Little bugs in the database 3

[StooB]

Kat Trap (1987)

was released in late 1986, according to Popular Computer Weekly 11-17 December and confirmed in Crash.

✓ Reviewed

[StooB]

Pogo (1983)

was released in 1984. Reviews range from May to August 1984, there are no adverts for it until April 1984. Personal Computer News lists it as a new release in their 14th April edition (nb: the page link doesn't work for this, but the viewer link does)

✓ Reviewed

[StooB]

Transversion (1984)

was released in 1983. Adverts appear from September 1983 onward "in the shops now at £5.90". Crash review it in the first issue, February 1984, but it was already available when they produced the Christmas Crash Catalogue in late 1983:

New Generation are out to bend your nind with their CORRIDORS OF GENON, a nhcture of maze and Master Mind calling for brawn and brains. But if you’re better off with mind-blowingly fast arcade action then Ocean’s amazing TRANSVERSION has one of our highest ratings. Simple in concept, this is a maddeningly addictive game and not easy for hi-scores. Good sound too.

from http://www.crashonline.org.uk/catlast/christmas.htm

✓ Reviewed

[StooB]

N.O.M.A.D. (1985)
Cosmic Wartoad (1985)
Zoids (1985)
Benny Hill's Madcap Chase (1985)

are all 1986 releases, listed in the "This Week" section in Popular Computer Weekly 9th-15th January 1986 here and here.

✓ Reviewed

[StooB]

Formula One

Mastertronic release (Formula 1 Simulator) currently has dates of 1984 and 1986 on the downloads and "unknown" on the release list. It's only review is in 1986 but it was released in 1985, listed in "This Week" Popular Computing Weekly 3rd-9th January 1985 and also mentioned in Crash April 1985.

✓ Reviewed

[8BitAG]

Some of these seem like real edge cases... given the publication dates in early January; even for a weekly publication.

[StooB]

Some of these seem like real edge cases... given the publication dates in early January; even for a weekly publication.

True, but the 3rd-9th January 1985 PCW has a review of Gift From The Gods and knows it wasn't released in time for Christmas. It also has a story on the post-Christmas release of the Spectrum version of Ghostbusters - the monthly magazines don't report it's late release until their March editions. It's clearly the most accurate source available.

[8BitAG]

True, but the 3rd-9th January 1985 PCW has a review of Gift From The Gods and knows it wasn't released in time for Christmas. It also has a story on the post-Christmas release of the Spectrum version of Ghostbusters - the monthly magazines don't report it's late release until their March editions. It's clearly the most accurate source available.

Well, that's one of my arguments for not using Jan->March magazines of a particular year as an indication that a release or news story happened in that particular year; rather than the year before.

But, yes, PCW does seem to be quite up to date and a lot more accurate for dating purposes.

[Juan F. Ramirez]

In Exolon, the in-game shown is the spanish re-release, not the original Hewson release:

✓ Reviewed

[EddieTheWild]

Hi,

(commented here as suggested by Dave)

I saw the SC webpage for "Empareja" game (https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/index.p ... 6&id=35780) was updated, thank you! However I found some mistakes in the description, concerning the role of its preliminary version:

* The preliminary (and more simple) version was submitted to Bytemaniacos BASIC 2020, not 2006, so Competitions field must contain "Bytemaniacos BASIC 2020" only

* In the Bytemaniacos BASIC 2020 web page, the final version appears but that version was not submitted to that contest but the preliminary one.

How to fix both problems in an easy way? the preliminary version is available a thttp://eolo.cps.unizar.es/EddieTheWild/Retroinformatica/Empareja/Empareja-v1.0-Bytemaniacos%20BASIC%202020.rar, just make it available in the Comments section of Empareja:

Comments: A preliminary version (http://eolo.cps.unizar.es/EddieTheWild/ ... 202020.rar) was submitted to Bytemaniacos 2020 BASIC Contest

And that's all

Thank you

✓ Reviewed

[R-Tape]

[mention]druellan[/mention], It's only the "2006" that needs to change to "2020". I can sort the file with Einar.

[mention]EddieTheWild[/mention] , I already suggested what to do with the file in my email. Could you let me know what you think (by email). Ta.

✓ Reviewed

[R-Tape]

Could Empareja (35780) be placed in Boriel's ZX-BASIC group (4007) pleez. (at the author's and Boriel's request).

Taa.

✓ Reviewed

[redballoon]

Skull & Crossbones https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/index.p ... 96&id=4554
has Carleton Handley as an author, though he only coded the C64 version of the game. Confirmed on his Twitter this morning.
https://twitter.com/carletonhandley/sta ... 23494?s=21

✓ Reviewed

[moroz1999]

https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/index.p ... l_id=13126 - These are actually two different people.
Gogin, Sergey Smirnov (Saint Petersburg, Russia):
https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/index.p ... 6&id=15212
https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/index.p ... 6&id=34359
https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/index.p ... 6&id=35108
https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/index.p ... 6&id=21129

SIM, Sergey Smirnov (Moscow, Russia):
https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/index.p ... 6&id=27460
https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/index.p ... 6&id=27922

✓ Reviewed

[StooB]

Leader Board Tournament (1988)

was released in 1987. Listed in the New Releases section of Popular Computing Weekly 5-11th June 1987 and reviewed in Sinclair User August 1987 and Your Sinclair August 1987.

✓ Reviewed

[StooB]

The Best of 3D (1987)

Like Revolution (1986), this is published by US Gold, not Vortex. The back of the inlay states: "Manufactured and distributed under licence from Vortex Software by US Gold. It also has a US Gold barcode beginning 5013442.

✓ Reviewed

[8BitAG]

ZX Adventure
https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/index.p ... 96&id=5907

Was published by Syrtis Software originally, in 1983. (As shown in the linked advertisement on that page)

The Micro Gold version is a re-release. Given this news article on Micro Gold was published in December 1983...
https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/mag.php ... 21&page=17
...it seems likely the Micro Gold version is no earlier than 1984; the first reference I can find is from Software Index #3 in the second half of 1984.

See...
http://8bitag.com/info/syrtis-adventure.html
...for a history of the game.

Originated on Nascom.

✓ Reviewed

[8BitAG]

Craps
https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/index.p ... 96&id=1113

Was *not* written by Jack P. Gibbons

But was written by Andrew Parish ie. https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/index.p ... bel_id=935

and along with the related games

Blackjack
https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/index.p ... 6&id=15580

and

Roulette
https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/index.p ... 96&id=4246

Were part of the compilation

Casino 1
https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/index.p ... 6&id=11558

Which again, should be credited to Andrew Parish rather than Jack P. Gibbons

✓ Reviewed

[8BitAG]

Despite the mention on the loading screen. The publisher and author of the following files/entries...

NewsDesk 1
https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/index.p ... 6&id=15473

and

NewsDesk 2
https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/index.p ... 6&id=15474

Should be

Alec Carsewell
https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/index.p ... bel_id=580

and

VentureSoft
https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/index.p ... l_id=15072

Not Jason Nicholls or the Elven Adventurers.

✓ Reviewed

[8BitAG]

Starcrash
https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/index.p ... 6&id=10245

is a two-part text adventure, with one part on each side of the tape

(see review... https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/mag.php ... 65&page=41 )

but only a single side of the tape/part is preserved in the archives.

Can this please be added as a note/flagged up on the entry, so people know the second part needs to be preserved? Thanks.

✓ Reviewed

[StooB]

Tujad (1986)

Original publisher should be Orpheus Ltd, who advertised it in 1985.

Home Computing Weekly said it was finished and "out now" for £8.95 in the week beginning 17th September 1985, and Popular Computing Weekly listed it as a new release in the week beginning 12th September 1985.

Crash reported in June 1986 that Orpheus wouldn't be releasing it themselves.

✓ Reviewed

[dfzx]

I'm not sure if this is the right place for this, but in the Bandersnatch entry the text says:

Probably the best article on the story behind the game can be found in issue 12 of Crash...

but there's no link to that article in the magazine references. The article is here and does indeed discuss the game at some length.

✓ Reviewed

[Einar Saukas]

Despite the mention on the loading screen. The publisher and author of the following files/entries...

NewsDesk 1
https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/index.p ... 6&id=15473

and

NewsDesk 2
https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/index.p ... 6&id=15474

Should be

Alec Carsewell
https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/index.p ... bel_id=580

and

VentureSoft
https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/index.p ... l_id=15072

Not Jason Nicholls or the Elven Adventurers.

How do you know? And what's the story behind the wrong load screen? Is it something worth adding to comments?

[8BitAG]

How do you know? And what's the story behind the wrong load screen? Is it something worth adding to comments?

I interviewed Jason (The Elven Adventurers) recently.
http://8bitag.com/info/elven.html

He says he had nothing to do with those or anything to do with Venturesoft. I did show him them. You get a flavour of his response in the interview. Those weren't his only comments.

Alec Carswell is clearly credited as the editor in those tapezines in the newsletters themselves. He's just used Jason's earlier Newsdesk framework; that Jason included on the B-side of some of his games.

It would be worth adding in the comments something like "Despite the loading screen, Jason Nicholls of the Elven Adventurers says he had no involvement in this publication."

[Einar Saukas]

How do you know? And what's the story behind the wrong load screen? Is it something worth adding to comments?

I interviewed Jason (The Elven Adventurers) recently.
http://8bitag.com/info/elven.html

He says he had nothing to do with those or anything to do with Venturesoft. I did show him them. You get a flavour of his response in the interview. Those weren't his only comments.

Alec Carswell is clearly credited as the editor in those tapezines in the newsletters themselves. He's just used Jason's earlier Newsdesk framework; that Jason included on the B-side of some of his games.

It would be worth adding in the comments something like "Despite the loading screen, Jason Nicholls of the Elven Adventurers says he had no involvement in this publication."

Thanks for the clarifications! I will take the time to write more detailed comments in each case, I think this story deserves it...