The Comp.Sys.Acorn.Games FAQ

v1.20 - 1st of February 2001

This FAQ was written because the various posters to csa.games got fed up answering the same questions over and over again with often as little as two weeks separating each occurrence of a given question. Please read this FAQ before you post any questions particularly if they are of the form What ever happened to XXX?

If you spot an error, inconsistency or spelling mistake you must do two things: 1) Pat yourself on the back (that's the easy bit) and 2) (the hard part) E-mail me so I can correct it. If you have a suggestion for a new question or an improved answer to an old one please don't hesitate to contact me.

This FAQ is currently maintained by Matthew Hambley.

History

I recently changed the way this FAQ was managed. Previously I worked on the FAQ as a text file and converted it (with much use of the <PRE> tag) to HTML for my web site. Now I store the FAQ as an HTML file and run it through an HTML to text filter. This new method makes it much easier for me to keep the two versions in synch.

The practical upshot of all this that now there is a current version of the FAQ on the web I don't intend to keep the entire revision history in the FAQ. Only the most recent changes will be kept with the FAQ, for the full history visit the web site.

Contents

Key:
[*] Game is under development
[ ] Game is no longer under development
[-] Game is on hold
[?] Who can say

  1. What ever happened to?
    1. [?] Age of War
    2. [ ] BioHazard
    3. [ ] Exile
    4. [?] Feud
    5. [*] Iron Dignity
    6. [*] Karma
    7. [?] King and Country
    8. [ ] Metal Fighters 4000
    9. [*] Nexus Wars
    10. [ ] Oblivion
    11. [ ] Proposal
    12. [ ] Scorpious
    13. [?] Soccer Kid
    14. [ ] Stryker's Run III
    15. [*] Tale of Anubus
    16. [ ] WarZone
    17. [*] Tek
  2. General questions
    1. Why are so few games released for Acorns?
    2. What is the difference between a game, a game demo and a demo?
    3. Whatever happened to Superior Software?
    4. What games are available on CD-ROM?
    5. Where can I get free games from?
    6. What resources are available on the Web for Acorn game players?
    7. Game Solutions
    8. I want to give my games some stick!
    9. How easy is it to write a game for Acorn computers?
    10. How can I write multi-platform games on my Acorn?
  3. Foreign games
    1. What emulators are available?
    2. Does <PC Game> run on the PC card and if so, how well?
    3. Improving PC games run on the PC card.
    4. Why am I having trouble with PC sound?
    5. So how do you complete Quake then?
    6. What the hack is Angband anyway?
  4. Adventure games
    1. What is interactive fiction / adventure games?
    2. How do I play them then?
    3. How do I write one?
    4. Further reading?
    5. That's all very well but I like pictures!
  5. Addresses
    1. R-Comp Interactive
    2. Superior Software
    3. Stuart Tyrrell Developments

Questions and Answers

  1. Whatever happened to?
    1. What is Age of War and how's it going?
      Age of War is being written by Orbsoft and is far from completion. So far in fact I don't know what it's about!
    2. Archimedes World covered a game called Bio Hazard by Frank Isidor quite heavily. What ever happened to it?
      Unfortunately, the author packed it in after moving on to other things.
      The source is available from Arcade BBS minus one of the major header files. The unfinished game that you can download has a multitasking option which, although slow, is quite impressive.
    3. I've heard there's a 32-bit version of Superior Softwares Exile. Is this true?
      There was a project to produce a port of Exile with some extra features but there does not appear to have been any development for a while now. Further information may be found at the authors home page.
      For information on the conversions which where made why not try The Exile Tribute.
    4. I spotted an advert for a game called Feud in Acorn User some time ago. What happened to it?
      This is a very good question. It's all gone quiet. The programming team has not been heard from since they took out the advert.
    5. I have now seen two rolling demos of the Iron Dignity game engine. When are we going to see a game?
      The author has teamed up with Artex and their combined might is pushing the project towards a dual Acorn/IBM PC release sometime soon.
    6. I got the Karma Flight Trainer when it was released - What happened to Karma?
      The project took a major knock when one of the authors was killed in an accident. The remaining author felt unable to continue with the work. However sufficient time has now pased that he feels ready to tackle the project once more and work has resumed. This group took a quick visit to the stratosphere on his announcement that work had re-started.
      The web pages may be updated some time in the near future as the author is sugesting a major announcement may be due Real Soon Now(TM). Current indications are that there have been some serious negociations going on. Possibly something about a client/server model for Karma.
      Karma web site
    7. I have a hazy memory of a strategy game called King and Country. Whatever happened to that?
      That's a good question. It seemed to have been abandoned but then it was revived and now it seems to be abandoned again. If you visit the web site you will find that everything is dated 1998.
    8. Metal Fighters 4000
      All indications sugest that this game has been ditched in favour of a different project: Toy Cronicles. This in turn has been put on hold while work is put into Toy Party.
    9. Nexus War
      A game under construction but slowly due to academic demands. It is a "Mortal Kombat" style beat-em-up. At this time it does not boast such luxuries as collision detection or legal graphics. The author (A Jackson) is not sure when or even if it will be completed. News on this is expected after his exams.
    10. Someone said that Quantum where working on a side-ways shoot-em-up called Oblivion.
      Since then a number of things have happened. Quantum became Kulture and the prime mover behind Oblivion whent to work for Gremlin. This means he is contractualy disalowed from writing code for anyone other than Gremlin. This game is officialy dead although work is still being done by other members of the group on the game engine.
      Another game using the same engine may emerge eventually but it is probably wisest not to bank on it.
    11. I have seen a demo for a Elite style space combaty bit for a game called Proposal. What stage of production is it in?
      TBA where to release this quite some time ago. They never did and now no longer exist.
    12. I played a demo of a brilliant horizontal scrolly shoot 'em up by SICK. Where is it now?
      Unfortunately the company who was to release the game (called Scorpious), Arxe, pulled out and the members of SICK went their separate ways. It is very unlikely that we will ever see this game. At one point there was talk among the remaining members of releasing it as it stands but that seems unlikely now.
      SICK info
    13. heard something about the Soccer Kid source code being available for someone to port to the RiscOS platform?
      Indeed, Krisalis felt that there was not sufficient profit in the market so they have agreed to release the source code and any work they have done so far into the hands of a group of enthusiasts to complete the project.
      More information lost
    14. There was much talk and some tasty screen shots for a game featuring the return of the 8-bit favourite Commander John Stryker. Where is it?
      Quite a few of the people involved graduated from Leeds University in July '96. Some of them then went on to work for a PC games company who has a strict contract specifically banning it's workers from releasing games for anyone else other than their employer. This combined with "pressure fo work" means it is very unlikely that we will see this project come to fruition.
    15. I saw some mouth watering shots of Tale of Anubus a good number of years ago. What happened to it?
      Ray Maidstone has been E-mailed and it turns out that some upheaval in his life caused a serious farming out of all and sundry to many assorted back burners. However recently Tales of Anubus has migrated back to one of the main cooking rings. It is currently being updated to include modern Egyptological theories. (In depth game or what :-) There is also some question about its "certificate" i.e. PG, 18 etc
    16. Warzone looked like being really something. Where is it?
      The author, Jason Tribbeck, is so tied up with his Argo related work that it is extremely unlikely we will ever see this game.
    17. What are Artex up to?
      They have spent a lot of time working on Iron Dignity which is due for a release on IBM compatibles some time fairly soon. They hope to have a Risc OS version out shortly after that.
      Their other project is Tek, a real-time strategy. This has been pushed to the back burner by Iron Dignity development for a long time but has recently been forward to the front of the hob. Talk is of release sometime soon.
      Artex web pages
  2. General questions
    1. Why are so few games released for Acorn's?
      Acorn Games are usually written by university students who have some really great ideas and do some good coding but then graduate. They then tend to be offered proper jobs which they take and suddenly find they don't have the time (or their contract prevents them) to code. The other problem is the small market place which means that only a handful of small companies can be supported.
    2. What is the difference between a game, a game demo and a demo?
      A demo is intended to demonstrate some programming/graphical/musical flair and techniques - any 'gameplay' is peripheral to the program. A game demo is either a cut-down or 'crippled' version of a commercial or shareware game or a rolling demo. It is designed to demonstrate the gameplay aspect of a game and encourage you to buy it. A game is a program intended to have lots of gameplay...
    3. Superior Software were possibly the games company on the Beeb and they where one of the first to do anything for the Arch. Where have they gone?
      A very good question. All the evidence suggests that they disappeared years ago. But despite all this every so often a rumour surfaces which suggests they are still around somewhere. 'The 4th Dimension' has acquired the rights to sell all Superiors 8 bit games. More than that is confused. I have been given an address [see addresses section] which I am told they are still trading from. On the other hand I have been given reasonable information that they are no longer working on anything new and have no immediate plans to do so.
    4. What games are available on CD-ROM?
      • Ankh - Artex
      • Descent - RCI
      • DOOM - RCI
      • Dune II - Eclipse
      • Eternal Destiny - Tau Press
      • Heroes of Might and Magic 2 - RCI
      • Hexen & Heretic - RCI
      • Simon the Sorcerer - Eclipse
      • Syndicate+ - RCI
      • Wizard Apprentice - Fantasia
    5. Where can I get free games from?
      Swallows site
      The soup kitchen
      Acorn Arcade download zone
    6. What resources are available on the web for Acorn game players?
      The Acorn Gaming pages
      More Acorn gaming pages
      Cheats prosper
      Acorn Arcade
      Acorn Gaming 98-99
    7. Game Solutions
      Swallows solutions
    8. Is it possible to connect a joystick to my Acorn and if so, what can I add?
      A3010 owners will know it is possible as their machines come with joystick ports. If you own any of the other Acorn machines then you will require an interface. At the moment Stuart Tyrrell Developments [see addresses section] appear to be the only people manufacturing joystick interfaces whilst they share the job of manufacturing joypads with TBA.
    9. How easy is it to write a game for Acorn computers?
      Too much deep techie talk is off topic in this group (csa.programmer is the place for that) however discussion of general principles and game concepts is perfectly acceptable.
      If (presumably) you've never written a game, you'll want some idea of how video games tick and the usual sorts of routines you'll need to program them. For a first game, I'd suggest using one of these libraries:
      GameSuite, by Andy Southgate, was halted a while ago when Andy stopped developing it. In it's current state (3.00), it's still pretty good if you feel the environment suits you. It's best suited to people who like BASIC and assembly language programming since the core routines are in two modules with numerous SWI calls. The documentation is pretty thorough, and all the source is provided, though most of it is pretty cryptic and uncommented.
      Download it from Stuttgart.
      Popcorn, by Matthew Bloch, is a games library still in development. It comes as a series of linkable AOF libraries written mostly in C, with all the source provided. No support is provided for BASIC programmers, though it could be added. In terms of features, it is slightly better specified and flexible than Gamesuite, but at the expense of speed. In addition, there were some articles published on using it in recent issues of Acorn User (Dec '96, Xmas '96, Jan '97) and an example game.
      Download it from the authors web site
      These will do a lot of the hard work for you such as object processing and sprite plotting; be warned that you won't find either of these perfect, and will probably want to hack a lot of the code around. Both contain some useful hints on game coding and a certain amount of tutorial material.
      These libraries only handle 2D (flat) games programming; if you want to write something in three dimensions, there are huge tomes available on the subject. The comp.graphics.algorithms FAQ is a good place to start.
      TAG is a 3D graphics library written by TBA Software, which has been successfully used in some of their games. TBA is no more so both the engine and its source code have been made available on the TBA CD-ROM from R-Comp. Source for BHP and Cobalt Seed are also included on this disc.
      Be warned that knowing how to code a game is only half the battle: if you want to release something commercially, slick presentation and careful design is essential. Get other people to draw graphics or compose music if you don't feel your skills are up to a commercial standard. Spend a while planning rather than just diving headlong into the coding. Finally, hold your game up to the light of a similar offering running under DOS or Windows and ask whether you would pay the money you're asking for your game. A lot of people have PCs and prefer playing games (and spending money) on those.
      Finally there are a number of commercial games for which the source has been released. At the time of writing only one of these has not been ported already: Golgotha.
    10. How can I write multi-platform games on my Acorn?
      At first this may seem like an impossibility. Games written for an Acorn machine only have a hope of working on other ARM based computers (which are a little thin on the ground) and then only if they have a similar architecture. It is however possible through the plethora of Gameboy emulators. A UNIX package for creating Gameboy games has been ported to RISC OS. Its libraries are a little primitive but they should be useable. It may even be a useful introduction to games programing (see the previous question)
      Find the package on the porters web site
      The most common text adventure formats used on Acorn machines are also ports of very well supported formats. Inform for instance can be used on everything from C64's to Linux boxes. See questions 4.x for more information on text adventures.
  3. Foreign games
    1. I have seen Spectrum and BBC Micro emulators. What about other platforms? What emulators are available?
      To my knowledge the following emulators exist:
      Acorn BBC Micro
      !65Host
      !65Host emulates a BBC Model B microcomputer. It was written by Acorn and was supplied with the RISC OS 3.1 applications disc.
      Dowload it from Acorn Gaming.
      !6502Em
      !6502Em emulates the BBC Model B, Acorn Electron, Master 128 and Master Compact computers.
      It has been designed to provide a more reliable emulation than !65Host, specifically for games that fail with !65Host. !6502Em is a commercial product from Warm Silence Software.
      See the WSS web site for more details
      Amstrad CPC
      !CPCEmu
      !CPC emulates Amstrad CPC464, CPC664 and CPC6128 machines. It will read Amstrad disc images. A program is included to transfer disc images from a real Amstrad CPC, via the parallel port. !CPCEmu is written by Andreas Stroiczek and is PD.
      You can obtain it from the Stuttgart FTP server
      Apple ][e
      !Apple
      No documentation. Crashes on my machine.
      !Woz
      !Woz requires Apple ][e ROM files in order to work. They are not distributed with the program for copyright reasons. !Woz is written by Benoit Gilon and is freeware.
      !Virtu
      Made available through an AU cover disc with a stripped down ROM set to allow the 'Raster Blaster' pin ball game to run.
      Arcade machines
      MAME
      The Multiple Arcade Machine Emulator will allow you to play a great number of games from a wide veriety of manufacturers.
      Get it from the authors web site
      Atari 2600
      !Stella
      Ported by David McEwen.
      Available from the authors web page
      Atari Lynx
      Handy
      Will apparently run most games without problems.
      Atari ST
      !STem
      Being programmed by Sam Ellis.
      Visit the authors web site for more details.
      Coleco Adam
      !AdemEm
      Ported by David McEwen.
      Available from the authors web site
      Coleco Vision
      !ColEm
      Ported by David McEwen.
      Available from the authors web site
      Commadore C64
      !Frodo
      This is a port of the emulator by the same name for other platforms.
      VICE
      Ported by Andreas Dehmel this flexible emulator does not only the C64 but also the Vic 20/128/Pet.
      Commodore Amiga
      !UAE
      !UAE emulates an Amiga 500. It requires a Risc PC with 12Mb to run. !UAE is a port of UAE (Unix Amiga Emulator) for Unix. The Acorn port was written by Peter Teichmann based on the original by Bernd Schmidt.
      Get !UAE from the authors web site
      IBM PC
      !PCEm
      This was the PC emulator written by Acorn. It runs at the speed of a 286 (?) and is no longer available. However there is a patch to get it working on Risc PC's provided with the machine.
      !PCPro
      This is the software part of the x86 co-pro card for RiscPC machines. Both parts can be bought from any Acorn dealer.
      Aleph One Elvis card et-al.
      The hardware solution for pre RISC PC machines.
      !FasterPC
      Written to run PC games better then PCEm. This basically means that it handles graphics (CGA & VGA) and sound better and faster than the original. It is available from APDL.
      Game consoles
      DarkNES
      Emulates Coleco, PC Engine, NES plus partial Apple 2 and very primitive Megadrive.
      That man David McEwen strikes again.
      MESS
      The Multi-Emulator Super System emulates a number of popular game consoles and home computers including the Coleco, NES, Colour Genie, TRS 80 and Sega Megadrive.
      Get it from the authors web site
      MSX
      !fMSX
      Ported by David McEwen.
      Get it from the authors web site
      Neo Geo Pocket
      NeoPocott
      Runs both Neo Geo Pocket and Neo Geo Pocket Colour games.
      Another David McEwen effort.
      Nintendo Entertainment System
      ArcNES
      Based on the UNIX XNes emulator this port has been extended David McEwen.
      Get it from the authors web site
      MadNES
      Also by David McEwen, this is a port of a PC based NES emulator.
      Again, available from the authors web site
      Nintendo Game Boy
      !Gameboy
      Written by Purple Monchich this is a freeware emulator.
      It may be downloaded from the Acorn Gaming site.
      <Another one>
      By Paul Clifford, freeware.
      Get it at the authors web site
      VGB
      A port of Virtual Game Boy by David McEwen. Apparently it supports "everything from Colour Gameboy to rumble pads".
      Available from the authors web site
      PC Engine
      HuGo
      Runs most PCEgine games and also PC Engine CD games.
      Available from the authors web site.
      PCEngine
      Paul Clifford's PC Engine emulator.
      Available from the authors web site
      !VPCE
      A port of a UNIX based PC Engine emulator.
      Sega Master System and/or Game Gear
      MGear
      A port fo the MasterGear emulator as !Sega is but this one's faster.
      Miracle
      A very fast emulator written mostly in assembler by Matthew Godbolt and Richard Talbot Watkins. This one does the Master System only.
      Sega
      From the Acorn gaming site
      SMSPlus
      Apparently has excellent sound support although I have not been able to hear it.
      Sega Megadrive (alias Genesis)
      More emulator work from the firtile fingers of David McEwen.
      DGen
      Usable speed on a StrongARM.
      Generator
      Slow but development is promised.
      Sinclair ZX81
      Apparently a simulator for this comes as a freebie with the registered version of !CPC.
      Sinclair ZX Spectrum
      !Spectrum
      A very old Spectrum 48k emulator, also known as Speculator. Crashes on the Risc PC and is unstable on earlier machines. It was never released properly, and contains no documentation.
      !MZX
      A popular freeware Spectrum 48k emulator by Graham Willmott. Loads .Z80 and .SNA snapshots. Sound only works on old machines.
      !Speccy
      Commercial emulator from Germany. Rumoured to emulate a Spectrum 128?
      !Z80Em
      Emulates a Spectrum 48k and Spectrum 128. Intended to support a wide range of games. Like !6502Em, it is a commercial product from Warm Silence Software.
      See the WSS web site for more information
      Super Nintendo Entertainment System
      SNES9X
      SNES emulator with SuperFX support.
      Available from the authors web site
      SNES9X
      An alternative to the above emulator. Claims to be "more compatible".
      Does this man never sleep?
    2. Does <PC Game> run on the PC card and if so, how well?
      This sort of information can be found at one of the two PC card game compatability pages:
      Or you could try comp.sys.acorn.extra-cpu for information.
    3. Some PC games look a bit crummy when run on the PC card. What can I do about it?
      Well if it's the actual display that is not right then you might like to try adding these to your monitor definition file. Despite what their titles say they will improve many DOS based games. 
      # Doom mode

# 320 x 200 (112Hz)
startmode
mode_name:
x_res:320
y_res:200
pixel_rate:12587
h_timings:42,14,12,320,12,0
v_timings:2,50,0,200,0,30
sync_pol:2
endmode

# Rise of the Triad Mode

# 384 x 200 (111Hz)
startmode
mode_name:
x_res:384
y_res:200
pixel_rate:18881
h_timings:68,0,66,384,66,0
v_timings:2,16,32,200,32,8
sync_pol:2
endmode
    4. Why am I having trouble with PC sound?
      The answer to this is a little unclear as the author doesn't have a co-pro card and the asker of the question wasn't very specific. However one suggestion is to investigate PCSound from R-Comp Interactive. [See addresses section] This bit of trickery will, with the aid of a MIDI synthesiser be it hardware or software, improve PC sound for a number of games.
    5. So how do I complete Quake then?
      Unless you are absolutely positively stuck then stop reading now. I don't want to spoil the fun for you... Still here? OK, to complete Quake look for the floating ball. This is the target for the teleporter. When you teleport you will end up where this thing is. So, just wait for the ball to be inside Shub Niggurath (The big tenticular end of game gardian) and then teleport. You will telefrag Shub and win the game. It might be possible to win by whacking the Cuthuloid one enough times with the axe too.
    6. What the hack is Angband anyway?
      To answer this question I'll quote this brief introduction by the author of the RISC OS versions:

      Angband is a dungeon adventure game, similar to Dungeons & Dragons in some ways, but with the emphasis on strategic use of equipment, magic and skills rather than role-playing and problem solving.

      It is (loosely) set in Tolkein's Middle Earth, although some Variants of the game draw on quite different sources.

      Angband is the single most addictive computer game I have ever played... I barely even look at Tetris these days ;)

      Possibly the first port of call for finding out more should be Musus Umbra's RISC OS andband site. For general Angband information including links to the Acorn port why not try Thangorodrim. Alternatively Acorn Arcade has som Acorn spacific links in its Game Support pages.
  4. Text Adventures
    1. What is interactive fiction?
      Interactive fiction (IF), or text adventures, are games in which the player and the computer interact through a textual interface: the player enters commands and the computer responds by printing text to the screen, generally what the player can see and what effects the previous command had.
      The player's input can be a simple command in the format <verb> <noun>, such as `take sword' or `open door'. Modern games will also be able to parse quite complex sentences like `take the gold coin out of the treasure chest and bite it. Then close the chest'.
      Playing interactive fiction, then, is like reading a novel in which you are the main character.
    2. How do I play interactive fiction on a RPC/Archimedes?
      Many interactive fictions are available as platform-independent storyfiles, which are played on an interpreter. There are at least half a dozen rival formats and, unfortunately, there aren't Acorn ports of interpreters for every format.
      One of the most popular interactive fiction storyfile formats is the `Z-machine' format, as used by Infocom and, more recently, the Inform compiler (see below). An excellent interpreter for games in this format is Zip 2000. This is a multi-tasking application with many features. Zip 2000 is shareware (ukp10 registration), but a freeware distribution is available via anonymous FTP from the IF archives
      If you prefer there is another z-machine interpreter called Frotz. The big difference between this and Zip 2000 is its front end which some people prefer. It can be found at the authors web site
      The Hugo engine, HE, is an interpreter of storyfiles generated by the Hugo compiler (see below). It is currently a single-tasking application, invoked from the command-line. HE (archived with the Hugo compiler) is available via anonymous FTP from the IF archives
      The TADS interpreter allows you to play games in the TADS run-time format. This is also a single-tasking application, identical in appearance to the DOS version. TADS is available via anonymous FTP from the IF archives
      A Level9 interpreter has also been ported to the RPC/Archimedes. This is used to play games published by Level 9 Computing, such as "Lords of Time" and "Snowball." It currently runs in a taskwindow on the desktop. L9 is available via anonymous FTP from the IF archives
      Actual games are available from a number of sources. As mentioned above, the Infocom games ("Zork," "Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy," etc.) can be played with Zip 2000. These games are commercial software, and are often repackaged by the copyright-holders, Activision. The most recent collection, "Masterpieces of Infocom," contains all but two of the games. This may not yet be available in Europe, so the previous collections, "Lost Treasures of Infocom," (vols. I & II) may be a better bet. "Zork I" has recently become freeware, and is available from Activision's Web site
      A growing number of very high quality freeware and shareware games produced with the Inform authoring system, and playable on Zip 2000, are available via anonymous FTP from the IF archives
      Hugo games are, currently, less prevalent, but a handful are available via anonymous FTP from the IF archives
      A number of TADS games are available via anonymous FTP from the IF archives
      The Level 9 games are probably no longer available to buy anywhere, but are available from a number of FTP sites. L9 can handle these games in any format (except not Spectrum Z80 files, these must be converted to SnapShots). An archive of several Spectrum games (Z80 format, so convert) is available via anonymous FTP from would you credit it?
      Lastly, there are one or two games available as RISC OS applications. Some of these are available via anonymous FTP from that funky IF archives site again
    3. How do I write interactive fiction on a RPC/Archimedes?
      There are a number of publicly available authoring systems for creating interactive fiction in one of the storyfile formats mentioned above.
      Inform is undoubtedly currently the most popular and ported authoring system available. It compiles source, written in it's own language (fully OO and reminiscent of C), to a `Z-machine'-format storyfile. Inform is available via anonymous FTP from the IF archives
      It has recently come to my attention that there is a very good site concerning the technicalities of writing adventure games with extra links at this site
      Hugo is much newer than Inform. The language bears comparison to Inform, C and BASIC, but much of the (sometimes confusing) punctuation has been removed, and the whole language optimised for clarity and ease-of-use. Hugo source compiles to its own format storyfile, which removes many of the more limiting restrictions of the `Z-machine' format. Hugo is available via anonymous FTP from the IF archives
    4. Ooo, interactive fiction sounds like fun! Where can I find out more?
      There are two newsgroups devoted to interactive fiction. If you are interested in playing these games, you should subscribe to rec.games.int-fiction
      If you want to write interactive fiction you should subscribe to rec.arts.int-fiction
      The Interactive Fiction Archive is a huge repository of interactive fiction games, authoring systems, utilities, documentation and other related material. It is found at the IF archives
      Both the rec.arts.int-fiction FAQ and the rec.games.int-fiction FAQ are available from the IF archives.
    5. That's all very well but I like pictures!
      Well now you can have some. Recently a port of Sarien has been completed. Sarien is an AGI interpreter. It will allow you to play old (generally pre 1989) Sierra adventures. For instance, Leisure Suit Larry and the various Quest games. (King's, Space and Police)
      All you need is the original game and a copy of Sarien, available from the authors web site.
      Apparently there is work underway to produce an interpreter which will play more modern Sierra games. Possibly even more exciting is the prospect of a SCUMM interpreter. SCUMM is the system used by Lucas Arts for, among other things, Monkey Island.
  5. Addresses
    1. R-Comp Interactive
      22, Robert Moffat
      High Legh
      Knutsford
      Cheshire, WA16 6PS
      United Kingdom
      Tel: 01925 755043
      Fax: 01925 757377
      E-mail: rci@arsvcs.demon.co.uk
    2. Superior Software
      PO Box 6,
      Brigg,
      North Lincolnshire, DN20 9NH
      Tel: 01652 658585
    3. Stuart Tyrrell Developments
      PO Box 183
      OLDHAM, OL2 8FB
      Tel: 0845 458 8803
      Orange: 0976 255 256 (9am-9pm)
      E-mail: info@stdevel.demon.co.uk
      WWW: http://www.stdevel.demon.co.uk/
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