The Kristal is an obscure British adventure game based on an un-produced theatre play written in 1976 (called “The Kristal of Konos“), developed by Fissionchip Software and published by Addictive Games in Europe and Cinemaware in North America. The fact that Cinemaware picked up The Kristal for distribution in the US and Canada is a surprise in itself, as that kind of thing didn’t happen very often back in 1989 when this game was first released.
Tag Archives: 1989
SimCity, Commodore 64
This classic city-building game was originally devised by creator Will Wright while he was working on the classic C64 shooter, Raid On Bungeling Bay. Wright found that he enjoyed making the overhead cities for the game – using his self-made editor – more than he enjoyed playing the game itself, so he set to work creating a game that would allow players to do the same.
SimCity was originally developed for the Commodore 64 and was initially released for that system in August of 1989, but was quickly ported to pretty much every video gaming system known to man at the time. It also spawned a long-running series, and provided a strong base from which developer/publisher Maxis would grow – specialising in “sim“-type games that would become its main market for decades to come.
Treasure Trap, Atari ST
Treasure Trap is an isometric platform adventure developed by Doodlebug Designs and published by Electronic Zoo in 1989. It was released for both the Amiga and the Atari ST and it is the ST version that I’m looking at today.
The Official Father Christmas Game, Amstrad CPC
A game not often mentioned in online ‘Christmas video game’ lists, The Official Father Christmas Game is one of the better Christmas-themed video games that I’ve found so far. It was developed by Enigma Variations and published by Alternative Software for the Amstrad, Spectrum and C64 in 1989. All proceeds from the game went to the famous children’s charity, Save The Children.
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The Official Father Christmas Game, ZX Spectrum
Although you may laugh at the title of this Christmas-themed game, it’s not called that because the publisher (Alternative Software) went to Lapland to buy an official license from Santa… It’s called that because it is an official tie-in with the famous children’s charity, Save The Children. The game was sold (for a reasonable £2.99, for the Spectrum, Amstrad and C64) in 1989 and all profits went to Save The Children.
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The Official Father Christmas Game, Commodore 64
Created in association with Save The Children, The Official Father Christmas Game was developed by Enigma Variations and published by Alternative Software for the C64, Spectrum and Amstrad in 1989. Profits from the game went to the aforementioned children’s charity.
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E-Type, Archimedes
E-Type is an impressive Out Run-style racing game on the Acorn Archimedes where you drive out across various courses with the objective being: to cover as much distance as possible before the timer runs out. You can earn extra time by passing checkpoints and can play the game with either automatic or manual transmission.
Populous, Archimedes
The Archimedes has a flawless version of Populous – Bullfrog‘s seminal God sim – that was programmed by Richard Walker and published by Krisalis Software in 1992.
Bubble Bobble, PC
The PC MS-DOS port is actually one of the better Bubble Bobble conversions, with graphics that don’t flicker and are more or less the authentic experience. The play area is slightly wider than the arcade original, but it doesn’t affect gameplay, which is excellent overall.
Bubble Bobble, Atari ST
The Atari ST conversion of Bubble Bobble is very similar to the Amiga version, except with slightly muted colours. It was programmed by the same guy who made the Amiga port (David Broadhurst), so no surprises there.
The King of Grabs 