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| Founded By: | Mike Austin, Nick Austin, Pete Austin |
| Location: | 229 Hughenden Road, High Wycombe, Bucks HP13 5PG |
| Year Started: | 1981 |
| Year Wound Up: | 1991 |
| Titles in Database: | 29 |
| Rights Now With: | Level 9 |
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| Level 9 Computing was formed by three brothers: Mike, Nicolas and Pete Austin.
They wrote their own interpreter language for adventures that was very efficient. This was ported to a number of platforms and used throughout the adventure games they developed for all the popular platforms of the time, including BBC Micro, Oric, ZX Spectrum, and the Commodore 64. |
Titles per Year
Breakdown by Genre
Breakdown by Platform
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Added: 21 May 2013
1979 A-Code devised.
1981 Level 9 founded by Mike, Nick and Pete Austin.
Early non-adventure releases:
(a) Extension Basic
1983 . Ziploc bag releases:
(1) Colossal Adventure
(2) Adventure Quest
(3) Dungeon Adventure
(4) Snowball
(5) Lords of Time
Packaging update: (1)-(5) re-packaged in cardboard boxes
(224x146x19).
1984 Packaging update: (1)-(5) re-packaged in plastic wallets
(215x160x15).
Oct (6) Return to Eden
1985 (7) Emerald Isle
Packaging update: (1)-(7) re-packaged in smaller plastic
wallets (130x86x18).
Jul (8) Red Moon
(9) The Worm in Paradise
(10) The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole Aged 13 3/4 (for
Virgin)
(11) The Archers (for Mosaic)
(12) The Saga of Erik the Viking
1986 Lenslok introduced.
(13) The Price of Magik
(14) Jewels of Darkness Trilogy (for BT)
Lenslok excluded again.
(15) Silicon Dreams Trilogy (for BT)
1987 KAOS devised.
Jul (16) Knight Orc (for BT)
Level 9 no longer use any standard packaging format.
(17) The Growing Pains of Adrian Mole (for Virgin)
Sep (18) Gnome Ranger
1988 (19) Time and Magik Trilogy (for Mandarin)
(20) Lancelot (for Mandarin)
(21) Ingrid's Back (for Mandarin)
1989 (22) Scapeghost
H.U.G.E. devised.
1991 Champion of the Raj
It Came from the Desert (PC port for Cinemaware)
Level 9 decide to quit writing games. The individual brothers
go on working for software developers. |
Added: 21 May 2013
Level 9 was a British computer text adventure game company which produced some of the most advanced games of the 1980s.
Founded in 1981 by Mike Austin, Nicholas Austin and Pete Austin, the company produced about 20 games for BBC Micro, Nascom, ZX Spectrum, Commodore 64, Oric, Atari, Lynx 48k, RML 380Z, Amstrad CPC, MSX, Amiga, Apple II, Memotech MTX, and Enterprise until the commercial declining market of the text adventure genre forced their closure in June 1991.
Level 9's first program was an extension to Nascom BASIC called Extension Basic. The first game, also for the Nascom, was called Fantasy and was similar to Valhalla, but with no graphics. Other products from that era were Missile Defence, Bomber and Space Invasion — all for the Nascom. The tapes were duplicated and sent out by mail order by the brothers based on orders generated by the classified advertisements they ran in the Computing Today magazine. They were based at Hughenden Road, High Wycombe, Bucks. HP13 5PG before moving to the West Country.
Level 9 devised their own interpretation language, A-code, around 1979. It was very memory efficient, mainly due to the advanced text compression routines which could compress texts to about 50%. The game data, which were identical for all platforms, were incorporated into the executable file for specific machines, together with the interpreter part. A-code underwent a couple of revisions: there are three distinct versions in all, plus a couple of extensions which form new A-code versions of their own.
(Level 9 A-code should not be confused with the A-code language developed by Dave Platt in 1979 for the purpose of writing the highly popular 550 points extension of the original Adventure game.)
Andrew Deeley, who worked for Level 9 on Software Development, recalls how the use of the A-Code interpreter enabled L9 to produce hundreds of cross platform versions of their entire catalogue in the space of 18 months, "with so many 8 bit computers on the markets and the introduction of Macs, Amigas [sic] and Atari STs, developing for cross platform versions of a game was becoming prohibitive in cost back in the late 1980s / early 1990s. Level 9 were able to hold their own as a small developer because they were able to optimise cross platform production of their games".
The first game to use this system was Colossal Adventure, a faithful conversion of Adventure by Will Crowther and Don Woods, yet with 70 extra locations to the end game. This game was followed up by two sequels, Adventure Quest and Dungeon Adventure, both of which featured the Demon Lord Agaliarept. The three titles became known as the Middle-earth trilogy, with a reference in the instructions to Dungeon Adventure to the city of Minas Tirith, which features in J. R. R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings. When enhanced versions of the three games were published by Rainbird Software, the reference to Middle-earth was quietly deleted; the series became known as Jewels of Darkness; and Minas Tirith became Valaii.
Snowball was the first adventure in the Silicon Dreams trilogy, followed by Return to Eden and The Worm in Paradise. Red Moon and its sequel The Price of Magik were bundled together with Lords of Time by Mandarin Software to create yet another trilogy: Time and Magik.
"Lancelot" was published by Mandarin Software, a division of Europress Software in 1988. The first person to solve the puzzle in the game won a replica of the Holy Grail, made of solid silver, encrusted with semi-precious stones (amethysts, garnets and opals), with the inside plated in 22-carat gold. |
Added: 21 May 2013
The Middle Earth Trilogy
The next three games first formed the Middle Earth Trilogy, but were later
repackaged in a single box as the Jewels of Darkness Trilogy.
- Colossal Adventure
Their first game, and the reason to start Level 9 as a commercial company.
Colossal Adventure is a modified version of ADVENT, the very first
adventure game. The modifications are mostly an enlarged master game, and a
more detailed outside world.
Written by Mike, Nick and Pete Austin. Based on ADVENT, written by Will
Crowther and Donald Woods.
First published: 1983
- Adventure Quest
The first adventure game of their own design. Mainly a collection of
puzzles which don't always make sense in the context.
Written by Mike, Nick and Pete Austin.
First published: 1983
- Dungeon Adventure
A strange dungeon-crawl and treasure-hunt adventure. It introduces a magic
system that was in part derived from the one introduced in the role-playing
game D&D.
Written by Mike, Nick and Pete Austin.
First published: 1984
The Silicon Dreams Trilogy
These games center around Kim Kimberley, the legendary secret agent and space
navigator. In early advertisements, the trilogy was called the "Silicon
Dream" trilogy: without the "s".
- Snowball
The spaceship Snowball 9 has to be safely landed on the planet of Eden.
More than 7000 rooms, 6800-odd of which form a tricky maze on board the
ship.
Written by Mike, Nick and Pete Austin. Additional expertise: Ian Buxton.
First published: 1983
- Return to Eden
After approaching Eden, you have to escape to the city of Enoch before
certain imprisonment due to false accusations.
Written by Nick Austin and Chris Queen. Pictures by Tim Noyce.
First published: October 1984
- Worm in Paradise
Yet a couple of years later, Kim Kimberley has become a legend on Eden. The
player sets out to uncover the government's dark secrets. This game
features lots of political statements.
Written by Mike, Nick and Pete Austin. Pictures by James Horsler. (Delayed
by: Adrian Mole.)
First published: December 1985
The Time and Magik Trilogy
Not originally planned as a trilogy, these three games center around "magik"
and magical events.
- Lords of Time
Time-travelling through the distant past, you collect a number of items to
defeat the evil Lords of Time. The first Level 9 game not designed by the
Austins. It was initially to be published as "Timelords."
Written by Sue Gazzard. Additional expertise: Ian Buxton.
First published: 1983
- Red Moon
The Red Moon crystal has to be retrieved.
Written by David Williamson (design), Simon Aspinall (implementation), Pete
Austin (design and implementation). Pictures: James Horsler.
First published: July 1985
- The Price of Magik
Written by Pete Austin (design), Nick & Mike Austin (implementation),
David Williamson (original idea). Pictures by James Horsler.
First published: May 1986
The Gnome Ranger series
The third game in this series was already written and designed, but never got
finished.
- Gnome Ranger
Ingrid the Gnome and her diverse adventures. This game consists of three
parts, each a game file on its own.
Written by Pete Austin. Gnomish by Peter McBride.
First published: 1987
- Gnome Ranger II: Ingrid's Back
Ingrid's further adventures. Again, the game comes in three distinct parts.
Written by Pete Austin (game design) and Graham Jones (game programming
and text). Game text polishing: Peter McBride. Graphics by Dicon
Peeke. Additional programming by Mike Austin, Nick Austin, John
Jones-Steele and Mike Bryant.
First published: 1988
The Adrian Mole series
These games were based on the children's books by Sue Townsend.
- The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole Aged 13 3/4
No text parser, but a series of multiple-choice questions. Divided into
four parts, each a game file on its own.
Written by ...
First published: 1985
- The Growing Pains of |
Added: 21 May 2013
Colossal Adventure (1983)
Adventure Quest (1983)
Dungeon Adventure (1983)
Snowball (1983)
Lords of Time (1983)
Return to Eden (1984)
Emerald Isle (1985)
Red Moon (1985)
The Worm in Paradise (1985)
The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole Aged 13¾ (for Mosaic Publishing, 1985)
The Archers (for Mosaic, 1985)
The Saga of Erik the Viking (for Mosaic, 1985)
The Price of Magik (1986)
Jewels of Darkness trilogy (for Rainbird Software, 1986) (also known as the Middle-Earth Trilogy)
Colossal Adventure
Adventure Quest
Dungeon Adventure
Silicon Dreams trilogy (for Rainbird, 1986)
Snowball
Return to Eden
The Worm in Paradise
Knight Orc (for Rainbird Software, 1987)
The Growing Pains of Adrian Mole (for Virgin Games, 1987)
Gnome Ranger (1987)
Time and Magik trilogy (for Mandarin Software, 1988)
Lords of Time
Red Moon
The Price of Magik
Lancelot (for Mandarin, 1988)
Ingrid's Back: Gnome Ranger 2 (for Mandarin, 1988)
Scapeghost (1989)
The Legend of Billy the Kid (for Ocean Software, 1990; never released)
Champion of the Raj (1991)
It Came from the Desert (PC port for Cinemaware, 1991) | The Retro Isle team
Added: 27 May 2026
Click here to view a list of titles we have in the database here at Retro Isle. |
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