Level 9 Computing

Level 9 Computing was a British computer-software developer active from 1981 until its closure in June 1991. Founded by brothers Mike, Nicholas and Pete Austin, the company began by producing small programs and games for the Nascom computer. Its early releases included Extension BASIC, an enhanced version of the Nascom programming language, together with action-oriented titles such as Fantasy, Missile Defence, Bomber and Space Invasion. The company initially operated on a highly informal, mail-order basis: the Austin brothers duplicated cassette software themselves and fulfilled orders generated by classified advertisements in Computing Today. The company became one of the most significant British developers of interactive fiction during the 1980s. Its breakthrough was Colossal Adventure, released in 1982. The game adapted the influential Adventure text game by Will Crowther and Don Woods while adding a substantial additional section, allowing Level 9 to advertise a world of more than 200 locations. Colossal Adventure was followed in the same year by Adventure Quest and Dungeon Adventure. These three games were later marketed collectively as the Middle-earth trilogy, partly because of a reference to Minas Tirith in the documentation for Dungeon Adventure. When Rainbird Software republished enhanced versions in 1986, the Tolkien-related terminology was removed and the collection was sold as the Jewels of Darkness trilogy. Level 9's principal technical advantage was A-code, an interpreted, memory-efficient system developed by the company around the end of the 1970s and used to drive much of its adventure catalogue. A-code compressed textual content and separated common game data from machine-specific interpreter and executable components. This architecture enabled Level 9 to adapt the same adventures to a large number of incompatible home computers, including the BBC Micro, ZX Spectrum, Commodore 64, Oric, Atari 8-bit systems, Camputers Lynx, RML 380Z, Amstrad CPC, MSX, Amiga, Apple II, Memotech MTX and Enterprise. The approach was particularly valuable in the British market, where cassette distribution and limited memory made efficient programs important and where many competing platforms were commercially significant. The company's catalogue expanded beyond its early fantasy adventures. The Silicon Dreams trilogy comprised Snowball, Return to Eden and The Worm in Paradise, while Red Moon, The Price of Magik and Lords of Time were later grouped by Mandarin Software as the Time and Magik trilogy. Other notable releases included Emerald Isle, Knight Orc, Gnome Ranger, Scapeghost and Lancelot. Level 9 also developed licensed or commissioned interactive-fiction projects, including The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole Aged 13¾, The Archers, The Saga of Erik the Viking, The Growing Pains of Adrian Mole and a planned version of The Legend of Billy the Kid. Lancelot, published by Mandarin Software in 1988, was accompanied by a prize promotion in which the first successful solver could win an elaborate replica of the Holy Grail. Level 9 originally operated from High Wycombe in Buckinghamshire before moving to the West Country. It began developing for disk-based systems in 1985 and later supported newer machines such as the Macintosh, Amiga and Atari ST. Despite its ability to produce many platform versions efficiently, the company was affected by the broader decline of the text-adventure market and changing consumer preferences in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Level 9 closed in June 1991. Its work remains notable in the history of British home-computer software, especially for the breadth of its platform support, its compression and interpreter technology, and the scale of its interactive-fiction catalogue.

Level 9 Computing emerged from the Austin brothers' early experiments with personal-computer software. Around 1979, the company developed A-code, an interpreted language and virtual-machine system designed to make large bodies of text and game logic work within the severe memory constraints of early home computers. Its compression methods reduced textual data substantially, while the use of a common game-data format made it possible to create machine-specific versions without rewriting each adventure from the beginning. The company formally became active as a software developer in 1981. Its first known release was Extension BASIC for the Nascom, followed by early Nascom games including Fantasy, Missile Defence, Bomber and Space Invasion. At this stage, the Austin brothers handled duplication and fulfilment themselves, selling software through mail order generated by magazine advertisements. The business was initially based in High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, and later moved to the West Country. Level 9's major commercial and creative breakthrough arrived in 1982 with Colossal Adventure. The game was based on the established Adventure tradition associated with Will Crowther and Don Woods but extended the experience with additional locations. Adventure Quest and Dungeon Adventure followed during the same year. The three releases formed the company's first major adventure sequence and were subsequently marketed as the Middle-earth trilogy because of Tolkien-related wording associated with Dungeon Adventure. In 1986, Rainbird Software issued enhanced versions under the less legally sensitive name Jewels of Darkness, with the disputed Middle-earth references removed or altered. During the middle of the decade, Level 9 expanded its range and refined its cross-platform production model. Snowball, Return to Eden and The Worm in Paradise formed the science-fiction-oriented Silicon Dreams trilogy. Red Moon and The Price of Magik added further fantasy adventures, while Lords of Time was later packaged with them by Mandarin Software as the Time and Magik trilogy. Emerald Isle, Knight Orc, Gnome Ranger and other titles demonstrated the company's willingness to vary setting, tone and game structure. The company also created licensed and commissioned works for other publishers, including games based on Adrian Mole, The Archers, Erik the Viking and Lancelot. In 1985, Level 9 began developing for disk-based systems, an important transition as the market moved beyond cassette-only distribution. Its software appeared on an unusually broad range of platforms, including British machines such as the BBC Micro, ZX Spectrum, Oric and Camputers Lynx, as well as the Commodore 64, Atari 8-bit computers, Amstrad CPC, MSX, Apple II, Amiga, Macintosh, Enterprise and other systems. A-code helped the company sustain this breadth by allowing shared game data and reusable interpreter technology to support multiple target machines. The late 1980s brought both continued releases and increasing pressure on the text-adventure business. Lancelot and Ingrid's Back: Gnome Ranger 2 appeared through Mandarin Software in 1988, and Scapeghost followed in 1989. In 1990, Level 9 was associated with a planned Ocean Software release of The Legend of Billy the Kid, although that title was never released. Champion of the Raj and a PC conversion of Cinemaware's It Came from the Desert were among the company's final projects in 1991. The commercial environment ultimately became difficult for a specialist text-adventure developer. Graphical adventure games and other forms of interactive entertainment were gaining attention, while the market for traditional parser-based adventures was declining. Level 9 Computing closed in June 1991. Its archive, including source code and documentation maintained by Mike Austin, has contributed to the preservation and study of the company's software and development methods.

• 1991

  Closure

  [1]Level 9 Computingen.wikipedia.org

  Level 9 Computing closed in June after the commercial decline of the traditional text-adventure market.

• 1988

  Lancelot and Time and Magik

  [1]Level 9 Computingen.wikipedia.org

  Mandarin Software published Lancelot and packaged Lords of Time, Red Moon and The Price of Magik as the Time and Magik trilogy.

• 1986

  Rainbird republishes major trilogies

  [1]Level 9 Computingen.wikipedia.org

  Rainbird Software released enhanced versions of the first three adventures as Jewels of Darkness and issued the Silicon Dreams trilogy.

• 1985

  Move toward disk-based systems

  [1]Level 9 Computingen.wikipedia.org

  Level 9 began developing for disk-based systems as the market moved beyond cassette distribution and newer platforms became important.

• 1983

  Expansion of the adventure catalogue

  [1]Level 9 Computingen.wikipedia.org

  Snowball and Lords of Time expanded the company's science-fiction and fantasy adventure output.

• 1982

  Release of the first adventure trilogy

  [1]Level 9 Computingen.wikipedia.org

  Colossal Adventure, Adventure Quest and Dungeon Adventure established Level 9 as a notable producer of British text adventures.

• 1981

  Level 9 becomes an active software developer

  [1]Level 9 Computingen.wikipedia.org

  The Austin brothers' company released Extension BASIC for the Nascom and began selling software through magazine advertising and mail order.

• 1979

  Development of A-code

  [1]Level 9 Computingen.wikipedia.org

  Level 9 devised its A-code interpreter and associated virtual-machine approach, using text compression and shared game data to support software on memory-constrained computers.

A technically innovative British home-computer software developer focused on memory-efficient, widely portable interactive fiction and adventure games.

• Development technology · 1979

  A-code

  A-code was Level 9's proprietary interpreted language and virtual-machine technology for interactive fiction. Its principal benefits were compact text storage, reusable interpreters and the ability to maintain common game data across many computer platforms. This architecture reduced the cost and effort of producing versions for the large number of incompatible home computers sold in Britain during the 1980s.

• Programming software · 1981

  Extension BASIC

  Extension BASIC was Level 9's first known release, developed for the Nascom. It extended the capabilities of the machine's BASIC environment and represented the company's early focus on practical software as well as entertainment products.

• Text adventure · 1982

  Colossal Adventure

  Colossal Adventure was Level 9's first major text adventure and the opening entry in its best-known early trilogy. It adapted the Adventure format associated with Will Crowther and Don Woods while adding a large extension to the original experience. Its scale and broad platform availability helped establish Level 9's reputation.

• Text adventure trilogy · 1982

  Middle-earth trilogy / Jewels of Darkness

  The trilogy consists of Colossal Adventure, Adventure Quest and Dungeon Adventure. It was initially associated with the name Middle-earth because of Tolkien-related wording in the Dungeon Adventure documentation. Rainbird Software later released enhanced versions as Jewels of Darkness, with the Tolkien references removed and certain names changed.

• Science-fiction text adventure trilogy · 1983

  Silicon Dreams trilogy

  The Silicon Dreams trilogy comprises Snowball, Return to Eden and The Worm in Paradise. The games form a connected science-fiction sequence and were later issued in enhanced form by Rainbird Software. They illustrate Level 9's ability to combine large narrative settings with compact, portable interpreter technology.

• Fantasy text adventure trilogy · 1988

  Time and Magik trilogy

  Mandarin Software grouped Lords of Time, Red Moon and The Price of Magik as the Time and Magik trilogy. The collection brought together separate Level 9 fantasy adventures and gave them a unified commercial presentation during the company's later publishing period.

• Licensed text adventure · 1988

  Lancelot

  Lancelot was a text adventure published by Mandarin Software in 1988. It used the Arthurian legend as its setting and was supported by a notable promotional competition: the first player to solve the game was offered a richly decorated replica of the Holy Grail.

• Text adventure · 1989

  Scapeghost

  Scapeghost was one of Level 9's later adventure releases. It belongs to the company's mature period, when the developer continued to issue parser-based fiction while the broader market was moving toward more graphical forms of computer entertainment.

• 1988Lancelot Holy Grail competition

  United Kingdom

  Lancelot was promoted with a puzzle-solving prize in which the first player to complete the game could receive a replica Holy Grail made with precious and semi-precious materials.

  Outcome. The promotion linked the game's central Arthurian theme with a tangible reward, although the winner is not identified in the supplied reference material.

  Source
• 1986Jewels of Darkness relaunch

  United Kingdom · International

  Rainbird Software marketed enhanced versions of the first three Level 9 adventures as Jewels of Darkness. The relaunch removed the earlier Middle-earth branding and altered related references.

  Outcome. The trilogy received a renewed commercial presentation for the disk-oriented software market.

  Source
• 1981Magazine classified-advertising mail order

  United Kingdom

  Level 9 promoted its early Nascom software through classified advertisements in Computing Today. Orders were then fulfilled through cassette duplication and mail delivery handled by the Austin brothers.

  Outcome. The approach gave the small developer an early direct-sales route before its catalogue expanded through software publishers.

  Source

• 1991

  Company closureOther

  Background

  The market for traditional text adventures was in general decline as graphical adventure games and other forms of computer entertainment gained importance.

  Action taken

  Level 9 Computing ceased operations in June 1991.

  Aftermath

  The company became a historical subject in British home-computer software, with source code and documentation later preserved in an archive maintained by Mike Austin.

  Source

• 1986

  Enhanced trilogy publishing through RainbirdProduct launch

  Background

  Level 9's first three adventures had become associated with Middle-earth terminology through the Dungeon Adventure documentation.

  Action taken

  Rainbird Software issued enhanced versions under the Jewels of Darkness name and removed or changed the Tolkien-related references.

  Aftermath

  The games received a new identity and presentation for their later publishing cycle.

  Source

• 1985

  Expansion into disk-based systemsStrategy

  Background

  Level 9 had initially supplied much of its software on cassette, but disk drives and newer computer platforms were becoming increasingly important in the home-computer market.

  Action taken

  The company began developing its games for disk-based systems while continuing to use its cross-platform A-code approach.

  Aftermath

  This broadened the technical and commercial range of the catalogue, although the company later faced the general decline of text adventures.

  Source

1. 1Level 9 Computingen.wikipedia.org