, none of this really altered the gameplay, and even today - just like the original Pac-Man - it remains highly playable.

Snapper

Acorn Electron - Released - 1983

Snapper has a quite convoluted history. It started out as a faithful Pac-Man clone, and was even called "Pacman" straight until it was released, when the name was changed to Snapper to avoid infringing on Namco's copyright. Nevertheless, this simple name change wasn't enough, and subsequent releases saw the sprites changed from the well-known yellow circle and chasing ghosts to a yellow ball with legs and a hat, chased by humanoids. One gameplay change compared to the original Pac-Man is the behaviour of the ghosts (or humanoids). Wherewas they all have distinct movement patterns in the original, here they behave the same, each patrolling one corner of the maze, but are let out of their pen in the centre of the screen at different times, with the red one being let out first. As in the original, there are bonus fruits appearing on each level, with the final one being, fittingly, an acorn.

Snooker

Acorn Electron - Released - 1984

This is a game for two players. The winner is the person who scores most points. There are eight different colours of balls on the table and their points are assigned as follows: Red-1, Yellow-2, Green-3, Brown-4, Blue-5, Pink-6, Black-7 and the white cue ball. Each player in turn uses the cue ball to try and hit other balls into the six pockets situated along the two sides and at the corners of the table. This is called 'potting'. The player's turn ends when he either scores no points during his turn or plays a 'foul shot' (this will be defined later). When the red balls are potted, they are not replaced, unlike other coloured balls. Whenever red balls are present on the table, the player must first pot a red. If successful, then he must try to pot another colour. If successful, he can attempt to pot a red ball again. When all red balls are potted then the player must try and pot other balls in ascending order of their colour values. A 'snooker' is defined as no clear line of sight between the cue ball and any valid balls

Soft Vdu

Acorn Atom - Released - 1981

Sphinx Adventure

BBC Microcomputer System - Released - 1982

PHINX ADVENTURE was the first adventure to be released by Acornsoft and is, to my knowledge, still the only one available on cassette for the Electron. It's modelled very generally on the original Crowther and Woods' Colossal Caves. You'll meet some familiar characters in it, though, to be fair, it is nothing like Colossal Caves and is a very worthy adventure in its own right. Your task is to search an underground complex to add yet more treasures to the pile you have built up from previous adventures. You start your quest on a well-trodden road and a quick search of the countryside should find you equipped for the start of your quest. Then it's off to the Valley of Doom and down the Hall of Spirits for the start of your perils. You'll soon come across a pirate and a dwarf who will leave you an axe. Your first major problem is likely to be in getting past the fiery passage - this is where you find out whether you have the bottle for this adventure! Later you'll need to escape from a sea-serpent - match that if you can! The troll shouldn't prove to be much of a problem. You should be able to discover where he puts his loot. Right! That's enough clues! One thing I couldn't discover was whether there was any meaning to the graffiti in the Inner Sanctum. I'm sure that there are more locations to be discovered here. Please let me know if you have figured it out. I've managed to map more than 100 locations so it is a big adventure. In fact I must confess that it is one of those games that keeps you up until the small hours. Five o' clock in my case. Overall, an extremely good adventure and one that I can wholeheartedly recommend. Let's hope Acornsoft do conversions for their other adventures. Excellent stuff.

Sphinx Adventure

Acorn Electron - Released - 1983

Sphinx Adventure is a text adventure game where the player's aim is to collect as much treasure as possible and bring it to the Sphinx. The game is played with the typical verb noun commands: GO WEST, LOOK, TAKE KEY etc. The player starts out in a forest and can explore the countryside in search of items needed to enter the valley of doom. Once inside the halls of spirit it will be very dark and the player risks falling into a pit. Therefore finding a source of light might be necessary. At times the player might come across various fantasy creatures such as dwarfs, ogres and dragons that attack the player. These can be fought, either with bare hands or with some of the weapons that can be found throughout the game world. There is also magic involved and at times a wand has to be used. The game ends if the player is killed and a score is then given based on how much treasure has been found.

Starship Command

BBC Microcomputer System - Released - 1983

The player assumes the role of captain of a battle starship, charged with defending the frontiers of space from hostile alien ships, which come in two sizes — large and small. The larger ships have cloaking devices which make them invisible. Damage is inflicted on ships when they are shot or rammed by other ships. Uniquely for the time, the player vessel remains locked in the centre of the screen and the world rotates and moves around it. Player shots also have limited range and are subject to the same rotation as everything else, which means the player needs to predict where shots will need to go in order to hit the enemies. The ship has both long range scanners and shields but may only use one at a time. By default, the game will automatically switch between them based on the proximity of enemy vessels but the player can optionally take full control. Using shields, thrusting, turning and firing all use up energy which is also depleted when hit by enemies. Energy will automatically replenish, most quickly if the shields are off and the starship is not moving but obviously this leaves the player open to attack.

Super Invaders

BBC Microcomputer System - Released - 1984

Super Invaders was written by Geoff Crammond. It is a Space Invaders variant. The player controls his defender ship left and right and has to prevent aliens from landing by shooting at them. Some protection is offered by four bastions which can take some shots before being destroyed. This version of the game offers three different difficulties with the harder ones offering some additional gameplay features. The easier one, A Mild Encounter, plays like traditional Space Invaders. In the Uncomfortable Situation difficulty the UFO, when it survives without being shot, produces a force shield that guides the aliens and hastens their speed. The hard mode is called A Terrifying Experience and here the alien projectiles have a homing capability and follow the player. There are three different kinds of aliens and they are scored depending on how far from the player they are. The player has three lives and an extra is earned after 5000 and 15000 points.

The Dating Game

Acorn Electron - Released - 1983

Tree of Knowledge

Acorn Electron - Released - 1983

The Tree Of Knowledge is an interactive program which teaches categorization. The student first educates the computer about a particular group of objects - for example, plants or birds. The database, or 'tree' created in this way is then used to play guessing games in which the student thinks of an object and the computer works out what it is. Databases are saved and loaded from within the program and two sample databases are supplied on the ROM Cartridge.

Volcano

BBC Microcomputer System - Released - 1984

Volcano is a video game written by Michael St Aubyn and published by Acornsoft for the BBC Microcomputer. Four men are stranded on the side of an erupting volcano and it's up to the player to rescue them with his emergency helicopter while avoiding or shooting the erupting boulders. The player has to work quickly since lava is pouring from the volcano down towards the stranded men. If a man dies he will turn into a ghost which will go after the player. Ghosts have to be avoided since they are indestructible. The player has three helicopters and gets an extra one after 5,000 points scored.

Word Tutor

Acorn Atom - Released - 1981

Comprises: Pairs (Acornsoft), Relations (Acornsoft) and Sentences (Acornsoft)