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T Ue~!~~~Sterstm- ~ Vol t ue~!~~~stersTM- ~ Vol. vrn,#3 March, 1991 $2:50 CinemaWare sale sunk, company still djlQat t was the best of times, major projects was so high, on MSDOS. It's supposed to nine titles that went I it was the worst of times we couldn't do it with a staff . have over 100 worlds, Platinum, three were quest­ - it was the computer our size. desigtl and interface oriented games: Bard's Tale games industry. It was "All our sales are fine," enhancements, and three (407,000), Starjlight CinemaWare and Jacobs says, refuting rumors former employees in each (264,000) and Populous MicroProse "retrenching" by of impending bankruptcy box. Also produced at (292,000). freeing a total of 55 and a garage sale at his Paragon is Twilight 2000, employees from the burden house next Tuesday. "We another pencil and paper Railroad Tycoon: and pain of having to show have five computer games in RPG converted for MSDOS. The Book up at work every day. production for Amiga and A post-WW3 scenario, it is QB publisher and "real Neither company attributes mM, and five videogames." expected this spring. railfan" Shay Addams has the actions to declining HecallsCW The Amiga version of Bane written his first game book software sales. "nondenominational, " of the Cosmic Forge arrived, that's not about a quest. His meaning they'll support all in ye official box (we saw strategy boOk on Railroad the videogame machines. Dirty Dancing dozens of beta versions). Tycoon is on the way from CW cut loose 25 employees, SSI's Mac version of Azure Firings at CinemaWare Osborne-McGraw Hill, so · of which 14 were in product followed several Bonds also showed up. accept no soybean substitute. development, "mostly in unsuccessful attempts to sell (Addams is so far the only multi-media," leaving a staff the company. First Columbia Ceccola on cable person to beat the game at of about 15. (the motion picture Ace QB reviewer Russ 100% while blindfolded, company, not the South Ceccola will soon be basing all his moves solely American country) MicroProse opens haunting you on TV too. He on the sound effects.) approached CinemaWare, Mideast office just signed up to do the but that deal dissipated after Meanwhile, on the East games segment on Software Collectors item several months of talks. Coast, MicroProse released Review, a cable show. (We Then, says Bob Jacobs, Origin will not be reprinting 35 hostages from their work tried to convince them to the first volume of Quest for CW president, Electronic stations, mainly from the call it The Pe,e Wee Ceccola Clues, so this will soon Arts tried to buy the coin-op, marketing, sales, Show, but no go.) become a collector's item. company. So they danced and play test departments, You can, however, obtain with EA awhile, but plus a few from the Sierra delays copies of individual ultimately - though EA's "warehouse." CD-ROM package solutions directly from key people, including Tripp This was due to poor sales QuestBusters. See page two Hawkins, favored the deal of a·coin-op arcade machine June is the new target date for Sierra's $750 "multi­ for details. - the board of directors based on one of their flight turned it down. (That's what simulators. With the war media" board that will have happens when you go going full blast, MicroProse CD-ROM capability, a public: you might make a sales (especially their jet Sound Blaster and other 'next year's state of the art' bundle on stock, but lose fighter simulations) have 2: Adventure Road control of your own actually soared. features. They'll wait and 3: Lord of the Rings I company.) reconfigure it for fully 5: The Prognosticator Jacobs says they realized New quests coming compatibility with 6: Russ reports on CES Microsoft's "Level Two last year the company would This month, 8: DarkSpyre Multimedia Standards." have to cut back, due to the synchronistically enough, 9: Walkthru: Dark high cost of developing press releases arrived Heart of Uukrul. pt 2 technology that hasn't yet heralding two imminent Adventures still #1 10: Tunnels & Trolls paid for itself because games releases by MicroProse. Electronic Arts just 11: Spellcasting 101 employing it haven't reached MegaTraveller II: Questfor announced they have sold 13: Keys to ye Kingdom the market. "And the cost of the Ancients is set for April over 15 million games since 15: starting up in 1982. Of the Shay Addams' TM No more Apple games Several times a week, people write Letters Adventure Road QB to express their outrage that the to the industry is no longer supporting Editor Before passing along the latest batch Apple. Most stopped doing Apple of rumors, I am compelled by the games because of the machine's canons_of Ethical Journalism to report limited memory and graphics Dear QuestBusters: at least one fact: other magazines capabilities. Many users have Assuming a lot of subscribers are on don't publish rumors. At best, they upgraded their machines, but Prodigy, maybe you could put publish press releases that haven't compatibility problems with the people's ID numbers in Swap Shop been typed up and mailed to the assorted hardware brands still bar the ads to speed up contacting them. magazines yet, and call them rumors. way for new Apple games. Norman Hughes S.o when you read a "rumor" If it's any consolation, game somewhere else, you can be SUJ,ie it's companies are suffering as a result. Ok. we'll give it a shot. CIS and Many people with C64s and Apples, GEnie members. do the same. !lle~e~y information the company or mdivIdual wanted to publicize u~able to upgrade to an mM, get anyway. Often a company will vIdeogame machines. That deprives Your decision to eliminate previews " reward" an edit or or reviewer. by developers of an entire market of is a good idea, but I very much enjoy giving them such news before consumers, one that generated steady your in-depth reviews. Don't change releasing it to the competitiofi. But if not spectacular, sales. ' them. But put the coded clues back not in QB, where we publish all the With CD-ROM appearing on the inU like to get only perhaps that one rumors that fit (though I have to file horizon as next year's "must have" word or clue at a time. down the comers on a few to make piece of hardware, the chances of Jim Hale them fit). ' upgrading to an MSDOS system will And that's not all. The inSidious recede into the distance. Already, you Thanks for getting rid of the coded computer games industry even has an need a VGA adaptor and monitor, a clues in Keys to the Kingdoms and underground system, LEAKFAX third-party sound board, and a mouse the walkthrus. It always drove me dedicated to supporting this nefarious to get the most from an mM games. crazy having to decode them. Larry Dempsey ~smission of "rumors" to "journalists." When someone has a Quest for Clues I story they want "leaked" to the media, Yes, it's history. But you can still get I just read a terrific article in a back they transmit it via LEAKFAX. genuine photocopies of solutions issue, "Death in Adventure Games: is (Considering the way things have from the book, available exclusively it really necessary?" I was extremely been going lately in the industry, from QB. They are $2 each. Postage pleased to see a "commentary" type LEAKFAX may soon be followed by is included on USA and APO/FPO article in QB and would love to see RESUMEFAX.) orders. Canada: send fifty cents extra more from truly literate people with for the first one, fifty cents extra for valid points and opinions. Globo Strikes each additional pair of solutions. Joe Terwilliger Since QB isn't wired into the Overseas: same formula as Canada LEAKFAX network, this one but a dollar instead of fifty cents. ' Ok, Ken St. Andre and others are qualifies as a genuine rumor. Seems In case you missed one, available busy sharpening their points for that Allen Vamey Games is on the soluti~ns are: Amnesia, Rambo, future essays, commentaries and verge of licensing Gloho, and may LabyrInth, Ballyhoo, Roadwar 2000 "think pieces" on adventuring. have a five-cartridge deal with Bard's Tale 1 & 2, Lurking Horror, ' Nintendo. Borrowed Time, Space Quest, Spellbreaker, Might & Magic, Road Commander Rolls On Bureaucracy, Destiny, Stationfall, QuestBusters" One of last month's rumors said Moebius, Goldfinger, Universe 2, The The Adventurers' Journal Origin is doing a game based on the Pawn, Voodoo Island, Wrath of Editor: Shay Addams Mad Max character in Road Warrior. Denethenor, Phantasie 1,2 & 3, Managing Editor: Dora McCormick Turns out they're not seeking such a Hollywood Hijinx, Fractured Faebles, News Editor: Nuyu license, though Chris Roberts is Indiana Jones Revenge of the Contributing Editors: Stephen King, working on Road Commander, a Ancients, King's Quest 2, AutoDuel Ken St. Andre, AI Giovetti, Rich follow-up to Wing Commander. (A Rings of Zilfin, Leather Goddesses, ' Heimlich, Bernie Yee, Russ Ceccola, . fresh rumor says the next sequel will Shadow gate, Shard of Spring, Steven Payne, Bruce E. Wiley, Brian Mercenary, Breakers, Brimstone, Star ~ ~cudd Commander.) It will employ Smith, Duffy, This Reviewer sImilar technology in a post WW3 Trek 2, The Mist, Moonmist, Essex story. Trinity, Ultima 4, Gunslinger, High' QuestBusters is published monthly by Stakes, View to a Kill, Wizard's Casey Jones. Annuals subs: $19 Quest for Clues III: The Bug Crown, Nine Princes in Amber Three regular, $24 for 1st Class.
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