Spectrum Computing

Einar Saukas wrote: ↑Tue Aug 27, 2019 4:08 pm I don't think we have enough evidence to conclude either way.

C&VG review: https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/mag.php ... 06&page=77

"Machine: CBM64, Apple II, IBM PC, Macintosh, Amiga, Atari ST (DIsk only)"

This Crash article from February 1984 lists the first six Rabbit releases from "before Christmas" as Centropods, Escape-MCP, Frogger, Phantasia, Quackers and Race Fun.

Therefore these titles, currently listed as 1983, were presumably released in early 1984:

0000538 The Birds
0002804 Lancer Lords
0006719 Murder!
0003590 Pakacuda
0003619 Paratroopers
0003850 Potty Painter

It's TV Showtime!

is published by "TV Games (UK)", not Domark, according to the logo on the box front.

Xenon

Tronix re-release is missing - reviewed in Sinclair User January 1992

Re-release #4
Year: 1991
Price: £3.99

StooB wrote: ↑Wed Sep 04, 2019 11:39 am

Einar Saukas wrote: ↑Tue Aug 27, 2019 4:08 pm I don't think we have enough evidence to conclude either way.

C&VG review: https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/mag.php ... 06&page=77

"Machine: CBM64, Apple II, IBM PC, Macintosh, Amiga, Atari ST (DIsk only)"

It's still technically possible that a disk point-and-click adventure from 1986 was later converted into a tape text-only adventure in the following years before 1992. Simply removing graphics would have been enough to fit it into 48K.

However I agree it's unlikely they would have done it. So I will update this entry as you suggest, marking it as "never released" and adding the following comment:

Although "Sinclair User" once published playing tips for this game, it was probably a mistake. Apparently this game was never released for the ZX-Spectrum.

SWIV isn't licenced from Tecmo, it's an original title "inspired" by Silkworm :

https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/mag.php ... 45&page=20
https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/mag.php ... 820&page=9

Gauntlet III and Blasteroids

should have Tengen added to the licence tie-in as well as the Atari Games Ltd one (like Cyberball has)

Dragon Spirit

should have Atari Games Ltd added to the licence tie-in as well as the Tengen one

Welltris

Authors/Contributors - according to the title screen:

Design/Concept: Alexey Pajitnov and Andrei Snegov

Peter Balla and Imre Kovats should have the role "Code"
Ildiko Somos, Dan Guerra and Jody Sather should have the role "In-Game Graphics"
Matt Carlstrom is missing and should also be credited under "In-Game Graphics"


Also, according to the New York Times and the Tetris wiki, "Bullet-Proof Software Inc (USA)" were actually Japanese

Gambler + Editor from Diamond Games should have the title "The Gambler" as that's what the cover and instructions say it's called.

Diamond Games is apparently owned by Robtek - according to the Amiga Hall of Light - which explains why the instructions have a Robtek logo on.

The Compact Office titles currently listed as being published by Robtek were actually published by Mastertronic. This has been confirmed by Anthony Guter, financial controller of Mastertronic from 1985-1989, on his website at http://guter.org/mastertronic/mastertronic_press_26.htm:

We learned the lesson and avoided business software from then on, apart from releasing Compact Office for the Spectrum in October 1987.

All or Nothing, by Abbex. Re-released by Prism Leisure.

https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/index ... 96&id=167

The only available inlay should be labeled as re-release cassette inlay, as the Prism Leisure logo appears in it.

The original Abbex inlay is missing.

Exploding Wall was published by Byte Back, not MC Lothlorien, who had stopped publishing their own titles in 1986:



The £2.99 price should be moved to the Byte Back release.

Gauntlet: The Deeper Dungeons should have the same Atari licence as the original Gauntlet.

According to the adverts and inlay, Tynesoft's Superman - Man of Steel is licensed from First Star. However it's not a conversion of a First Star game like Superman - The Game was, so a new licence type is needed - "Rights Holder"?

Artic computing and Artic Computing Ltd should be merged.

Gauntlet was not released in 1987 - it was the best selling game of 1986.

Leader Board was released in 1987, not 1986. The earliest review is March 1987.

StooB wrote: ↑Wed Sep 11, 2019 5:13 pm Leader Board was released in 1987, not 1986. The earliest review is March 1987.

Not necessarily conclusive if it was cover date, March 1987... as that would mean the mag was out in February 1987... which, with lead in times for magazines, probably means the game was completed in 1986. (If they were reviewing a completed version )

StooB wrote: ↑Sat Sep 07, 2019 3:57 pm Gauntlet was not released in 1987 - it was the best selling game of 1986.

The first magazine reviews are January 1987, zo I would-be say that the best selling game quote is a typo.

Stefan wrote: ↑Wed Sep 11, 2019 7:40 pm

StooB wrote: ↑Sat Sep 07, 2019 3:57 pm Gauntlet was not released in 1987 - it was the best selling game of 1986.

The first magazine reviews are January 1987, zo I would-be say that the best selling game quote is a typo.

Sinclair User review was in the February 1987 issue, which was out January 18th 1987... so will have been written in about November 1986, I'm guessing. It was also reviewed in the C&VG January issue... I imagine that one came out in December 86. Reviews in magazines help with the dates, but they aren't always definite proof.

The "official release date" was meant to be December 1st 1986, from the Your Sinclair preview...
https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/mag.php ... 234&page=9
...I imagine they were keen to get it out for Christmas. Presumably "best selling game of 1986" could include other formats.

8BitAG wrote: ↑Wed Sep 11, 2019 6:20 pm

StooB wrote: ↑Wed Sep 11, 2019 5:13 pm Leader Board was released in 1987, not 1986. The earliest review is March 1987.

Not necessarily conclusive if it was cover date, March 1987... as that would mean the mag was out in February 1987... which, with lead in times for magazines, probably means the game was completed in 1986. (If they were reviewing a completed version )

The March review is MicroHobby, but the UK magazines all reviewed it for the April issues which would have been out in March 1987.

I don't think lead in times are relevant when it comes to US Gold though - they had enough control over the magazines to know exactly when their reviews would hit the streets, and as they effectively owned the distribution network too they had a huge influence on what shops like WHSmith and Boots would stock. It's very unlikely that US Gold or the retailers would try to sell an unreviewed golf game at Christmas in direct competition for shelf-space with Gauntlet.

StooB wrote: ↑Sat Sep 07, 2019 2:27 pm According to the adverts and inlay, Tynesoft's Superman - Man of Steel is licensed from First Star. However it's not a conversion of a First Star game like Superman - The Game was, so a new licence type is needed - "Rights Holder"?

I suppose they licensed the comics character Superman, instead of licensing a specific Superman game to be converted. Therefore it should have this kind of license:

https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/index.p ... 96&id=5068

Einar Saukas wrote: ↑Thu Sep 12, 2019 4:11 pm

StooB wrote: ↑Sat Sep 07, 2019 2:27 pm According to the adverts and inlay, Tynesoft's Superman - Man of Steel is licensed from First Star. However it's not a conversion of a First Star game like Superman - The Game was, so a new licence type is needed - "Rights Holder"?

I suppose they licensed the comics character Superman, instead of licensing a specific Superman game to be converted. Therefore it should have this kind of license:

https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/index.p ... 96&id=5068

Yes, it's got the DC license, but it's also "published in UK and Europe under license from First Star Software Inc" too. First Star have some kind of "all Superman games" license.

Continental Circus - should be (probably) Virgin Games not Virgin Mastertronic as publisher
Double Dragon II: The Revenge - should be (probably) Virgin Games not Virgin Mastertronic as publisher
Gemini Wing - should be (probably) Virgin Games not Virgin Mastertronic as publisher
Dynamix - should be (probably) Mastertronic not Virgin Mastertronic as publisher

https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/inlays_ ... 164&kind=1

8BitAG wrote: ↑Wed Sep 11, 2019 8:01 pm

Stefan wrote: ↑Wed Sep 11, 2019 7:40 pm The first magazine reviews are January 1987, zo I would-be say that the best selling game quote is a typo.

Sinclair User review was in the February 1987 issue, which was out January 18th 1987... so will have been written in about November 1986, I'm guessing. It was also reviewed in the C&VG January issue... I imagine that one came out in December 86. Reviews in magazines help with the dates, but they aren't always definite proof.

The "official release date" was meant to be December 1st 1986, from the Your Sinclair preview...
https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/mag.php ... 234&page=9
...I imagine they were keen to get it out for Christmas. Presumably "best selling game of 1986" could include other formats.

It's all a bit on the edge - the first advert in Your Sinclair is January 1987 - if it were released in 1986 then I would expect an ad in the December issue (and probably November as well) for Christmas sales - but instead Electric Dreams got in front with Dandy with a the Your Sinclair December cover, full page advert and two page feature - plus multiple full page adverts for other Electric Dreams titles - so they may have pushed US Gold out.

Stefan wrote: ↑Thu Sep 12, 2019 11:20 pm It's all a bit on the edge - the first advert in Your Sinclair is January 1987 - if it were released in 1986 then I would expect an ad in the December issue (and probably November as well) for Christmas sales - but instead Electric Dreams got in front with Dandy with a the Your Sinclair December cover, full page advert and two page feature - plus multiple full page adverts for other Electric Dreams titles - so they may have pushed US Gold out.

The first adverts for Gauntlet are in Sinclair User's December 1986 issue, which came out November 18th and Crash's December 1986 issue, which came out on November 20th 1986. There was an advert in Popular Computing Weekly 4th - 10th December 1986. Your Sinclair's January 1987 issue will have come out in December 1986.

With the official release date given as December 1st 1986, I don't see that there is enough evidence for a 1987 release date.