Telarium
Encyclopedia
Telarium Corporation
(formerly Trillium) was a subsidiary of Spinnaker Software
. The corporation was founded in 1984 and went defunct in 1987. The headquarters were in Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA. President of Telarium was C. David Seuss, the founder and CEO of Spinnaker Software.
s. The games belonged to the genre of interactive fiction
with graphics. One game (Shadowkeep) was also a role-playing video game
. They were based on works of literature in the literary genres science fiction
, fantasy
, crime fiction
and legal drama
. Often they were developed in cooperation with established writer
s. The game developement was a part of Spinnakers marketing strategie in the adventure game market in the 1980s: Target groups of Telarium adventures were grown-up players and target groups of Windham Classics
, another Spinnaker subsidiary, were children. The development was managed by Seth Godin
.
Two more adventure games were annonced, but not published (Starman Jones, based on a science fiction novel by Robert A. Heinlein
, and The Great Adventure, based on a science fiction novel by Philip Jose Farmer
).
Corporation
A corporation is created under the laws of a state as a separate legal entity that has privileges and liabilities that are distinct from those of its members. There are many different forms of corporations, most of which are used to conduct business. Early corporations were established by charter...
(formerly Trillium) was a subsidiary of Spinnaker Software
Spinnaker Software
Spinnaker Software was a 1982 founded software company known primarily for its line of non-curriculum based educational software, which was a major seller during the 1980s. It was founded by chairman Bill Bowman and president C. David Seuss....
. The corporation was founded in 1984 and went defunct in 1987. The headquarters were in Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA. President of Telarium was C. David Seuss, the founder and CEO of Spinnaker Software.
Adventure games
Telarium published eight adventure gameAdventure game
An adventure game is a video game in which the player assumes the role of protagonist in an interactive story driven by exploration and puzzle-solving instead of physical challenge. The genre's focus on story allows it to draw heavily from other narrative-based media such as literature and film,...
s. The games belonged to the genre of interactive fiction
Interactive fiction
Interactive fiction, often abbreviated IF, describes software simulating environments in which players use text commands to control characters and influence the environment. Works in this form can be understood as literary narratives and as video games. In common usage, the term refers to text...
with graphics. One game (Shadowkeep) was also a role-playing video game
Role-playing video game
Role-playing video games are a video game genre with origins in pen-and-paper role-playing games such as Dungeons & Dragons, using much of the same terminology, settings and game mechanics. The player in RPGs controls one character, or several adventuring party members, fulfilling one or many quests...
. They were based on works of literature in the literary genres science fiction
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
, fantasy
Fantasy
Fantasy is a genre of fiction that commonly uses magic and other supernatural phenomena as a primary element of plot, theme, or setting. Many works within the genre take place in imaginary worlds where magic is common...
, crime fiction
Crime fiction
Crime fiction is the literary genre that fictionalizes crimes, their detection, criminals and their motives. It is usually distinguished from mainstream fiction and other genres such as science fiction or historical fiction, but boundaries can be, and indeed are, blurred...
and legal drama
Legal drama
A legal drama is a work of dramatic fiction about crime and civil litigation. Subtypes of legal dramas include courtroom dramas and legal thrillers, and come in all forms, including novels, television shows, and films. Legal drama sometimes overlap with crime drama, most notably in the case of Law...
. Often they were developed in cooperation with established writer
Writer
A writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....
s. The game developement was a part of Spinnakers marketing strategie in the adventure game market in the 1980s: Target groups of Telarium adventures were grown-up players and target groups of Windham Classics
Windham Classics
Windham Classics Corporation was a subsidiary of Spinnaker Software. The corporation was founded in 1984 and went defunct circa 1985/86 or later. The headquarters were in Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA.- Adventure games :...
, another Spinnaker subsidiary, were children. The development was managed by Seth Godin
Seth Godin
Seth Godin is an American entrepreneur, author and public speaker. Godin popularized the topic of permission marketing.-Background:...
.
- AmazonAmazon (video game)Amazon is an interactive fiction computer game with graphics. The game was published by Telarium , a subsidiary of Spinnaker Software, in the year 1984 and written by Michael Crichton. The story is partly based on his novel Congo....
, 1984 (written by Michael CrichtonMichael CrichtonJohn Michael Crichton , best known as Michael Crichton, was an American best-selling author, producer, director, and screenwriter, best known for his work in the science fiction, medical fiction, and thriller genres. His books have sold over 200 million copies worldwide, and many have been adapted...
, partly based upon his novel CongoCongo (novel)Congo is a 1980 science fiction novel by Michael Crichton. The novel centers on an expedition searching for diamonds and inspecting the mysterious deaths of the previous expedition in the dense rain forest of Congo...
) - Fahrenheit 451, 1984 (developed in corporation with Ray BradburyRay BradburyRay Douglas Bradbury is an American fantasy, horror, science fiction, and mystery writer. Best known for his dystopian novel Fahrenheit 451 and for the science fiction stories gathered together as The Martian Chronicles and The Illustrated Man , Bradbury is one of the most celebrated among 20th...
and based upon his science fiction novel Fahrenheit 451Fahrenheit 451Fahrenheit 451 is a 1953 dystopian novel by Ray Bradbury. The novel presents a future American society where reading is outlawed and firemen start fires to burn books...
. Bradbury contributeted a sequel to the game) - Rendezvous with RamaRendezvous with Rama (video game)Rendezvous with Rama is an interactive fiction computer game with graphics.-Summary:The game was published by Telarium , a subsidiary of Spinnaker Software, in the year 1984. The game was developed in corporation with Arthur C...
, 1984 (developed in corporation with Arthur C. ClarkeArthur C. ClarkeSir Arthur Charles Clarke, CBE, FRAS was a British science fiction author, inventor, and futurist, famous for his short stories and novels, among them 2001: A Space Odyssey, and as a host and commentator in the British television series Mysterious World. For many years, Robert A. Heinlein,...
and based upon his science fiction novel Rendezvous with RamaRendezvous with RamaRendezvous with Rama is a novel by Arthur C. Clarke first published in 1972. Set in the 22nd century, the story involves a cylindrical alien starship that enters Earth's solar system...
. Clarke contributed a different ending to the game) - DragonworldDragonworld (video game)Dragonworld is an interactive fiction computer game with graphics. The game was published by Telarium , a subsidiary of Spinnaker Software, in the year 1984. The game was written by Byron Preiss and Michael Reaves...
, 1984 (written by Byron PreissByron PreissByron Preiss was an American writer, editor, and publisher. He founded and served as president of Byron Preiss Visual Publications, and later of iBooks.-Early life and career:...
and Michael Reaves, based upon their fantasy novel Dragonworld) - ShadowkeepShadowkeep (video game)Shadowkeep is an role playing video game and interactive fiction computer game with graphics. The game was published by Telarium , a subsidiary of Spinnaker Software, in the year 1984...
, 1984 (first video game that inspired a novel: Shadowkeep, Warner Books 1984 by Alan Dean FosterAlan Dean FosterAlan Dean Foster is an American author of fantasy and science fiction. He currently resides in Prescott, Arizona, with his wife, and is also known for his novelizations of film scripts...
). - Perry Mason: The Case of the Mandarin Murder, 1985 (based upon the fictional defense attorney Perry MasonPerry MasonPerry Mason is a fictional character, a defense attorney who was the main character in works of detective fiction authored by Erle Stanley Gardner. Perry Mason was featured in more than 80 novels and short stories, most of which had a plot involving his client's murder trial...
, authored by Erle Stanley GardnerErle Stanley GardnerErle Stanley Gardner was an American lawyer and author of detective stories, best known for the Perry Mason series, he also published under the pseudonyms A.A. Fair, Kyle Corning, Charles M. Green, Carleton Kendrake, Charles J...
) - Nine Princes in AmberNine Princes in Amber (video game)Nine Princes in Amber is an interactive fiction computer game with graphics. The game was published by Telarium , a subsidiary of Spinnaker Software, in the year 1985. The game is based upon the fantasy novels Nine Princes in Amber and The Guns of Avalon by Roger Zelazny.- Gameplay :The...
(based upon the fantasy novels Nine Princes in AmberNine Princes in AmberNine Princes in Amber is a new wave fantasy novel and the first in the Chronicles of Amber series by Roger Zelazny. It was first published in 1970. The book has also spawned a computer game of the same name...
and The Guns of AvalonThe Guns of AvalonThe Guns of Avalon is the second book in the Chronicles of Amber series by Roger Zelazny. The book continues straight from the previous volume, Nine Princes in Amber, although it soon includes a recap.-Setting:...
by Roger ZelaznyRoger ZelaznyRoger Joseph Zelazny was an American writer of fantasy and science fiction short stories and novels, best known for his The Chronicles of Amber series...
) - The ScoopThe Scoop (video game)The Scoop is a mystery adventure game published by Telarium , a subsidiary of Spinnaker Software, in 1986 for Apple II and rereleased by Spinnaker Software in 1989 for DOS....
, written 1986 and rerelased by Spinnaker Software 1989 (based upon the detective serials The Scoop and Behind the ScreenThe Scoop and Behind The ScreenThe Scoop & Behind The Screen are both collaborative detective serials written by members of the Detection Club which were broadcast weekly by their authors on the BBC National Programme in 1930 and 1931 with the scripts then being published in The Listener within a week after broadcast...
by Agatha ChristieAgatha ChristieDame Agatha Christie DBE was a British crime writer of novels, short stories, and plays. She also wrote romances under the name Mary Westmacott, but she is best remembered for her 66 detective novels and 14 short story collections , and her successful West End plays.According to...
et al.)
Two more adventure games were annonced, but not published (Starman Jones, based on a science fiction novel by Robert A. Heinlein
Robert A. Heinlein
Robert Anson Heinlein was an American science fiction writer. Often called the "dean of science fiction writers", he was one of the most influential and controversial authors of the genre. He set a standard for science and engineering plausibility and helped to raise the genre's standards of...
, and The Great Adventure, based on a science fiction novel by Philip Jose Farmer
Philip José Farmer
Philip José Farmer was an American author, principally known for his award-winning science fiction and fantasy novels and short stories....
).