Solaris is a space combat game designed and developed by Doug Neubauer and published by Atari Corporation in 1986. It is supposedly a sequel to Star Raiders, and does contain similar elements, but features a third-person viewpoint this time, rather than first-person. Solaris is one of the most technically-impressive games on the Atari 2600 and is a far cry from the early games released for the system.
Tag Archives: 1986
Vampire Killer, MSX
Konami‘s “Akumajō Dracula” was first released in 1986 for the MSX2. It set the template for a series that is still going (relatively) strong to this day – the Castlevania series.
This MSX game was also the first game in the Castlevania series to be given an English language release, and it was released in 1987 in Europe under the title of “Vampire Killer“, which then changed to “Castlevania” when the North American NES version of this game was released on cartridge.
Paperboy, ZX Spectrum
The 1986 ZX Spectrum version of Paperboy is both a nice self-contained attempt at Paperboy on a Spectrum, and also a bit of a joke when compared to other versions of this great game… Let me explain.
Paperboy, Commodore 16/Plus4
Joerg Dierks (of Kingsoft in Germany) wrote the C16/Plus4 version of Paperboy, which was published by Elite Systems, mostly on cassette throughout Europe in 1986.
Paperboy, BBC Micro
The 1986 BBC Micro version of Paperboy was programmed by Andy Williams for Elite Systems, and it is a barely-playable monochrome experience at best. At worst: a forgettable waste of time.
Paperboy, Commodore 64
The Commodore 64 version of Paperboy was written by Neil A. Bate and Chris Harvey and was first published by Elite Systems in 1986.
Chameleon, Commodore 64
Chameleon is a side-scrolling action game by Martin Walker (of Hunter’s Moon and Citadel fame) and it was published in 1986 by Electric Dreams Software.
Adventure Island, NES/Famicom
Hudson Soft‘s Adventure Island on the NES/Famicom is an adaptation of Sega‘s Wonder Boy arcade game, although subsequent Adventure Island games were original titles and the series went on to become a relatively popular ‘spin-off’ in its own right. Adventure Island was initially released in Japan in 1986, then in North America 1988, and finally in Europe in 1992.
Cobra, Commodore 64
The 1986 Commodore 64 version of Cobra – based on the Sylvester Stallone film of the same name – is infamous for its sheer awfulness. It is based on the more successful ZX Spectrum game, designed and programmed by the late Jonathan Smith, but has lost a great deal in translation to the C64.
Batman, Amstrad CPC
The Amstrad CPC version of Jon Ritman and Bernie Drummond‘s classic isometric platform game is arguably even better than the ZX Spectrum original it is based upon. Mainly because of the extra colours, which make a big difference.
The King of Grabs 