Argus Press Software Ltd.

20 Tons

20 Tons

Sinclair ZX Spectrum - Released - 1985

Interesting Boulder Dash style game that came free on Issue 16 of Spectrum Computing magazine (1985) and later appeared in the 1986 compilation 30 Games by Argus Press Software who later became Grandslam Entertainment.
30 Games

30 Games

Commodore 64 - Released - 1986

30 Games is a collection of games that contains the following: • Astral Zone • Cosmic Convoy • Milky Way • Phase 4 •Detective • Robocity • Invasion • Micromouse • Orion Quest • Poster Paster • Gyropod • Quintic Warrior • Valley • Transector • 3D Tunnel • Bozo • Demon Knight • Jammin • Savage Pond • Lander • Seaside Special • Timezone • Strontium Dog • Super Gridder • 20 Tons • Schizofrenia • Pipeline • Up, Up, and Away • Bismark • Escape
Alien (Argus Press Software)

Alien (Argus Press Software)

Commodore 64 - Released - November 1, 1984

"In space no-one can hear you scream." That tagline from the movie is apt for this strategy adaptation that follows the plot line of the first movie in the franchise. The action starts after the chestburster scene which unleashes an alien organism into their enclosed spaceship. The remaining crew members must attempt to destroy it while the traitorous android tries to protect the alien. There are 3 decks to search with 35 different rooms which are connected by ducts which the alien can use to sneak up on people. You can herd the alien into an airlock to blast it out into space, or set the auto-destruct on the ship and flee in the shuttle with all remaining live crew members plus Jones the cat who must be found and put in a box. The screen shows you a plan of the deck you are on, and the ducts in the immediate area. There are ‘trackers’ and sensors which can be used to pinpoint movement in other areas. In ordering each crew member, you are given possible movements or other actions such as picking up weapons, entering the ducts or catching the cat. In certain situations, special options will appear such as starting the self-destruct system when in the command centre. The responses to orders are also affected by the personality of the crew member, and how much they have had to suffer. The screen also displays reports on the condition of the crew member you’ve selected, whether there is any damage to the room you’re in and whether the duct grills are open (meaning the Alien has been through there). You also get the occasional message from the ship's computer ‘Mother’ like when a crew member dies. Sound effects create suspense. At times you hear the alien move around or doors and grills being opened as well as the blip from the tracker.
Grange Hill

Grange Hill

Commodore 64 - Released - 1987

Grange Hill was a British children's TV show that ran from 1978 to 2008 and was based in a fictional comprehensive school in North London. The game is an arcade adventure with elements of a graphic text adventure and sees you take the role of two of the characters from that period in the mid 80s, Luke 'Gonch' Gardner and his best friend Paul 'Hollo' Holloway. Gonch has had his Walkman confiscated at school which was then stolen from the staffroom. You and Hollo have to sneak back into the school and attempt to find it before midnight or you will face punishment from your Mother when you return home. You need to collect and use objects in their correct locations as well as interact with other characters. The main playing area is viewed from the side and is flick-screen where you control Gonch as you interact with your surroundings and other characters. You are also able to jump over obstacles and if you touch any then it is game over. Below the main playing area is text which describes your current location, any objects found, and shows you any conversions you are having. Press the fire button and this brings up a menu which allows you to pick up, drop, examine, use, give, take and talk. A clock in the corner counts towards midnight and you are also able to see objects you are carrying.
Grange Hill: The Computer Game

Grange Hill: The Computer Game

Amstrad CPC - Released - 1987

Grange Hill was a British children's TV show that ran from 1978 to 2008 and was based in a fictional comprehensive school in North London. The game is an arcade adventure with elements of a graphic text adventure and sees you take the role of two of the characters from that period in the mid 80s, Luke 'Gonch' Gardner and his best friend Paul 'Hollo' Holloway. Gonch has had his Walkman confiscated at school, because he was listening to it during lessons, which was then stolen from the staffroom. You and Hollo have to sneak back into the school and attempt to find it before midnight or you will face punishment from your Mother when you return home. You need to collect and use objects in their correct locations as well as interact with other characters including Imelda the school bully and the caretaker, Mr Griffiths. The main playing area is viewed from the side and is flick-screen where you control Gonch as you interact with your surroundings and other characters. You are also able to jump over obstacles and if you touch any then it is game over. Below the main playing area is text which describes your current location, any objects found, and shows you any conversions you are having. Press the fire button and this brings up a menu which alllows you to pick up, drop, examine, use, give, take and talk. A clock in the corner counts towards midnight and you are also able to see objects you are carrying. The game begins at 15:50 and 15 seconds in real time equates to a minute passed in the game.
Gryphon

Gryphon

Commodore 64 - Released - 1984

Players control Gryphon, a mythical creature living in the Land of Dreams and Legend, a land consisting of Mystical Woods, Surreal Cities, and the deadly Darklands. One day, Gryphon awoke to discover that his gold has been threatened by the Id Monsters and the pure water in the rivers and lakes turned into poison, blocking access to the different regions. You have the task of carrying gold from one area, and using them to form a bridge over the poisonous water so that Gryphon can travel to the next region while avoiding the Id Monsters, who can be dealt with by shooting bolts of pure Griffin magic. As well as walking across the surface, Gryphon can also fly; but to do so, he must make a running start first before leaping into the air. Between regions, a bonus level can be played, and the object of these is to slide the gold bar left or right, shooting one or more Gryphons. Their speed is increased with each shot they take. The bonus level ends when the Gryphon manages to walk past the screen.
Orion Quest

Orion Quest

Commodore 64 - Released - 1984

Earth's war with the planet Zarp has been raging for many years and now in the year 2554, the Zarps have one last plan to end the war, once and for all. They have planted a huge bomb which will destroy the whole of Earth, and Zarp have threatened to detonate it unless Earth give in to their demands. Missions have failed to try to land on Zarp to retrieve the data needed to disarm the bomb and you are now the last mission and last hope for the planet. Problems have arisen from the start of the mission as you attempted to land you were shot, and although you survived the crash, you are now on this hostile planet with no way to leave the planet if you do get the data needed. Orion Quest is a graphic text adventure where the screen has a picture showing your surroundings and text describes what you can see. You type in commands with the keyboard to interact with each location.
Paul McCartney's Give My Regards to Broad Street

Paul McCartney's Give My Regards to Broad Street

Commodore 64 - Released - 1985

Based on a flop 1984 movie of the same name, you play as music star Paul McCartney whose master tape for his new album has been accidentally erased. The engineers have managed to recover all the tracks except the first single "No More Lonely Nights". The group's backer, Rath, has given you until midnight on Saturday to remix the track and McCartney must drive around London searching out 7 band members who each have part of the tune then return to Abbey Road Studios in order to complete the track. You must read each person's profile to anticipate their movement and go to major London locations or subway Tube stations where they might appear. The upper two-thirds of the screen usually shows a top-down view of the roads and your car as you guide it. It then will show a scene when you encounter a band member. The lower portion of the screen is your car's on-board computer showing an image of the next person to meet, the Tube station they will go in or out of and the time remaining. There's also a small map of your surrounding location and a blip showing where you are, and also the name of the nearest Tube station and the remaining time and music parts in your quest. As you drive the roads, you must avoid crashes and Rath's thugs who will be following you. You must also time your arrivals at the Tube stations because if you arrive too early and wait around too long, a parking authority will clamp your car.
Paul McCartney's Give My Regards to Broad Street

Paul McCartney's Give My Regards to Broad Street

Sinclair ZX Spectrum - Released - 1985

Based on a flop 1984 movie of the same name, you play as music star Paul McCartney whose master tape for his new album has been accidentally erased. The engineers have managed to recover all the tracks except the first single "No More Lonely Nights". The group's backer, Rath, has given you until midnight on Saturday to remix the track and McCartney must drive around London searching out 7 band members who each have part of the tune then return to Abbey Road Studios in order to complete the track. You must read each person's profile to anticipate their movement and go to major London locations or subway Tube stations where they might appear. The upper two-thirds of the screen usually shows a top-down view of the roads and your car as you guide it. It then will show a scene when you encounter a band member. The lower portion of the screen is your car's on-board computer showing an image of the next person to meet, the Tube station they will go in or out of and the time remaining. There's also a small map of your surrounding location and a blip showing where you are, and also the name of the nearest Tube station and the remaining time and music parts in your quest. As you drive the roads, you must avoid crashes and Rath's thugs who will be following you. You must also time your arrivals at the Tube stations because if you arrive too early and wait around too long, a parking authority will clamp your car.
Peter Shilton's Handball Maradona!

Peter Shilton's Handball Maradona!

Commodore 64 - Released - 1986

Rather than attempting to simulate the whole game of football, this title concentrated on the goalkeeper's task of saving shots. In each match you will face a succession of shots from different distances and angles, and aim to save as many as possible. 16 teams were included for you to select your team and opposition from. There's a practice mode, and a skill challenge, where you move up through the game by saving 4 successive shots. The C64 version has a little sampled speech and extra sound.
Quest for Eternity

Quest for Eternity

Atari 800 - Released - 1984

It's your chance to become an Overlord of the Universe. Yes it's your time to take the test. Failure means a fate worse than death...A visit from the Batlegroms of Vragus IV...It's simple really, all you have to do is get a disused teleportal booth to work. Unfortunately it's 2000 light years away on a slightly hostile planet. David Cockram has designed this twister, which will accept 99 verbs and 162 nouns. Take the challenge. You too can become a Master of the Eternity.
See-Saw

See-Saw

Commodore 64 - Released - 1984

The evil lord of the castle is throwing heavy blocks at you. If you stand on the opposite end of the see-saw when a block falls on it, you will be hoisted up in the air. Watch out for green monsters defending the castle's wall that grab either you or the block flying up. If five blocks are on the see-saw at once, it will become immobilized. Lives are lost when you are grabbed by a green monster or when a block crushes you. The object of the game is to fly to the top of the castle and defeat the evil lord.
Strategy 1: Invasion

Strategy 1: Invasion

Acorn Electron - Released - 1984

This is not an arcade game. If you don't want an intellectually challenging strategic wargame to play, put the tape back on the shelf! Invasion places you in command of the land forces of the Western Alliance, just prior to an invasion by the Red's tank armies. You will have to exercise skill and judgement as you move, supply and build up your limited defences to stand any hope of victory. Invasion is a true wargame and you could play all night just to find that the computer's grasp of strategy was superior to yours! Using excellent graphics and with detailed instructions, Strategy 1 is light years beyond the arcade. Isn't it time you stopped being the cannon fodder and took command? This is you chance to see if you're good enough to fight it out at the top!
The Force

The Force

Sinclair ZX Spectrum - Released - 1986

The Force is a strategy game that allows you to control the police force in a fictional town called Middletown. You start the game looking at a map of the whole town which is split into 16 squares and consists of four police stations, each one covering a certain area with it's own equipment and type of policing. The town is made up of the usual areas found in most British towns like urban areas, residential areas, entertainment areas and industrial estates. You will also find that the town has an airport for the arrival of important visitors and a football stadium for an up and coming team. A diary can also be checked to see any large events happening in the near future. Moving a cursor you can click on any police station and look closer at certain areas of the town with icons showing which type of police are there, any crime and events that are happening. You can move the icons around into other areas but the computer only allows the correct ones to be placed and three daily shifts a day must always be manned as you control the police forces on a daily basis. Once a week has been completed then a small mini game appears where you have to control the traffic lights on various roads to keep the traffic flowing for a short time.
The Force (Argus Press)

The Force (Argus Press)

Commodore 64 - Released - 1986

The Force is a strategy game that allows you to control the police force in a fictional town called Middletown. You start the game looking at a map of the whole town which is split into 16 squares and consists of four police stations, each one covering a certain area with it's own equipment and type of policing. The town is made up of the usual areas found in most British towns like urban areas, residential areas, entertainment areas and industrial estates. You will also find that the town has an airport for the arrival of important visitors and a football stadium for an up and coming team. A diary can also be checked to see any large events happening in the near future. Moving a cursor you can click on any police station and look closer at certain areas of the town with icons showing which type of police are there, any crime and events that are happening. You can move the icons around into other areas but the computer only allows the correct ones to be placed and three daily shifts a day must always be manned as you control the police forces on a daily basis. Once a week has been completed then a small mini game appears where you have to control the traffic lights on various roads to keep the traffic flowing for a short time.
Time Trax

Time Trax

Commodore 64 - Released - 1986

Dark forces have set out to destroy the fabric of time, by opening eight space-time continuum portals. Each one is guarded by a great mind, who must have a relevant object returned to them before they will allow you to seal the portals. Doing this requires formulating a spell from the runes the Minds give you. All of this is played out in a combination of side-view action and icon-based object manipulation. Starting in your living room as you search for a weapon and its bullets, you move along a network of levels and ladders, avoiding or shooting the many foes you encounter. Pressing down and fire together brings up a menu allowing you to pick up items, swap them with Guardians, and cast spells (with the chance to test them first).
TimeTrax

TimeTrax

Amstrad CPC - Released - 1986

Dark forces have set out to destroy the fabric of time, by opening eight space-time continuum portals. Each one is guarded by a great mind, who must have a relevant object returned to them before they will allow you to seal the portals. Doing this requires formulating a spell from the runes the Minds give you. All of this is played out in a combination of side-view action and icon-based object manipulation. Starting in your living room as you search for a weapon and its bullets, you move along a network of levels and ladders, avoiding or shooting the many foes you encounter. Pressing down and fire together brings up a menu allowing you to pick up items, swap them with Guardians, and cast spells (with the chance to test them first).
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