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CDS Software (also known as CDS Micro Systems for its earlier titles) was an independent publisher and developer of computer game software based in
Doncaster Doncaster ( ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city in South Yorkshire, England. Named after the River Don, Yorkshire, River Don, it is the administrative centre of the City of Doncaster metropolitan borough, and is the second largest se ...
,
South Yorkshire South Yorkshire is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England. It borders North Yorkshire and West Yorkshire to the north, the East Riding of Yorkshire to the north-east, Lincolnshire ...
, UK.


History

The company was founded by Ian Williams, a computer programmer from Doncaster who started developing games for the
Sinclair ZX80 The Sinclair ZX80 is a home computer launched on 29 January 1980 by Science of Cambridge Ltd. (later to be better known as Sinclair Research). It is notable for being one of the first computers available in the United Kingdom for less than a hu ...
shortly after its launch. After the initial company success he employed Giles Hunter (a manager from Doncaster W.H Smiths) to help expand the business. He sold his company to Giles Hunter to pursue other interests in 1985. In 1985, the company launched the
Blue Ribbon Blue ribbons are typically a symbol of high quality. The association comes from The Blue Riband, a prize awarded for the fastest crossing of the Atlantic Ocean by passenger liners and, prior to that from Order of the Holy Spirit#Cordon Bleu, Cord ...
budget label. In 1988 CDS Software, under the CDS group of companies changed its name to Nimrod Holdings Ltd, also publishing games for the
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 ...
. Publishing continued under the CDS Software Label until the early 1990s.


Guildhall Leisure Services

The company operated as RHSCO One Limited between January and March 1994, and then as Guildhall Leisure Services between March 1994 and May 2002. As Guildhall, the company published games for the Amiga including the well-regarded title '' Gloom''.


iDigicon

Subsequently, the company operated as iDigicon Limited until its dissolution in May 2013.


Games

The first games released in 1982-3 were for the 16k
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. ...
consisting mainly of clones of arcade games. The company expanded to different formats with titles like '' Steve Davis Snooker'' and '' Colossus Chess'' seeing releases on most platforms of the day. (product manual) The launch of the budget label ''Blue Ribbon'' saw simple arcade type games diverted to that label with CDS concentrating on full price titles, often incorporating tie-in licences such as '' Brian Clough's Football Fortunes'' and '' Sporting Triangles''. They also released the computer game crossed with a board game, ''TankAttack''. ''The Complete Home Entertainment Centre'' was a compendium of games that were later split and sold as stand alone titles by Blue Ribbon (such as ''Video Card Arcade'' and ''Dominoes''). In the early 90s, CDS re-issued or picked up UK distribution of games for companies such as D&H Games (e.g. '' Multi-Player Soccer Manager''), MicroIllusions (e.g. '' Fire Power'') and Artworx (e.g. the '' Strip Poker'' games).


8-bit games published

* ''Gobble a Ghost'' (1982) * ''3D Painter'' (1983) * ''Bozy Boa'' (1983) * ''Catterpillar'' (1983) * ''Leapfrog'' (1983) * '' Magic Meanies'' (1983) * '' French is Fun'' (1983) * ''Othello'' (1983) * ''
Pool Pool may refer to: Bodies of water * Swimming pool, usually an artificial structure containing a large body of water intended for swimming * Reflecting pool, a shallow pool designed to reflect a structure and its surroundings * Tide pool, a roc ...
'' (1983) * ''Reversi'' (1983) * '' Winged Warlords'' (1983) * '' German is Fun'' (1984) * '' Italian is Fun'' (1984) * '' Steve Davis Snooker'' (1984) * '' Timebomb'' (1984) * '' Spanish is Fun'' (1985) * '' Colossus Chess 4'' (1986) * '' Colossus Bridge 4'' (1986) * '' Brian Clough's Football Fortunes'' (1987) * ''Tank Attack'' (1988) * ''Video Card Arcade'' (1988) * '' Sporting Triangles'' (1989) * '' European Superleague'' (1990)


16-bit games published

As CDS: * ''Bravo Romeo Delta'' (1992), ''Frankenstein'' * ''Rugby Coach'' (1992), D&H Games * '' Colossus Bridge X'' (1992) As Guildhall: * '' Xtreme Racing'' (1995), Silltunna * ''Fears'' (1995), Bomb * '' Gloom'' (1995), Black Magic Software * ''Legends'' (1996), Krisalis * ''Minskies Furballs'' (1997), Binary Emotions


Re-release games

* '' Spectrum Safari'' (1984) * '' Fire Power'' (1988) * '' Centerfold Squares'' (1988) * '' Blitzkrieg at the Ardennes'' (1989) * '' Dr. Plummet's House of Flux'' (1989) * '' Multi-Player Soccer Manager'' (1991)


Idigicon Games

* ''Platypus'' (2002) * ''Binman'' (2002) * ''Mah Jong'' (2003) * ''Mumble Jumble'' (2003) * ''Beep the Bunny Sheep'' (2004) * ''Battle Batz'' (2005) * ''Farmerama'' (2005) * ''NUX'' (2006) * ''Mah Jong Deluxe'' (2006) * ''Polar Kubes'' (2006) * ''Hamsters'' (2006) * ''Platypus II'' (2007)


References


External links

{{CDS Micro Systems series Companies based in Doncaster Defunct video game companies of the United Kingdom Video game development companies Video game publishers