The Commodore 64 conversion of Defender of the Crown is a celebrated retro gaming classic. Apart from loading times, there’s little to fault about it.
Tag Archives: Phyllis Jacob
It Came From The Desert, Amiga
One of my favourite Cinemaware games, It Came From The Desert is a satirical detective story based on 1950s sci-fi B-movies about giant ants.
Lords of the Rising Sun, Amiga
This 1989 release from Cinemaware is probably one of the least played Amiga games ever made.
It is based around historic (12th Century) Japanese warfare, with you playing one of two famous generals (Yoritomo or Yoshitsune) fighting to unify (pacify; subjugate) Japan under one rule.
The Three Stooges, Amiga
The original Amiga version of Cinemaware‘s The Three Stooges was released in 1987.
With ‘mini games’ inspired by classic Three Stooges films, it features Larry, Moe and Curly on a quest to save an orphanage from an evil landlord.
Sinbad and the Throne of the Falcon, Commodore 64
The Commodore 64 version of Cinemaware‘s Sinbad and the Throne of the Falcon is the version to play in my opinion – the earlier Amiga version of this excellent fantasy adventure game is uncharacteristically poor in terms of presentation.
Continue reading Sinbad and the Throne of the Falcon, Commodore 64
The King of Chicago, Amiga
The King of Chicago is a strategic gangster simulator, released by Cinemaware in 1987. And – while “gangster simulator” might sound bad – the game is full of dark humour and is something of a satire, so is not to be taken too seriously on that front.
S.D.I., Amiga
S.D.I. (Strategic Defence Initiative) is a 1986 release from legendary American games company Cinemaware.
Set in a Cold War type scenario, S.D.I. pits East against West in a fight for dominance in space.
Rocket Ranger, Amiga
Cinemaware‘s Rocket Ranger was first released in 1988 to much critical acclaim.
The game follows the format of most Cinemaware games, with cut scenes interspersed between planning screens and action screens.
Cinemaware Week
This week I’m going to be featuring grabs from the classic games of legendary American developer Cinemaware.
Founded by husband and wife team Robert and Phyllis Jacob in 1985, Cinemaware produced a series of unique and involving games throughout the late Eighties and early Nineties, across a number of different platforms.
Cinemaware‘s first game was the classic Defender of the Crown – which I’ve already featured – followed by the infamous Rocket Ranger and many others.
Unfortunately Cinemaware went bankrupt in 1991 (existing for only seven years) and the games dried-up. Since then, the Cinemaware back catalogue (and Intellectual Property) has been sold on at least twice, and various remakes and re-releases have been put out on a variety of systems.
Here’s what we published during Cinemaware Week:
Rocket Ranger, Amiga (1986)
S.D.I., Amiga (1986)
The King of Chicago, Amiga (1987)
Sinbad and the Throne of the Falcon, Commodore 64 (1987)
The Three Stooges, Amiga (1987)
Lords of the Rising Sun, Amiga (1988)
It Came from the Desert, Amiga (1989)
Wings, Amiga (1990)
Enjoy,
The King of Grabs
More: Cinemaware on Wikipedia
Defender of the Crown, Amiga
The Amiga version of Cinemaware‘s classic Defender of the Crown is both beautiful to look at, and great fun to play. Actually, pretty much every version of Defender of the Crown I’ve played has been great, but the Amiga version is probably the most well-remembered. It was also the very first version of Defender of the Crown too – all the other versions followed later.
