Unknown lead platform:
Sierra Championship Boxing
Possibly released for PC in 1983. Certainly no later than 1985.
Released for Commodore 64, and Macintosh in 1985.
Released for Apple II in 1986.
An interview with Barry and Dave Murry states that this was published for PC in 1983. But it makes no mention of other platforms, and contradicts both Mobygames and the ingame copyright date, which says 1985. My best guess is that the extant PC version is a re-release with an updated copyright, but this assumption still leaves some questions unanswered.
The interview does state, in no ambiguous terms, that this predates The Ancient Art of War, and it would be weird, though not impossible, if they remembered that incorrectly.
Select chronology:
Title | Lead platform | Date | Contemporary ports |
Interactive Fiction: Six Micro Stories |
Heath/Zenith | 1980 | 1980 ports to Apple II and TRS-80 by Adventure International |
Interactive Fiction: Dragons of Hong Kong |
Heath/Zenith | 1981 |
1981 ports to Apple II and TRS-80 by Adventure International |
Sierra Championship Boxing |
??? | c1983 |
Unknown release date for PC 1985 releases on C64 and Macintosh 1986 release on Apple II |
The Ancient Art of War |
DOS | 1984 | c1984 port to Apple II 1985 port to Macintosh |
The Ancient Art of War at Sea |
DOS |
1987-8 |
Same-year releases on Apple II and PC 1988 releases on Macintosh and PC-88 |
Manhunter: New York |
DOS | 1988 | 1988 ports to Apple II and Apple IIgs 1989 ports to Amiga, Atari ST, and Macintosh |
Manhunter 2: San Francisco |
DOS | 1989-9 | 1989 ports to Atari ST and Macintosh 1990 port to Amiga 1982 port to PC |
The Ancient Art of War in the Skies |
DOS | 1992 |
1993 ports to Amiga and Atari ST |
SpaceKids |
DOS | 1995 | |
Space Dude |
DOS | 1996 |
|
The Apr-May 85 issue of CGW has a feature on IBM war games which includes a review of The Ancient Art of War. In the lead part of the article it's mentioned that these are IBM only (or first) titles. And the available platforms for TAAOW are mentioned to be IBM and PCjr.
ReplyDeleteInteresting. Could Mobygames be mistaken about the Apple II's 1984 release?
DeleteEntirely possible. At least CGW is a contemporary source and they do make a big deal of these being IBM originals. And according to the interview, the Murrys seem to have been PC focused from very early on, so DOS being the lead platform is very likely.
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