Popular games published by company Rainbird
Carrier Command is a landmark 1980s computer game available on Amiga, Atari ST, PC, ZX Spectrum, Apple Macintosh, Commodore 64 and Amstrad CPC computers. Described by The Games Machine as a "seminal game destined to change the state of gaming", Carrier Command won accolades from across the industry.
The setting is the world following the end of the nuclear winter scenario from the first Midwinter game. Players take on the role of Atlantic Federation's covert operative working to liberate a chain of tropical Slave Isles from the oppressive Saharan Empire, who run the African continent.
Starglider is a 3D video game released in 1986 by Rainbird. It was developed by Argonaut Software, led by programmer Jez San. The game was inspired by Jez San's love of the 1983 Atari coin-op Star Wars. It was followed in 1988 by a sequel, Starglider 2.
Midwinter is a post-apocalyptic first-person action role-playing game with strategy and survival elements for the Atari ST, Amiga and PC. It was designed by Mike Singleton and was released in 1989 by Microplay Software. The game was critically acclaimed and commercially successful enough to get a sequel titled Flames of Freedom in 1991. A remake (as of April 2014) is currently in development.
The aim of this interactive fiction is to escape from the land of Kerovnia, where strange occurrences are routine. QL Pawn features a command interpreter which allows a very free use of English language instructions - it understands a wide range of words and accepts complex grammatical constructions.
Myth is set in Ancient Greece, place of myth and legend. Hence the title. You are are Poseidon, the Sea God. You have to journey to the Underworld to get the Dark Helment of Hades.
The aim of this interactive fiction with graphics is to escape from the land of Kerovnia, where strange occurrences are routine. The Roobikyoub dwarves have been banished from the kingdom, which is not good as they produce high-quality whisky. King Erik is not popular for this decision, as some feel that ale brewers and mineral water bottlers have influenced him. Honest John the trader and Kronos the Magician play a key role in your journey, each offering sub-quests to attempt. The package includes a novella complete with map and decipherable hints, which are accessed by typing 'hint' followed by the code into the computer. Therefore, those with only a pirated copy would struggle to complete the game. Your score and the number of locations visited are both displayed in the title bar. The parser allows whole words to be deleted and unaccepted previous entries to be re-edited.
Command armies in past battles such as Gettysburg or the Battle of Hastings and in futuristic battles as well.
Just when a man thinks his luck is running out, things start getting even worse. He gets run over by a bus. Sprayed with cheese sandwich by a supernatural being. Smashed against a tunnel by a speeding train. He gets incinerated, widdled on, folded, bent, spindled, mutilated and generally mucked about with. And in return? He gets the leading role in a perplexing, hilarious race against time and chance, set in a jinxed land menaced by the impending death of good fortune. Look on the bright side - it could be your luckiest move yet. Don't expect tiresome trolls, obvious orcs, silly spells and wet, wimpish witches in JINXTER. Infuriating, enchanting, absurd and hilarious by turns, JINXTER will surprise you with every move you make. But don't forget: every silver lining has a cloud.
The chronicles of Anar have long told the legend of a mystical sword, and its accompanying shield whose magical aura protected the inhabitants of Anar for many centuries. The sword and shield were supposedly guarded by the ancient Corsarians, but their existence, and possible whereabouts are now purely part of folklore. The evil wizard Suzar has assembled a fighting force of mutated humanoids and plunged the kingdom into a state of fear. An entire army of brave warriors has already perished at the hands of the wicked wizard, and only with the combined power of the legendary sword and shield is it possible to defeat the dark forces that are suffocating the land. Having been summoned before King Darius and the High Council of Anar, you and five other loyal men volunteer to find the enchanted sword and shield, and destroy Suzar before he is able to amass an army large enough to enslave Anar, and the rest of the world... ...and so you come to team up with motley band of hardened adventurers on your quest to seek out the sword and shield, as the chronicles have foretold.
A severely ill man is on the operating table when a Daemon named Emily trapping you in your own subconscious. To escape you must find four orbs, which are trapped within a selection of esoteric mini-games set within the darkest Dali-influenced recesses of the mind. Weird Dreams is a third-person game with action and puzzle elements. The game contains bizarre levels and unorthodox activities, including feeding a wasp cotton candy, beating up hopping totem poles with fish from the sky, and an encounter with a baked chicken in a haunted house. The game comes with a "short novel" that explains the plot in detail and serves as copy protection.
Inter-Dimensional Espionage. Inter-Dimensional... because you can "warp" into the body of a living thing in this or any other dimension. Espionage... because there are good guys and bad. And you're a good one... with years under your belt and a multitude of successful missions behind your dark glasses. The payoff? You get a vacation, and the ultimate vacation in this business is to become a goldfish. Yes, a goldfish. Hey, it's cushy. You swim a little, eat a little, live in a castle. (So what if it's plastic.) Just as you were getting into the vacation mode (umbrella drink and all), the tide turns. The most dangerous group of inter-dimensional anarchists surface - the Seven Deadly Fins. This septic septet will stop at nothing to destroy all forms of life as we know it. And wouldn't you know it, you are drafted to stop them!
The bloodiest battles yield the greatest spoils. Strategically extend your domain, reduce your rivals' resources, and tighten your stranglehold on the peasants of the land. Betrayal involves a long, hard, ruthless struggle, starting with the economic management of your towns and cultivation of your lands, culminating in the honing of your military strategy and execution of political subterfuge. The West Marches is a corrupt land ruled by immoral leaders. You are one of four Knights with a lust for power. And in the pursuit of power, the end justifies the means. Develop a mastery of political subterfuge, gaining places for your Courtiers at the palaces of the King and Bishop, ready for the coup which will make you the master of Betrayal. The towns provide your power base. Manage them successfully, and harvest the wealth needed to buy, bribe and fight for ultimate power.
Power. Profit. Double-Dealing and Deceit. The name of the game is Corruption. Written by Magnetic Scrolls, the home of classics like The Pawn and The Guild of Thieves, it's a fast-paced thriller, a battle of wits and wills like nothing else you've played. With extraordinary graphics and an amazing vocabulary, it's illustrated interactive fiction at its best! Compelling adventure tests your skill at manipulating characters and extracting information to solve the puzzle. Expansive vocabulary lets you interact with over 15 characters in everyday language. Powerful graphics reflecting the financial world and underworld of London. Recommended for adult minds only.
Starglider II is a sci-fi flight simulator and space combat game.
Knight Orc is a standard text adventure game, with limited graphics on some platforms, by Level 9 released in 1987. It comes with a short novella by Peter McBride ("The Sign of the Orc") explaining the background to the story. After a night of heavy drinking with friends, Grindleguts the orc awakes to find himself strapped to a horse and about to joust with a human knight. His "friends" are nowhere to be seen, and he must somehow escape from his predicament and get even with them. Grindleguts must survive in a world of hostile humans while seeking revenge against his tormentors. After the first chapter, the game switches to science fiction setting where Grindleguts is revelaled to be a malfunctioning non-player character in a futuristic MMORPG. Using his power of transitioning between fantasy and reality, he convinces several other bots to join him, and escapes from the simulated reality facility.
The Guild of Thieves is an interactive fiction game by Magnetic Scrolls first published by Rainbird in 1987. The game also takes place in Kerovnia like the previous game The Pawn. The player's character is "an aspiring member of the infamous Guild of Thieves" and is to steal all the valuables that can be found in and around an island castle. The game features "extremely atmospheric" descriptions and 30 artistic renditions of key locations. Included in the game package are a faux newsletter of the Guild of Thieves titled What Burglar providing instructions and hints for the game, a Bank of Kerovnia Trading Account Card, a guild contract detailing the arrangement between the player's character and the Guild of Thieves and small dice.