Adventure A: Planet of Death

Adventure A: Planet of Death
Cover art by Tony Roberts[1]
Developer(s)	Artic Computing
Publisher(s)	Artic Computing
Designer(s)	Richard Turner Chris A. Thornton[2]
Platform(s)	ZX80, ZX81, ZX Spectrum, Commodore 64, Amstrad CPC
Release	1981: ZX80, ZX81 1982: Spectrum 1984: C64 1985: Amstrad CPC
Genre(s)	Interactive fiction
Mode(s)	Single-player

Adventure A: Planet of Death is a text adventure from Artic Computing published for the ZX80 and ZX81 in 1981.[3][2] Releases followed for the ZX Spectrum (1982), Commodore 64 (1984), and Amstrad CPC (1985). The game was followed by Adventures B, C, D, E, F, G, and H.[4]

Adventure A was re-released for iOS and Android.

Plot

The player takes over the role of a spaceship pilot who is stranded on an alien planet. The aim is to escape from this planet by finding his or her captured and disabled spaceship.

Development

In 2013 a game version for iOS devices was released.[5] An Android version followed in 2020.

Reception

Crash magazine wrote that the game was "good value", complimenting its tone as "atmospheric" and "chilling".[6] British magazine Home Computing Weekly reported that Planet of Death followed a traditional adventure format. The magazine depicted the parser as fast but primitive. Editor Ray Elder judged that solving the game's puzzles was a very satisfying experience for him, make him "love" the game.[7]

References

1. "Gallery Two". Tony Roberts Art. Tony Roberts. Retrieved 11 January 2023.
2. A Planet of Death at SpectrumComputing.co.uk
3. "Adventure on the ZX-80". Your Computer. No. 2. IPC. August 1981. p. 8. Retrieved 21 February 2024.
4. "Artic Computing". adventure.if-legends.org. Retrieved November 25, 2017.
5. "Adventure 'A' - Planet of Death". OpenRetro.org. Retrieved 2023-05-16.
6. "World of Spectrum - Crash-1". World of Spectrum. Archived from the original on February 9, 2018. Retrieved November 25, 2017.
7. Elder, Ray (1983-03-08). "Software Reviews: Planet of Death". Home Computing Weekly. London: Argus Press. p. 21.

External links

• Adventure A: Planet of Death in the Interactive Fiction Database