Superior Software
Encyclopedia
Superior Software is a video game publisher
. It was established in 1982 by Richard Hanson and John Dyson, two graduates of the University of Leeds
, England
. They had previously programmed software published by Micro Power
, and they wrote Superior's first four game releases for the BBC Micro
: three were written by Hanson and one by Dyson.
Superior initially focused on the machines of Acorn Computers Ltd. Key management personnel have included Steve Botterill, Chris Payne and Steve Hanson.
Major software developers Peter Johnson, Tim Tyler, Martin Edmondson, Nicholas Chamberlain, Kevin Edwards, David Hoskins, Matthew Atkinson, Chris Roberts, Tony Oakden, Peter Scott, Gary Partis, Peter Irvin, Jeremy Smith, David Braben
, Ian Bell
, Geoff Crammond
, Jonathan Griffiths and Nick Pelling
have all produced software published by Superior, sometimes released under the joint Superior Software / Acornsoft
brandname.
; and they have released several updated versions of their popular 1980s hits for that operating system
.
Their most well-known games are the Repton
series of games, which sold over 125,000 units for the Acorn Computers:
Other notable Superior Software games for the BBC include Overdrive
, Citadel, Thrust, Galaforce, Ravenskull
, Stryker's Run, Codename: Droid (sequel to Stryker's Run), Palace of Magic
, Quest, Bonecruncher
, Pipeline
, Ricochet
and Exile.
As well as their high quality original games, Superior released a number of official BBC/Electron conversions of big games from other systems including Barbarian
, The Last Ninja
, Predator, Hostages and Sim City.
Superior used the title "Play It Again Sam" to re-release their old titles in compilations of four (with the exception of their earliest such compilations, The Superior Collection volumes 1–3). The original Play It Again Sam featured four games which had each made No. 1 individually (Citadel, Thrust
, Ravenskull
, and Stryker's Run), but subsequent compilations increasingly featured one or more makeweight games of lesser quality, mainly purchased from other software houses such as Micro Power and Alligata. The series eventually ran to approximately 18, though the latest ones were released on disc only, well into the demise of the 8-bit scene, and very few copies were sold.
As well as new versions of the Repton games, Superior Interactive has published re-releases called Galaforce Worlds, Ravenskull
, Pipeline Plus, Ricochet and a new game Solid Spheres Deluxe.
Superior also published a number of educational and utility software titles.
Video game publisher
A video game publisher is a company that publishes video games that they have either developed internally or have had developed by a video game developer....
. It was established in 1982 by Richard Hanson and John Dyson, two graduates of the University of Leeds
University of Leeds
The University of Leeds is a British Redbrick university located in the city of Leeds, West Yorkshire, England...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. They had previously programmed software published by Micro Power
Micro Power
Micro Power was a British company established in the early 1980s, best known as a video game publisher but they also produced and sold many types of computer hardware and software through their Leeds...
, and they wrote Superior's first four game releases for the BBC Micro
BBC Micro
The BBC Microcomputer System, or BBC Micro, was a series of microcomputers and associated peripherals designed and built by Acorn Computers for the BBC Computer Literacy Project, operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation...
: three were written by Hanson and one by Dyson.
History
Describing the early days, Hanson commented:"We set up Superior Software with just £100 — John and I each put £50 into a company bank account; and we placed a small black-and-white advertisement in one of the early home computer magazines ... £100 was the most money that we would lose from the Superior Software venture if it had not worked out. Anyway we received a very good response to our first advertisement, and the software sales which it generated covered the cost of the advertisement several times over. We started to place larger advertisements in a few magazines, and invited other programmers to send their software to us for evaluation and possible marketing by us."
Superior initially focused on the machines of Acorn Computers Ltd. Key management personnel have included Steve Botterill, Chris Payne and Steve Hanson.
Major software developers Peter Johnson, Tim Tyler, Martin Edmondson, Nicholas Chamberlain, Kevin Edwards, David Hoskins, Matthew Atkinson, Chris Roberts, Tony Oakden, Peter Scott, Gary Partis, Peter Irvin, Jeremy Smith, David Braben
David Braben
David John Braben is a British computer programmer, best known for co-writing Elite, a hugely popular and influential space trading computer game, in the early 1980s.-Life and work:...
, Ian Bell
Ian Bell (programmer)
Ian Colin Graham Bell is a game programmer, game designer and game producer. He is most famous for co-authoring the computer game Elite .He attended the independent St Albans School...
, Geoff Crammond
Geoff Crammond
Geoff Crammond is a computer game designer and programmer who specialises in motor racing games. A former defense industry systems engineer, he claims to have had little interest in motor racing before programming his first racing game back in 1984, but he holds a physics degree, which may explain...
, Jonathan Griffiths and Nick Pelling
Nick Pelling
Nick Pelling is a British-born computer programmer, best known for a series of 1980s computer games for the BBC Micro written under the nom-de-plume Orlando M. Pilchard. He was educated at Brentwood School, and has both a BSc in Maths and Philosophy and an MBA with Distinction...
have all produced software published by Superior, sometimes released under the joint Superior Software / Acornsoft
Acornsoft
Acornsoft was the software arm of Acorn Computers Ltd, and a major publisher of software for the BBC Micro and Acorn Electron. As well as games, they also produced a large number of educational titles, extra computer languages and business and utility packages - these included ROM-based word...
brandname.
Releases
Superior, under the brandname Superior Interactive, now mainly develops and publishes software for computers running Microsoft WindowsMicrosoft Windows
Microsoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...
; and they have released several updated versions of their popular 1980s hits for that operating system
Operating system
An operating system is a set of programs that manage computer hardware resources and provide common services for application software. The operating system is the most important type of system software in a computer system...
.
Their most well-known games are the Repton
Repton (computer game)
Repton is a computer game originally developed by 15-year-old Briton Tim Tyler for the BBC Micro and Acorn Electron and released by Superior Software in 1985. The game spawned a series of follow up games which were released throughout the 1980s. The series sold around 125,000 copies between 1985...
series of games, which sold over 125,000 units for the Acorn Computers:
- ReptonRepton (computer game)Repton is a computer game originally developed by 15-year-old Briton Tim Tyler for the BBC Micro and Acorn Electron and released by Superior Software in 1985. The game spawned a series of follow up games which were released throughout the 1980s. The series sold around 125,000 copies between 1985...
(retitled Repton 1 for the Windows rerelease) - Repton 2
- Repton 3 and its extra levels expansions (all included under the Repton 3 name in rereleases):
- Around the World in 40 Screens
- The Life of Repton
- Repton Thru Time
- Repton Infinity
- Repton Spectacular (includes levels for Repton and Repton 2)
Other notable Superior Software games for the BBC include Overdrive
Overdrive (video game)
Overdrive is an arcade-style motor racing game which was written by Peter Johnson for the Acorn Electron and BBC Micro and released in 1984 by Superior Software....
, Citadel, Thrust, Galaforce, Ravenskull
Ravenskull (computer game)
Ravenskull is a British computer game, of the graphic adventure genre, originally developed by Martin Edmondson & Nicholas Chamberlain for the BBC Micro and Acorn Electron and released by Superior Software in 1986...
, Stryker's Run, Codename: Droid (sequel to Stryker's Run), Palace of Magic
Palace of Magic
Palace of Magic is a computer game released in 1987 for the Acorn Electron and BBC Micro by Superior Software. Combining platform elements with problem solving, it uses extremely similar gameplay principles to that of the earlier and better known game, Citadel.The game begins with your character in...
, Quest, Bonecruncher
Bonecruncher
Bonecruncher is a computer game published by Superior Software in 1987 for the BBC Micro, Commodore 64, Commodore Amiga and Acorn Electron.-Summary:thumb|left|In-game screenshot...
, Pipeline
Pipeline (game)
Pipeline is a computer game for the BBC Micro and Acorn Electron, originally published by Superior Software in 1989.-Storyline:The game is a fast four-way scrolling arcade adventure with a look similar to previous Superior hits Repton and Ravenskull, but with a higher frame rate...
, Ricochet
Ricochet (computer game)
Ricochet is an arcade adventure game, originally written for the BBC Micro and Acorn Electron home computers, published by Superior Software in 1989. It was written by Neil Davidson and David Williams, with some graphics work by Nik Weston and Guy Burt....
and Exile.
As well as their high quality original games, Superior released a number of official BBC/Electron conversions of big games from other systems including Barbarian
Barbarian (computer game)
Barbarian: The Ultimate Warrior is a video game first released for Commodore 64 personal computers in 1987; the title was developed and published by Palace Software, and ported to other computers in the following months. The developers licensed the game to Epyx, who published it as Death Sword in...
, The Last Ninja
The Last Ninja
The Last Ninja is an action-adventure game developed and published by System 3 in 1987 for the Commodore 64. As the first in the Last Ninja series, it set the standard for the unique look and feel for its sequels: Last Ninja 2 , Last Ninja Remix and Last Ninja 3...
, Predator, Hostages and Sim City.
Superior used the title "Play It Again Sam" to re-release their old titles in compilations of four (with the exception of their earliest such compilations, The Superior Collection volumes 1–3). The original Play It Again Sam featured four games which had each made No. 1 individually (Citadel, Thrust
Thrust (computer game)
Thrust is a computer game originally for the BBC Micro and Acorn Electron. The perspective is 2 dimensional platform-based and the player's aim is to maneuver a spaceship by rotating and thrusting, as it flies over a landscape and along corridors....
, Ravenskull
Ravenskull (computer game)
Ravenskull is a British computer game, of the graphic adventure genre, originally developed by Martin Edmondson & Nicholas Chamberlain for the BBC Micro and Acorn Electron and released by Superior Software in 1986...
, and Stryker's Run), but subsequent compilations increasingly featured one or more makeweight games of lesser quality, mainly purchased from other software houses such as Micro Power and Alligata. The series eventually ran to approximately 18, though the latest ones were released on disc only, well into the demise of the 8-bit scene, and very few copies were sold.
As well as new versions of the Repton games, Superior Interactive has published re-releases called Galaforce Worlds, Ravenskull
Ravenskull (computer game)
Ravenskull is a British computer game, of the graphic adventure genre, originally developed by Martin Edmondson & Nicholas Chamberlain for the BBC Micro and Acorn Electron and released by Superior Software in 1986...
, Pipeline Plus, Ricochet and a new game Solid Spheres Deluxe.
Superior also published a number of educational and utility software titles.
External links
- Superior Interactive website
- Superior Interactive profile from MobyGamesMobyGames-Platforms not yet included:- Further reading :* Rusel DeMaria, Johnny L. Wilson, High Score!: The Illustrated History of Electronic Games, McGraw-Hill/Osborne Media; 2 edition , ISBN 0-07-223172-6...