CRL Group plc was a
British
British may refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies.
* British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...
video game
A video game or computer game is an electronic game that involves interaction with a user interface or input device (such as a joystick, game controller, controller, computer keyboard, keyboard, or motion sensing device) to generate visual fe ...
development and publishing company. Originally CRL stood for "Computer Rentals Limited". It was based in King's Yard, London and run by Clem Chambers.
[ at World of Spectrum]
They released a number of notable
adventure games
An adventure game is a video game genre in which the player assumes the role of a protagonist in an interactive story, driven by exploration and/or puzzle-solving. The genre's focus on story allows it to draw heavily from other narrative-based m ...
based on horror stories. ''
Dracula
''Dracula'' is an 1897 Gothic fiction, Gothic horror fiction, horror novel by Irish author Bram Stoker. The narrative is Epistolary novel, related through letters, diary entries, and newspaper articles. It has no single protagonist and opens ...
'' and ''
Frankenstein
''Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus'' is an 1818 Gothic novel written by English author Mary Shelley. ''Frankenstein'' tells the story of Victor Frankenstein, a young scientist who creates a Sapience, sapient Frankenstein's monster, crea ...
'' were rated
15 certificate by the
British Board of Film Censors for their graphics depicting bloody scenes; Dracula was the first game to be rated by the BBFC. ''
Jack the Ripper
Jack the Ripper was an unidentified serial killer who was active in and around the impoverished Whitechapel district of London, England, in 1888. In both criminal case files and the contemporaneous journalistic accounts, the killer was also ...
'' was the first game to receive an
18 certificate, ''
Wolfman'' also gained an 18 certificate.
CRL-published games that achieved critical success include ''
Tau Ceti'' and ''
Academy
An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of tertiary education. The name traces back to Plato's school of philosophy, founded approximately 386 BC at Akademia, a sanctuary of Athena, the go ...
''.
The 1984 game of the series ''
Terrahawks
''Terrahawks'' is a 1980s British science fiction television series created by Gerry Anderson and Christopher Burr for London Weekend Television. The series was Anderson's first in over a decade to use puppets for its characters, and also his ...
'' was one of the first video games based on a TV show.
Games
1982
* ''Rescue''
1983
*''3D Desert Patrol''
*''Alien Maze''
*''Bomber''
*''Caveman''
*''Crawler''
*''Derby Day''
*''Draughts''
*''Escape from Manhattan''
*''Galactic Patrol''
*''Grand National''
*''Jackpot''
*''
Lunar Rescue''
*''One Day Cricket''
*''Pandemonia''
*''Test Match''
*''The Omega Run''
*''The Orb''
*''Space Mission''
*''Zaraks''
1984
*''£.s.d.''
*''Ahhh!!''
*''Cricket 64''
*''Glug Glug''
*''Handicap Golf''
*''Handy Andy''
*''Incredible Adventure''
*''Olympics''
*''Orpheus in the Underworld''
*''Show Jumping''
*''
Terrahawks
''Terrahawks'' is a 1980s British science fiction television series created by Gerry Anderson and Christopher Burr for London Weekend Television. The series was Anderson's first in over a decade to use puppets for its characters, and also his ...
''
*''The Great Detective''
*''The Magic Roundabout''
*''Tritz''
*''Whirlybird''
*''
The War of the Worlds
''The War of the Worlds'' is a science fiction novel by English author H. G. Wells. It was written between 1895 and 1897, and serialised in '' Pearson's Magazine'' in the UK and ''Cosmopolitan'' magazine in the US in 1897. The full novel was ...
''
*''The Warlock's Treasure''
*''The Woods of Winter''
1985
*''
Blade Runner
''Blade Runner'' is a 1982 science fiction film directed by Ridley Scott from a screenplay by Hampton Fancher and David Peoples. Starring Harrison Ford, Rutger Hauer, Sean Young, and Edward James Olmos, it is an adaptation of Philip K. Di ...
''
*''
Bored of the Rings''
*''Endurance''
*''
Formula One
Formula One (F1) is the highest class of worldwide racing for open-wheel single-seater formula Auto racing, racing cars sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The FIA Formula One World Championship has been one ...
''
*''Juggernaut''
*''Space Doubt''
*''
Tau Ceti''
*''The Causes of Chaos''
*''
The Rocky Horror Show
''The Rocky Horror Show'' is a Musical theatre, musical with music, lyrics and book by Richard O'Brien. A humorous tribute to various B movies associated with the Science fiction film, science fiction and Horror film, horror genres from the 193 ...
''
1986
*''
Academy
An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of tertiary education. The name traces back to Plato's school of philosophy, founded approximately 386 BC at Akademia, a sanctuary of Athena, the go ...
''
*''
Bugsy
''Bugsy'' is a 1991 American biographical crime drama film directed by Barry Levinson and written by James Toback. Starring Warren Beatty, Annette Bening, Harvey Keitel, Ben Kingsley, Elliott Gould, Bebe Neuwirth, and Joe Mantegna, the f ...
''
*''Doctor What!''
*''
Dracula
''Dracula'' is an 1897 Gothic fiction, Gothic horror fiction, horror novel by Irish author Bram Stoker. The narrative is Epistolary novel, related through letters, diary entries, and newspaper articles. It has no single protagonist and opens ...
''
*''
Hercules
Hercules (, ) is the Roman equivalent of the Greek divine hero Heracles, son of Jupiter and the mortal Alcmena. In classical mythology, Hercules is famous for his strength and for his numerous far-ranging adventures.
The Romans adapted the Gr ...
''
*''
Pilgrim
The asterisk ( ), from Late Latin , from Ancient Greek , , "little star", is a typographical symbol. It is so called because it resembles a conventional image of a heraldic star.
Computer scientists and mathematicians often vocalize it as ...
''
*''
Robin of Sherlock''
*''Room Ten''
*''Samurai''
*''
The Boggit''
*''The Very Big Cave Adventure''
1987
*''Ball Breaker''
*''Book of the Dead''
*''Cyborg''
*''
Death or Glory''
*''Federation''
*''
Frankenstein
''Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus'' is an 1818 Gothic novel written by English author Mary Shelley. ''Frankenstein'' tells the story of Victor Frankenstein, a young scientist who creates a Sapience, sapient Frankenstein's monster, crea ...
''
*''From Darkness into Light''
*''I-Alien''
*''IQ''
*''
Jack the Ripper
Jack the Ripper was an unidentified serial killer who was active in and around the impoverished Whitechapel district of London, England, in 1888. In both criminal case files and the contemporaneous journalistic accounts, the killer was also ...
''
*''Jet-Boys''
*''Last Mohican''
*''Lifeforce''
*''Loads of Midnight''
*''Mandroid''
*''
Murder off Miami''
*''
Ninja Hamster''
*''Oink!''
*''Outcast''
*''Plasmatron''
*''Sun Star''
*''They Call Me Trooper''
*''Traxxion''
*''Vengeance''
1988
*''Ball Breaker II''
*''CounterForce''
*''Cyberknights''
*''Discovery''
*''
International Soccer''
*''Kellogg's Tour 1988''
*''NATO Assault Course''
*''Purple Heart''
*''Road Warrior''
*''Sophistry''
*''
Thunder Cross''
*''Time Fighter''
*''
To Hell and Back''
*''Trigger Happy''
*''
Wolfman''
1989
*''Inner Space''
*''Lancaster''
*''Professional Soccer''
*''
Search for the Titanic''
1990
*''Hellhole''
Unreleased
*''Enchantress''
*''Spearhead''
*''The Blues Brothers''
*''The Malinsay Massacre''
Software
*''Fifth'' (1983)
*''Stargazer Secrets'' (1983)
*''Highway Code'' (1984)
*''3D Game Maker'' (1987)
*''2D Game Maker'' (1988)
*''Hi-Rise Scaffold Construction Set'' (Unreleased)
Platforms
*
Acorn Electron
The Acorn Electron (nicknamed the Elk inside Acorn and beyond) was introduced as a lower-cost alternative to the BBC Micro educational/home computer, also developed by Acorn Computers, to provide many of the features of that more expensive mach ...
*
Amiga
Amiga is a family of personal computers produced by Commodore International, Commodore from 1985 until the company's bankruptcy in 1994, with production by others afterward. The original model is one of a number of mid-1980s computers with 16-b ...
*
Amstrad CPC
The Amstrad CPC (short for "Colour Personal Computer") is a series of 8-bit home computers produced by Amstrad between 1984 and 1990. It was designed to compete in the mid-1980s home computer market dominated by the Commodore 64 and the ZX Spec ...
*
Amstrad PCW
The Amstrad PCW series is a range of personal computers produced by United Kingdom, British company Amstrad from 1985 to 1998, and also sold under licence in Europe as the "Joyce" by the German electronics company Schneider Computer Division, Schn ...
*
Atari ST
Atari ST is a line of personal computers from Atari Corporation and the successor to the company's Atari 8-bit computers, 8-bit computers. The initial model, the Atari 520ST, had limited release in April–June 1985, and was widely available i ...
*
BBC Micro
The BBC Microcomputer System, or BBC Micro, is a family of microcomputers developed and manufactured by Acorn Computers in the early 1980s as part of the BBC's Computer Literacy Project. Launched in December 1981, it was showcased across severa ...
*
Commodore 64
The Commodore 64, also known as the C64, is an 8-bit computing, 8-bit home computer introduced in January 1982 by Commodore International (first shown at the Consumer Electronics Show, January 7–10, 1982, in Las Vegas). It has been listed in ...
*
Commodore Plus/4
The Commodore Plus/4 is a home computer released by Commodore International in 1984. It was part of the Commodore 264 series, which also included the Commodore 16 and Commodore 116 models. The Plus/4 was marketed as "the productivity computer wit ...
*
MS-DOS
MS-DOS ( ; acronym for Microsoft Disk Operating System, also known as Microsoft DOS) is an operating system for x86-based personal computers mostly developed by Microsoft. Collectively, MS-DOS, its rebranding as IBM PC DOS, and a few op ...
*
Oric-1/
Atmos
*
ZX Spectrum
The ZX Spectrum () is an 8-bit computing, 8-bit home computer developed and marketed by Sinclair Research. One of the most influential computers ever made and one of the all-time bestselling British computers, over five million units were sold. ...
*
ZX81
The ZX81 is a home computer that was produced by Sinclair Research and manufactured in Dundee, Scotland, by Timex Corporation. It was launched in the United Kingdom in March 1981 as the successor to Sinclair's ZX80 and designed to be a low-c ...
Notes
''Hercules'' was originally released in 1984 by Interdisc
''Bored of the Rings'' and ''Robin of Sherlock'' were originally released in 1985 by
Delta 4
Delta 4 was a British software developer founded by Fergus McNeill, writing and publishing interactive fiction.
Delta 4 designed games between 1984 and 1992. Some were self-published, others were released by CRL Group, Piranha Software, Silv ...
''Federation'' was originally released as ''Quann Tulla'' in 1985 by 8th Day Software
''International Soccer'' was originally only released on cartridge in 1983 by
Commodore International
Commodore International Corporation was a home computer and electronics manufacturer with its head office in The Bahamas and its executive office in the United States founded in 1976 by Jack Tramiel and Irving Gould. It was the successor compan ...
References
Further reading
*''
Retro Gamer Magazine'', issue 97, Graeme Mason
External links
*
The story behind the worst game ever made
{{CRL Group
Defunct video game companies of the United Kingdom
Video game development companies
Video game publishers