Rainbird Software Games - LaunchBox Games Database

Adventure Quest

Atari 800 - 1983

The sequel to Colossal Adventure is an interactive fiction game with a VERB NOUN interface. The fantasy setting takes a clear influence from Lord of the Rings. After centuries of harmony, Middle Earth has hit problems due to a cataclysmic sequence of events - a crop failure leading to animals turning violent, and then an attack from a mysterious enemy to the north. The evil Demon Lord Alagiarept is discovered to be responsible, and as such the Wizards are given a week to beat him, before Middle Earth must surrender. You play a rookie magician with Meditation, Mysticism and Moneymaking...

Betrayal

MS-DOS - Released - 1990

Betrayal is a manager type strategy game. You try to gain control over various regions in order to supply your men with the necessary resources to defeat your enemies. As the game title says, the game has a main focus on illegal and secret operations in order to weaken your opponents.

Betrayal

Commodore Amiga - Released - 1990

Betrayal is a Strategy game, developed and published by Rainbird, which was released in Europe in 1991. The West Marches is ruled by a duopoly. The King and Bishop each has a court filled by courtiers presented by the knights of the land - you are one of them. Now, courtiers hold great influence as all matters of State are put to a vote in the respective Courts. If, by some chance or design, one of the knights could have more courtiers in each Court than any other then that knight would gain a majority. A chance to seize power and depose both Bishop and King would then present itself,...

Betrayal

Commodore 64 - Released - 1990

Carrier Command

Commodore 64 - Released - 1989

Carrier Command was one of the first real-time strategy games. You control an advanced cybernetic aircraft carrier complete with fighters, amphibious assault vehicles, laser defenses and a fleet of decoy drones. Your mission is to build a series of resource, factory, and defensive bases spanning an island chain. The only problem? At the other end of the chain is an even more advanced carrier under control of a terrorist organization with the same mission. As you move around the islands you must decide what facilities to build and where they will best support your advance. Resource islands...

Carrier Command

Sinclair ZX Spectrum - Released - 1989

Carrier Command

Commodore Amiga - Released - September 1, 1988

Carrier Command

Atari ST - 1988

Carrier Command was a landmark 1980s action strategy game developed by Realtime Software. The gameplay had a mix of vehicle simulation and real-time strategy. The player controls a robotic aircraft carrier and has to colonise an archipelago by capturing each island one by one. However, a more advanced enemy aircraft carrier that has been captured by terrorists is also aiming to do the same thing. The player must use strategy to capture the islands in order to gain supplies so that the more powerful enemy carrier can be defeated. Control of an island allows you to set what type of island it...

Corruption

Acorn Archimedes - Released - 1988

Corruption is one of Magnetic Scrolls' interactive fiction games. The player takes control of a stockbroker on the fast track to riches. Suddenly, there are attempts on his life, with the words 'insider dealings' floating around. The hero is framed for a crime he didn't commit, and must prove his innocence before it is too late. The game is a text adventure with graphics; the player inputs verb commands to interact with the environment and advance the story. The gameplay focuses on realistic investigation and information-gathering rather than puzzle-solving.

Corruption

MS-DOS - Released - 1988

Corruption

Commodore Amiga - Released - 1988

Corruption

Commodore 64 - Released - 1988

Enlightenment: Druid II

Commodore Amiga - Released - 1988

One hundred years after Hasrinaxx the Druid defeated the evil Acamantor, his nemesis is back, and although now older and having lost his Druid status after experimenting in black arts, he feels worthy of banishing this terrible foe. The gameplay uses a forced perspective top-down view, and strongly resembles Gauntlet in the way Hasrinaxx moves, shoots, avoids enemies and collects health items. Matters are more complex in terms of the spell system however. 32 spells can be collected and used, including a fireshield to allow you to pass fiery areas, water and fire walls to attack...

First Contact

Commodore Amiga - Released - 1990

In First Contact, a communication space station is overrun by aliens. The player takes control over the maintenance droid with the goal to keep the station running as long as possible. The aliens will destroy vital part of the station and the droids need to repair them. There are also other important tasks like getting repairing equipment out of lockers or refueling. The player does not control the droid directly, but programs a script which is then performed independently. If the droid is interrupted, they stop the program and don't fight back. It has to be manually restarted by the...

Fish

Commodore Amiga - Released - 1988

Inter-Dimensional Espionage. Inter-Dimensional... because you can "warp" into the body of a living thing in this or any other dimension. Espionage... because there are good guys and bad. And you're a good one... with years under your belt and a multitude of successful missions behind your dark glasses. The payoff? You get a vacation, and the ultimate vacation in this business is to become a goldfish. Yes, a goldfish. Hey, it's cushy. You swim a little, eat a little, live in a castle. (So what if it's plastic.) Just as you were getting into the vacation mode (umbrella drink and all), the...

Fish

Acorn Archimedes - Released - 1989

An adventure game with graphics.

Fish!

MS-DOS - Released - 1988

Fish!

Commodore 64 - 1988

The Guild of Thieves

Commodore 64 - December 1, 1987

The Guild of Thieves is an interactive fiction game by Magnetic Scrolls first published by Rainbird in 1987. The game also takes place in Kerovnia like the previous game The Pawn. The player's character is "an aspiring member of the infamous Guild of Thieves" and is to steal all the valuables that can be found in and around an island castle. The game features "extremely atmospheric" descriptions and 30 artistic renditions of key locations. Included in the game package are a faux newsletter of the Guild of Thieves titled What Burglar providing instructions and hints for the game, a Bank of...

The Guild of Thieves

Acorn Archimedes - Released - 1989

The sequel to The Pawn. You must complete a grueling test of skills to become a member of the Guild of Thieves. You set out in a boat with a member of the Guild. And from the moment you reach the shore you must rob the Kerovnian Bank, a castle and the nearby village in order to become a member of the illustrious Guild of Thieves.

The Guild of Thieves

Commodore Amiga - Released - December 1, 1987

The Guild of Thieves

Atari ST - Released - 1987

As a beginner and inducted into the "Guild Of Thieves", you must steal your way to the top - the Guildmaster is there to not only help you, but to make your life a living hell. Worst of it all is you're STILL in the land of Kerovnia.....if something makes it look tough to solve, that's nothing for a puzzle - something else will screw it up more.

Ingrid's Back!

Commodore Amiga - 1988

I’ve never yet met a gnome that I haven’t eaten. In fact, if I ever come across Ingrid in person it’ll bee goodbye Nettlefield, goodbye Flopsy and hello after-dinner snack. Ha! That should keep her away. The last thing I want is tiny busybodies messing up all the billy-goat trophies knocking about in my hole. What do you mean, what am I talking about? You remember Ingrid don’t you? Her mum and dad made the mistake sending her to the institute of Gnome Economics for a bit of education. When she came back, they wished she hadn’t. A faulty transportation scroll was designed to make sure she...

Jewels of Darkness

Commodore 64 - Released - 1986

1986 saw the release of Jewels of Darkness on the Amiga system, a Text Adventure game with still pictures created by Level 9 and distributed by Firebird in USA and Rainbird in the rest of the world. Originally conceived in 1983 by Level 9 as the Middle-Earth trilogy, the standalone 8-bit releases of Colossal Adventure, Adventure Quest and Dungeon Adventure were enhanced and published in this renamed compilation Jewels of Darkness. The Amiga version is the update of the original text-only Middle Earth Trilogy. Jewels of Darkness enhances the original text-only incarnations released for 8-bit...

Jinxter

MS-DOS - Released - 1988

Aquatania has recently become the land of misfortunes, due to a group of plotting witches. The task of finding five charms and a magic bracelet to put things right falls on you. And you need a change of luck, because events in this game often emphasise the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune. You get hit by a car, fall a great height, sprayed with cheese sandwich and more! Being the guinea pig in this strange world will drive you insane - if this jinxed land doesn't do it first. Jinxter is an interactive fiction with graphics title that takes a realistic world of people and...

Jinxter

Commodore 64 - 1988

Jinxter

Commodore Amiga - 1987

Jinxter

Amstrad CPC - Released - 1987

Legend of the Sword

MS-DOS - Released - 1987

The evil sorcerer Suzar and his army of mutated humanoids attacked the land of Anar and defeated its bravest warriors in a bloody battle. You were the only one who was able to escape. You were picked up by a royal merchant ship and brought to the king Darius. The people of Anar know the ancient legends, that tells about magical sword and shield, whose power alone is able to defeat Suzar. You and five other adventurers have volunteered to venture into the wilderness of Anar and to retrieve the magical items. Legend of the Sword is a fantasy adventure game with very slight RPG elements...

Midwinter

Commodore Amiga - Released - January 1, 1990

Midwinter is a post-apocalyptic first-person action role-playing game with strategy and survival elements for the Atari ST, Amiga and PC. It was designed by Mike Singleton and was released in 1989 by Microplay Software. The game was critically acclaimed and commercially successful enough to get a sequel titled Flames of Freedom in 1991. A remake (as of April 2014) is currently in development. (from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Midwinter_%28video_game%29)

Midwinter

Atari ST - Released - 1989

Midwinter is set in a post-apocalyptic world, as the Earth entered a nuclear winter caused by the fall of a meteorite. The titular island has been formed in the Azores group of islands, caused by volcanic activity. The player initially controls Captain John Stark, the commander of local militia known as Free Villages Police Force (FVPF), who attempt to protect their home from the invasion of armed troops under the command of General Masters. As Stark, the player has to recruit civilians and members of FVPF in order to join forces and prevent Masters from reaching the base located in the...

Morpheus

Commodore 64 - Released - 1987

There are 50 sub-universes consisting of a central Nucleus surrounded by 32 Orbitals. The sub-universe is called a Aither. The object of the game is to enter the Aither with your ship and destroy enough Orbitals to shut down the Nucleus. Before the Nucleus dies it spits out a Morphi which when destroyed gives you bonus points and money. Before you deploy your ship from your base you can purchase hulls and weapons. Even sell or scrap the ones that you don't need. The game is viewed from above your large ship. After deploying from your base you can move about freely in any direction. On...

Myth

MS-DOS - Released - 1989

Magnetic Scrolls' last adventure before the introduction of their 'Magnetic Windows' format, Myth is classic interactive fiction. Myth is set in Ancient Greece, place of myth and legend. Hence the title. You are are Poseidon, the Sea God. You have to journey to the Underworld to get the Dark Helment of Hades. Its basically a tiny treasure hunt game where you get to play Poker with Charon and Death. Myth is a short game that wasn't released to the general public. It was only available as a welcome present in the British adventure club Official Secrets, a club founded by the founder of...

The Pawn

Commodore 64 - Released - 1986

The aim of this interactive fiction with graphics is to escape from the land of Kerovnia, where strange occurrences are routine. The Roobikyoub dwarves have been banished from the kingdom, which is not good as they produce high-quality whisky. King Erik is not popular for this decision, as some feel that ale brewers and mineral water bottlers have influenced him. Honest John the trader and Kronos the Magician play a key role in your journey, each offering sub-quests to attempt. The package includes a novella complete with map and decipherable hints, which are accessed by typing 'hint' followed...

The Pawn

Acorn Archimedes - Released - 1989

The Pawn

Apple II - Released - 1986

Silicon Dreams

Commodore 64 - Released - 1986

This interactive fiction game is a trilogy of the Level 9's adventures Snowball, Return to Eden, and Worm in Paradise. These had previously been released for some but not all of these systems. Silicon Dreams can be played as three separate games, but to obtain the maximum number of points, you must complete them in order (carrying your score from one adventure to the next). Snowball has graphics for the first time, and the other two games have more graphics than before, and some longer text descriptions are added to all 3 games. Snowball: As Kim Kimberley, your mission is to safeguard...

SpaceCutter

Commodore Amiga - Released - 1988

In SpaceCutter, the player is trapped inside the Whirligig (which is also the original European name of the game) and needs to find five so-called "solids" to create a portal leading back Earth. The solids are distributed over about four billion "eigenspaces" which are chained together by three to eleven star gates per space. Where they lead is mathematically defined which, coupled with the fact that the location of the solids is disclosed in the manual, means the player can plan the route beforehand. Of course there are also the inevitable alien space ships which try to kill the player....

Starglider

Atari ST - Released - 1986

Starglider is a 3D video game published in 1986 by Rainbird. It was developed by Jez San under his company name Argonaut Software. The game is a fast-moving, first-person combat flight simulator, rendered with colourful wireframe vector graphics inspired by San's love of the 1983 Atari coin-op Star Wars. Starglider was originally developed for the 16-bit Amiga and Atari ST. The game takes over the surface of the occupied planet Novenia, and it is the player's goal to rid the world of the mechanised Egron invaders. Starglider was packaged with a sci-fi novella by James Follett,...

Starglider 2

Atari ST - Released - 1988

Starglider 2 is a 3D space combat simulator published in 1988 by Rainbird as the sequel to 1986's Starglider. It was released for the Amiga, Atari ST, MS-DOS, Macintosh, and ZX Spectrum. Instead of the wireframe graphics of the original, Starglider 2 uses flat shaded polygons. The game features open, continuous gameplay without levels or loading screens after the game had started, despite taking place across an entire planetary system. The player can fly through space, enter a planet's atmosphere, explore the surface, and penetrate subterranean tunnels in one seamless movement. The goal...

Starglider 2

Sinclair ZX Spectrum - Released - 1988

Tower of Babel

Commodore Amiga - Released - 1990

The Zapper, Pusher and Grabber robots were dropped onto the planet of the Shinerians, but are now desperate to return home. They have killed off the Shinerian race, but must climb a high tower, negotiating all the traps it holds, before they can contact their masters. Each robot's name indicates what their main function and purpose is, and these skills must be combined for success. Each section has its own task - collecting energy pods and destroying mines and bombs for example. The creatures which fill the towers must be avoided, or used to your advantage.

Tracker

Commodore 64 - Released - 1987

Tracker is a mouse-controlled vector-graphics 3D strategy game depicting an ultra-violent TV show of the future. As a contestant, the player's mission is to be the first to ever complete it successfully. The task involves commanding a fleet of Skimmers charged with destroying various groups of combat vehicles, including Cycloids, Scouts and Defenders. Short and long-range scanners are available to aid in this. The game takes place in a maze world containing a number of distinct sectors, each of which has its own type of enemy present. The Communication Centre powers the Cycloids, and are...

Tracker

Commodore Amiga - Released - 1987

UMS: The Universal Military Simulator: Vietnam: Scenario Disk Two

Commodore Amiga - Released - 1988

The second scenario add-on for the first Universal Military Simulator game makes three new scenarios available, recreating engagements of the Battle of Dak To in November 1967, during the Vietnam War. These are: Hill 823 Ngoh Kam Leat Hill 875

Verminator

Atari ST - Released - 1989

Verminator is a platformer in which the player takes the control of Jake, an exterminator. The basic idea is that he walks and jumps through the game world and kills all vermin he meets. A radar routes him to the infested areas and teleports help to shorten the way. Every week, indicated by a time limit, he receives money for every killed vermin and the game can be saved. Said money can be reinvested in shops to buy useful items like weapons, extra lives or a permission to use the teleports. If money runs out, he can lend it at a bank in return to heavy interests. An alternative way to gain...

Virus

Atari ST - Released - 1988

Aliens have infested Earth, and are spreading a deadly virus throughout the planet. Needless to say, they must be stopped, and fast. The time pressure (your score upon completing a level is based on the uninfected percentage of the land) is only one difficult aspect of this shooter. Viewed in remote 3D with a patchwork-quilt type ground effect, with trees sticking out and full gravity. Controlling your spaceship involves balancing the direction and height as well as thrusting to the right speed. A scanner tells you where the aliens are.

Weird Dreams

Commodore 64 - Released - 1989

A severely ill man is on the operating table when a Daemon named Emily trapping you in your own subconscious. To escape you must find four orbs, which are trapped within a selection of esoteric mini-games set within the darkest Dali-influenced recesses of the mind. Weird Dreams is a third-person game with action and puzzle elements. The game contains bizarre levels and unorthodox activities, including feeding a wasp cotton candy, beating up hopping totem poles with fish from the sky, and an encounter with a baked chicken in a haunted house. The game comes with a "short novel" that explains...

Weird Dreams

Atari ST - Released - 1989