Soft Aid
Encyclopedia
Soft Aid was a Charity
Computer Game Software edition,
released by Quicksilva
in late 1985 to support the Famine Relief
in Ethiopia
. The software was released on tape
for the ZX Spectrum
computer and the Commodore 64
.
On one side of the tape, as well as games, the charity single, Do They Know It's Christmas?
by Band Aid
was also available if the tape was played (at this point) on an audio tape recorder
.
The tape was unusual in that it was released to help support a charity (possibly unique in computer gaming at the time). To help bring home this point, the cover featured an artwork by British artist David Rowe, showing a desert landscape, a bright blue sky (upon which the Soft Aid title was written in yellow scrawl, and a sub-title of Feed the world written in red), a tree (backed by distant mountains) and a person of indeterminate gender, clearly representing the starving people of Ethiopia, sitting on the desert, with their head on one hand. It also listed the games found on the tape for both games systems.
The tape sold in the United Kingdom
for £4.99
ZX Spectrum
games were available on the tape:-
games were available:-
Charity (practice)
The practice of charity means the voluntary giving of help to those in need who are not related to the giver.- Etymology :The word "charity" entered the English language through the Old French word "charité" which was derived from the Latin "caritas".Originally in Latin the word caritas meant...
Computer Game Software edition,
released by Quicksilva
Quicksilva
Quicksilva was a British games software publisher active during the early 1980s.Amongst the company's successes were Jeff Minter's Gridrunner and Bugaboo , a title licenced from Spanish software house Indescomp S.A....
in late 1985 to support the Famine Relief
Famine relief
Famine relief is an organized effort to reduce starvation in a region in which there is famine. A famine is a phenomenon in which a large proportion of the population of a region or country are so undernourished that death by starvation becomes increasingly common...
in Ethiopia
Ethiopia
Ethiopia , officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 82 million inhabitants, and the tenth-largest by area, occupying 1,100,000 km2...
. The software was released on tape
Magnetic tape
Magnetic tape is a medium for magnetic recording, made of a thin magnetizable coating on a long, narrow strip of plastic. It was developed in Germany, based on magnetic wire recording. Devices that record and play back audio and video using magnetic tape are tape recorders and video tape recorders...
for the ZX Spectrum
ZX Spectrum
The ZX Spectrum is an 8-bit personal home computer released in the United Kingdom in 1982 by Sinclair Research Ltd...
computer and the Commodore 64
Commodore 64
The Commodore 64 is an 8-bit home computer introduced by Commodore International in January 1982.Volume production started in the spring of 1982, with machines being released on to the market in August at a price of US$595...
.
On one side of the tape, as well as games, the charity single, Do They Know It's Christmas?
Do They Know It's Christmas?
"Do They Know It's Christmas?" is a song written by Bob Geldof and Midge Ure in 1984 to raise money for relief of the 1984–1985 famine in Ethiopia. The original version was produced by Midge Ure and released by Band Aid on 29 November 1984....
by Band Aid
Band Aid (band)
Band Aid was a charity supergroup featuring British and Irish musicians and recording artists. It was founded in 1984 by Bob Geldof and Midge Ure to raise money for famine relief in Ethiopia by releasing the song "Do They Know It's Christmas?" for the Christmas market that year. The single...
was also available if the tape was played (at this point) on an audio tape recorder
Tape recorder
An audio tape recorder, tape deck, reel-to-reel tape deck, cassette deck or tape machine is an audio storage device that records and plays back sounds, including articulated voices, usually using magnetic tape, either wound on a reel or in a cassette, for storage...
.
The tape was unusual in that it was released to help support a charity (possibly unique in computer gaming at the time). To help bring home this point, the cover featured an artwork by British artist David Rowe, showing a desert landscape, a bright blue sky (upon which the Soft Aid title was written in yellow scrawl, and a sub-title of Feed the world written in red), a tree (backed by distant mountains) and a person of indeterminate gender, clearly representing the starving people of Ethiopia, sitting on the desert, with their head on one hand. It also listed the games found on the tape for both games systems.
The tape sold in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
for £4.99
Sinclair ZX Spectrum
The following SinclairSinclair
Sinclair may refer to:Places:* Lake Sinclair, near Milledgeville, Georgia* Sinclair, Iowa* Sinclair, Wyoming* Sinclair Mills, British Columbia* Sinclair Township, MinnesotaPeople:* Sinclair , list of people with this surname...
ZX Spectrum
ZX Spectrum
The ZX Spectrum is an 8-bit personal home computer released in the United Kingdom in 1982 by Sinclair Research Ltd...
games were available on the tape:-
- Spellbound
- Starbike
- Kokotoni WilfKokotoni WilfKokotoni Wilf is an arcade adventure game released by Elite Systems in for the Amstrad CPC, Commodore 64 and ZX Spectrum home computers. The game was inspired by Jet Set Willy.- Gameplay :...
- The PyramidThe PyramidThe Pyramid is a small island south of Pitt Island in the Chatham Islands group of New Zealand....
- Horace Goes Skiing
- Gilligan's Gold
- Ant Attack
- 3d Tank Duel
- Jack and the Beanstalk
- Sorcery
Commodore 64
The following Commodore 64Commodore 64
The Commodore 64 is an 8-bit home computer introduced by Commodore International in January 1982.Volume production started in the spring of 1982, with machines being released on to the market in August at a price of US$595...
games were available:-
- GumshoeGumshoe (video game)Gumshoe is a video game developed and published by Nintendo for the NES and released on June 6, 1986 in North America, and on June 15, 1988 in Europe. Gumshoe is played using the NES Zapper. The game was designed by Yoshio Sakamoto.- Story :...
- BeamriderBeamriderBeamrider is a scrolling shooter designed for the Intellivision by Activision programmer David Rolfe. The game was then ported to the Atari 2600 , Atari 5200, Atari 8-bit, ColecoVision, Commodore 64, ZX Spectrum as well as the MSX platform.-Summary:Beamrider takes place above Earth's atmosphere,...
- Startrader
- Kokotoni WilfKokotoni WilfKokotoni Wilf is an arcade adventure game released by Elite Systems in for the Amstrad CPC, Commodore 64 and ZX Spectrum home computers. The game was inspired by Jet Set Willy.- Gameplay :...
- China Miner
- Gilligan's Gold
- FredFredFred may refer to:People:*Fred , pen name of French comics creator Fred Othon Aristidès*Fred Tuttle , American farmer from Vermont who ran for the U.S...
- Gyropod
- Falcon Patrol
- Flak