Popular games published by company Datasoft, Inc.
Zaxxon is a 1982 isometric shooter arcade game developed and released by Sega. The game gives the player the experience of flying a fighter craft through a fortress while shooting at enemy entities (missiles, enemy gunfire, etc.) The object of the game is to hit as many targets as possible without being shot down or running out of fuel, which can be replenished paradoxically, by blowing up fuel drums.
Pooyan is a classic arcade game manufactured by Stern Electronics under license from Konami in 1982. In it, the player controls "Mama", a pig whose babies have been kidnapped by a group of wolves.
Mr. Do! (ミスタードゥ Misutā Du?) is an arcade game created by Universal in 1982. Similar in some ways to Namco's popular Dig Dug title, Mr. Do! was also popular and saw release on a variety of home video game consoles and systems. It is the first game in the Mr. Do series, and was released both as a standalone game and as a conversion kit (released by Taito Corp.) for existing arcade cabinets. It was one of the first arcade games to be released as a conversion kit, and went on to sell 30,000 units in the United States.[1] It was remade in Japan as Neo Mr. Do! (ネオミスタードゥ Neo Misutā Du?). It was also a popular choice on the 1983 video arcade-based game show Starcade.
Based on the board game of the same name, 221 B Baker St. pits up to four players against each other in a race to solve mysteries set in Victorian London. After picking a character (Sherlock Holmes, Dr. Watson, Irene Adler, or Inspector Lestrade), players select one of the thirty available mysteries and read its case file in the game's manual. The case file presents the particulars of the case, mentions the people involved, and explains what the players need to deduce to win the game. Before solving the case, players must visit Scotland Yard for a badge. Players might also want to use a badge to lock a location with a useful clue, requiring other players to detour to the locksmith. Once a player believes they have solved the case, they must return to Baker Street and answer a quiz. If the player is incorrect, the other players can continue.
Journey forth, Conan the Barbarian, and traverse the evil wizard Volta's fortress.
The object is to navigate a virtual snake through an enclosed maze, while consuming dots along the way. The length of the snake increases with each object consumed, making the game more difficult. The player must also avoid colliding with walls or obstacles, and must also avoid colliding with the snake's own body sections. After all the objects on the screen have been eaten, the player progresses to the next wave, involving harder obstacles and/or higher game speeds.
Germany's massive dreadnought, Bismarck, sent Her Majesty's Ship Hood to the bottom of the icy Atlantic on the evening of 24 May 1941. Of the Hood's 1,415 crewmen, only 3 survived. Bismarck's guns are powerful enough to hurl automobile-sized shells for miles. With such awesome firepower, can she invincibly prowl the sea lanes? Can Britain stop her? Bismarck- The North Sea Chase is a taut, multi-level game featuring full joystick control; real-time action; and variable speed and difficulty levels. You're in charge of an exciting array of technical controls: Main Screen Map, Air Reconnaissance Screen, Weather Forecasting, Radar Search, Bridge Command and more! And when it's time for action, you direct the anti-aircraft and heavy guns; launch torpedo attacks; and manage damage control! If you tire of command from the bridge, you can pilot a Fairey Swordfish torpedo plane off a carrier flight deck. Hunt Bismarck from the air via this exciting, cockpit-perfect flight simulator. With options to control either The Royal Navy or the infamous German battleship, Bismarck-The North Sea Chase provides an abundance of intriguing, sharp-edged game play.
Try to climb to the top of the Grand Canyon, while avoiding various obstacles.
Tempest clone
A combination puzzle/action game from Datasoft. In each of the 100 levels, the player moves a crusader through an obstacle filled maze trying to reach the Saracen Chief and detonate a bomb next to him. The chief does not move, instead remaining in a set position. Along the way, he must avoid roaming guards, bouncing cannonballs, and other traps. The crusader is armed with a bow and can pick up directionally specific arrows that are used to stop guards or destroy walls. The arrows being limited to shooting in one of the four compass directions is exacerbated by only being able to carry one object (key, arrow or bomb) at a time. For these reasons, the game's puzzle leanings and the need for a methodical approach are strong. There is generally only one way to solve each level and proper use of the given tools is key to finding it.
Theatre Europe is a turn-based strategy video game developed and published by Personal Software Services. It was first released in the United Kingdom for the Commodore 64, ZX Spectrum, Amstrad CPC and Atari 8-bit home computers in 1985. It was later released in France by ERE Informatique in 1986, and was released in the United States by Datasoft later that year. It was also ported to the Tatung Einstein home computer in 1989, exclusively in the United Kingdom. It is the fifth instalment of the Strategic Wargames series. The game is set during a fictional war in Europe between NATO and the Warsaw Pact, in which both sides use nuclear and chemical weapons against each other. The main objective of the game is to fight conventional battles in continental Europe, whilst trying to avoid a worldwide nuclear holocaust. Throughout the game, various capital cities and their civilian populations will be destroyed by nuclear weapons; the game will only end once either side is forced to surrender or if the entire population of Europe perishes. In order to request a nuclear strike, the player was required to call a dedicated telephone number, which led to an automated message announcing the authorisation code. During development, the developers obtained extensive information and statistics of military strength from the Ministry of Defence and the Soviet embassy in London. Theatre Europe gained national controversy upon release, receiving criticism from both the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND) and The Sun newspaper. Some high street retail chains refused to sell the game upon release. Despite the controversy, the game received critical acclaim from reviewers. Praise was directed at its accuracy, playability and value for money. It won the "Best Strategy Game" award at the 1985 Golden Joystick Awards and was nominated for the "Game of the Year" title.
Players drive a car around a maze collecting greenbacks while being pursued by a number of police cars. Use dollar symbols to make your car invincible and put police cars temporarily out of action. The game uses a continuous loop tape with actual police band radio banter.
Juno First is a shoot 'em up originally developed and published by Konami Corporation for Arcades. The game was later published by Mylstar Electronics (US arcades), Datasoft Inc. (Atari 8-bit, PC Booter, and Commodore 64), and Sony Computer Entertainment Japan (MSX). Juno First is a top down, vertical scrolling shooter in which there is a limited amount of time to defeat the enemies in each wave. The players spaceship starts out with a laser that has a longer reach than the enemy weapons. The enemies start out firing a few bullets at the ship but the amount enemy fire rapidly increases as players progress through to the next waves. Certain enemies fire tracking missile-like projectiles that can shoot additional bullets.
A wireframe flight simulator based around the Apache AH-64 helicopter.
In Alternate Reality: The City, you are one of many people who have been abducted from earth by aliens and transported to an alternate dimension where you are dumped in a strange, yet familiar city. Your quest is to explore the city, and find the clues that will lead you to your captors and help you get back home. In addition to standard first-person RPG features of that era, like skills, stats, experience points and a repertoire of shops and places to visit, the game offers moral evaluation of your character, and depending on your actions you become good or evil, and that affects how the environment reacts to you. Encounters are not necessarily just resolved with the turn-based combat system, but you can also try to trick, charm or bribe opponents. The storyline is non-linear, for example allowing you to take a job in order to enhance a particular skill or just to pass away time.
In Force Seven, the player is in charge of a specially trained squadron which consists of seven crew members, all with different expertise. Their task is to infiltrate the energy production plant on the planet KARIS by rescuing any survivors and destroying any aliens that are holding them captive. The player is equipped with a flame thrower which they can use to destroy the aliens, but caution must be taken so that they do not destroy survivors by accident. If the player spends too much time in a room, a green alien appears in their exact location. It is invincible to shots, so the player needs to get away as soon as possible. If the player comes into contact with any aliens, their energy is depleted. When the player has no energy left, the crew member they are controlling dies, requiring them to select another member. Also in each room are supplies, and the player can stock up on more ammo, grenades, or health if required. Teleports around the facility warp the player to a room with a blueprint reader. Using this lets players either travel between the plant's six floors or to another area within the same floor.
Due to an engine malfunction, your spaceship crashes on the planet Targ. Unlike your trusty vessel, you survive the crash and now have to find a way to get away from this planet. But hey, while you're at it, you might as well try to get some money off your unplanned stay on Targ. You're a mercenary, and it just so happens that the two races on the planet are at war. So why not use that to your advantage and do some favors for each race... against cash? You play this game in a first-person perspective with vector graphics. There's a huge planet for you to explore, you can walk around on it or take airborne vehicles to reach elevated locations.
Armageddon Man casts you as the Supreme Commander of a future barely balanced Earth. The Earth has been split into 16 separate nuclear capable countries, such as the Black African Republic, Japan and European Unite, and it's your job to make sure it doesn't become lifeless.
A asteroid is hurtling towards earth, you must travel to Tibet and find Professor K.K. Renegade. Once you have found him you must convince him to help build a anti-asteroid deflector to save Earth from being utterly destroyed.
The Sands of Egypt is an adventure game. The story takes place in 1893, following a British explorer and archaeologist who is lost in the desert. Text commands are entered in the lower half of the screen, while a sometimes animated image of the current location is displayed in the upper half.
In this adaptation of Tom Clancy's popular novel, you play the part of Captain Marko Ramius attempting to defect to the US. Once into the Atlantic, you must rendezvous with the US Navy and fake the destruction of the Red October. Your crew is not aware of the defection -- but the Soviet Navy is, and will try to stop you at any cost.
As an Irish miner named Timothy O'Riley you must dig mines in search after valuable resources such as oil, diamonds and gold while you at the same time have to avoid evil creatures that dwell underground.
When a game is faithful to the poor writing and wildly implausible plot conventions of a soap opera, does that make it a bad game or an effective adaptation of its source material? In any case, this game situates you as a private investigator hired by Sue Ellen to find a map to hidden oil fields, in hopes to accumulate enough wealth to escape the sinister influence of J.R. You snoop around the grounds of the South Fork Ranch, superficially interacting with much-loved characters from the TV show and an assortment of extras from the animal kingdom. So far, so good. Your travels ultimately lead you to the jungles around Playa Peligro, in South America, where you overcome a series of obstacles by using various techniques, but mostly by doping a friendly monkey with tobacco -- a firm reminder that we're descending beneath even soap opera plot conflicts and sitting squarely in an early-'80s text adventure game, with all of the internal logic-twisting that entails.