The MSX version of the classic space trading game, Elite, was programmed by Mr. Micro and published by Firebird in 1987.
Tag Archives: wireframe graphics
Elite, PC
This is the original MS-DOS CGA version of Elite, written by Andrew Onions of Realtime Games and published by Firebird in 1987.
Not to be confused with the even better Elite Plus, which came later and is a different game entirely.
Elite, Apple II
The Apple II conversion of Elite is arguably the slowest and ugliest of all the versions available. And that – I think – is me being charitable to it…
Ian Bell himself programmed this conversion of Elite in 1986, so its authenticity cannot be called into question and I shouldn’t really mock it.
Elite, Amstrad CPC
The Amstrad CPC version of Elite (released in 1986) is a fine program – even though the play window is smaller than those seen in other versions.
Elite, ZX Spectrum
The ZX Spectrum version of Elite was developed by Torus and published by Firebird in 1985. There were 48K and 128K versions made available and both are excellent.
Elite, Commodore 64
Elite on the Commodore 64 is slow and flickery (just like the BBC original in fact) but at its core is a fantastic game that refuses to be ruined by the C64‘s limitations.
Mercenary, Commodore 16/Plus4
Requiring 64K of RAM to run, and coded by Paul Woakes himself, Mercenary on the Plus4 is an almost perfect conversion of his classic 3D, C64 exploration game.
Elite, BBC Micro
The classic Elite originated on the BBC Micro. David Braben and Ian Bell‘s classic space combat/trading game was first released by Acornsoft in 1984.
Mercenary, Atari 8-bit
The Atari 8-Bit version of the classic Mercenary is the original, published by Novagen in 1985.
From the opening sequence onwards you know that you are in for a special ride with Mercenary, and exploring the wireframe world of Targ (the name of the planet you’re trapped on) is a video-gaming joy – especially with the easy-to-use controls.
Mercenary: The Second City, Commodore 64
Not a sequel, but a ‘data disk’ add-on that you load through the original Mercenary. The Second City starts off pretty much the same as Mercenary – crashing on a planet (this time the other side of the one you explored in Mercenary, and also a different colour) and having to explore to get on and eventually escape.
The King of Grabs 