Level 9 was a British developer of computer software, active between 1981 and 1991. Founded by Mike, Nicholas and Pete Austin, the company produced software for the

BBC Micro The British Broadcasting Corporation Microcomputer System, or BBC Micro, is a series of microcomputers and associated peripherals designed and built by Acorn Computers in the 1980s for the BBC Computer Literacy Project. Designed with an empha ...

Nascom The Nascom 1 and 2 were single-board computer kits issued in the United Kingdom in 1977 and 1979, respectively, based on the Zilog Z80 and including a keyboard and video interface, a serial port that could be used to store data on a tape cassett ...

ZX Spectrum The ZX Spectrum () is an 8-bit home computer that was developed by Sinclair Research. It was released in the United Kingdom on 23 April 1982, and became Britain's best-selling microcomputer. Referred to during development as the ''ZX81 Colou ...

, Commodore 64,

Oric Oric was the name used by UK-based Tangerine Computer Systems for a series of 6502-based home computers sold in the 1980s, primarily in Europe. With the success of the ZX Spectrum from Sinclair Research, Tangerine's backers suggested a ...

, Atari, Lynx 48k,

RML 380Z The Research Machines 380Z (often called the RML 380Z or RM 380Z) was an early 8-bit microcomputer produced by Research Machines in Oxford, England, from 1977 to 1985. Description The 380Z used a Z80 microprocessor (hence the name) with up to 56 ...

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 S ...

MSX MSX is a standardized home computer architecture, announced by Microsoft and ASCII Corporation on June 16, 1983. It was initially conceived by Microsoft as a product for the Eastern sector, and jointly marketed by Kazuhiko Nishi, then vice-p ...

Amiga Amiga is a family of personal computers introduced by Commodore International, Commodore in 1985. The original model is one of a number of mid-1980s computers with 16- or 32-bit processors, 256 KB or more of RAM, mouse-based GUIs, and sign ...

Apple II The Apple II (stylized as ) is an 8-bit home computer and one of the world's first highly successful mass-produced microcomputer products. It was designed primarily by Steve Wozniak; Jerry Manock developed the design of Apple II's foam-mold ...

Memotech MTX The Memotech MTX500, MTX512 and RS128 are a series of Zilog Z80A processor-based home computers released by Memotech in 1983 and 1984. Design The MTX500 had 32 KB of RAM, the MTX512 had 64KB, and the RS128 had 128KB. Although the Z80A coul ...

, and

Enterprise Enterprise (or the archaic spelling Enterprize) may refer to: Business and economics Brands and enterprises * Enterprise GP Holdings, an energy holding company * Enterprise plc, a UK civil engineering and maintenance company * Enterprise ...

platforms and is best known for its successful

text adventure games '' Interactive fiction, often abbreviated IF, is software simulating environments in which players use text commands to control characters and influence the environment. Works in this form can be understood as literary narratives, either in the f ...

until a general decline in the text adventure market forced their closure in June 1991. Level 9's first release was an extension to Nascom

BASIC BASIC (Beginners' All-purpose Symbolic Instruction Code) is a family of general-purpose, high-level programming languages designed for ease of use. The original version was created by John G. Kemeny and Thomas E. Kurtz at Dartmouth College ...

called ''Extension Basic''. The first game, also for the Nascom, was called ''Fantasy'' and was similar to ''

Valhalla In Norse mythology Valhalla (;) is the anglicised name for non, Valhǫll ("hall of the slain").Orchard (1997:171–172) It is described as a majestic hall located in Asgard and presided over by the god Odin. Half of those who die in combat ...

'', 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 Classified advertising is a form of advertising, particularly common in newspapers, online and other periodicals, which may be sold or distributed free of charge. Classified advertisements are much cheaper than larger display advertisements used ...

they ran in the ''

Computing Today ''Computing Today'' was a computer magazine published by Argus Specialist Publications, it was printed in the UK from the late 1970s to the mid-1980s. It began life as a supplement to ''Electronics Today International'' for four issues and became ...

'' magazine. They were originally based in

High Wycombe, Bucks High Wycombe, often referred to as Wycombe ( ), is a market town in Buckinghamshire, England. Lying in the valley of the River Wye surrounded by the Chiltern Hills, it is west-northwest of Charing Cross in London, south-southeast of Aylesbur ...

before moving to the

West Country The West Country (occasionally Westcountry) is a loosely defined area of South West England, usually taken to include all, some, or parts of the counties of Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, Somerset, Bristol, and, less commonly, Wiltshire, Glouce ...

A-code

Level 9 devised their own interpretation language, A-code, around 1979. It was very memory efficient, mainly due to the advanced text

compression Compression may refer to: Physical science *Compression (physics), size reduction due to forces *Compression member, a structural element such as a column *Compressibility, susceptibility to compression *Gas compression *Compression ratio, of a c ...

routines which could compress texts to about 50%. The game data, which was identical for all platforms, was incorporated into the executable file for specific machines, together with the interpreter part. A-code underwent a few revisions: there are three distinct versions in all, plus several 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.) In some ways A-code and the A-machine

virtual machine In computing, a virtual machine (VM) is the virtualization/ emulation of a computer system. Virtual machines are based on computer architectures and provide functionality of a physical computer. Their implementations may involve specialized har ...

were even more impressive than rival

Infocom Infocom was an American software company based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, that produced numerous works of interactive fiction. They also produced a business application, a relational database called ''Cornerstone''. Infocom was founded on ...

's ZIL and

Z-machine The Z-machine is a virtual machine that was developed by Joel Berez and Marc Blank in 1979 and used by Infocom for its text adventure games. Infocom compiled game code to files containing Z-machine instructions (called story files or Z-code ...

; both companies initially designed games for computers with 32K RAM and ZIL was in many ways more sophisticated. But Infocom products of the era required a disk drive, alleviating the memory restrictions of the platforms of the time. Level 9 due to different dynamics in the British market had to deliver their text adventures on

cassette tapes The Compact Cassette or Musicassette (MC), also commonly called the tape cassette, cassette tape, audio cassette, or simply tape or cassette, is an analog magnetic tape recording format for audio recording and playback. Invented by Lou Otte ...

, which generally meant that programs had to be loaded in one go and that they had to completely fit into memory. 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, 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 Colossal Adventure is a text based adventure game published by Level 9 Computing in 1982. It was originally released for the Nascom. Gameplay ''Colossal Adventure'' is an expanded version of the original ''Adventure'' by Will Crowther and Don ...

'' in early 1982, a faithful conversion of ''

Adventure An adventure is an exciting experience or undertaking that is typically bold, sometimes risky. Adventures may be activities with danger such as traveling, exploring, skydiving, mountain climbing, scuba diving, river rafting, or other extr ...

'' by

Will Crowther William Crowther (born 1936) is an American computer programmer, caver, and rock climber. He is the co-creator of ''Colossal Cave Adventure'' from 1975 onward, a seminal computer game that influenced the first decade of video game design and ins ...

and

Don Woods Donald Woods (1933–2001) was a South African journalist and activist. Donald or Don Woods may also refer to: * Donald Woods (actor) (1906–1998), Canadian-born American film and television actor * Donald Devereux Woods (1912–1964), British mi ...

, but with 70 extra locations to the end game to fulfill Level 9's preexisting claim in advertisements of "over 200" locations; a remarkable achievement given that

Gordon Letwin James Gordon Letwin (born July 2, 1952) is an American software developer and one of the eleven early Microsoft employees who posed for an iconic staff portrait taken in Albuquerque in 1978. Prior to joining Microsoft, he worked for Heathkit, por ...

's port of ''Adventure'' to the

TRS-80 The TRS-80 Micro Computer System (TRS-80, later renamed the Model I to distinguish it from successors) is a desktop microcomputer launched in 1977 and sold by Tandy Corporation through their Radio Shack stores. The name is an abbreviation of ...

required a disk drive. That year the company produced two sequels, ''Adventure Quest'' and ''Dungeon Adventure'', both of which featured the Demon Lord

Agaliarept In the Grimoirium Verum, Agaliarept is purported to be one of two demons directly under Lucifer; Satanachia being the other. The Grimoirium Verum also states that Agalierept and ''Tarihimal'' are the rulers of ''Elelogap'', who in turn governs m ...

. 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 Gondor is a fictional kingdom in J. R. R. Tolkien's writings, described as the greatest realm of Men in the west of Middle-earth at the end of the Third Age. The third volume of ''The Lord of the Rings'', ''The Return of the King'', is largely ...

, which features in

J. R. R. Tolkien John Ronald Reuel Tolkien (, ; 3 January 1892 – 2 September 1973) was an English writer and philologist. He was the author of the high fantasy works ''The Hobbit'' and ''The Lord of the Rings''. From 1925 to 1945, Tolkien was the Rawlins ...

's ''

The Lord of the Rings ''The Lord of the Rings'' is an Epic (genre), epic high-fantasy novel by English author and scholar J. R. R. Tolkien. Set in Middle-earth, intended to be Earth at some time in the distant past, the story began as a sequel to Tolkien's 1937 c ...

''. When enhanced versions of the three games were published by

Rainbird Software Telecomsoft was a British video game publisher and a Division (business), division of British Telecom. The company was founded by Ederyn Williams, Dr. Ederyn Williams in 1984 and operated three separate labels: Firebird, Rainbird, and Silverbir ...

, the reference to

Middle-earth Middle-earth is the fictional setting of much of the English writer J. R. R. Tolkien's fantasy. The term is equivalent to the '' Miðgarðr'' of Norse mythology and ''Middangeard'' in Old English works, including ''Beowulf''. Middle-earth i ...

was quietly deleted; the series became known as ''Jewels of Darkness''; and

became Valaii. In 1985 Level 9 started to develop their games for disk based systems also. ''Snowball'' was the first adventure in the ''

Silicon Dreams ''Silicon Dreams'' is a trilogy of interactive fiction games developed by Level 9 Computing during the 1980s. The first game was ''Snowball'', released during 1983, followed a year later by ''Return to Eden'', and then by ''The Worm in Paradise'' ...

'' trilogy, followed by ''

Return to Eden ''Return to Eden'' is an Australian television drama series starring Rebecca Gilling, James Reyne, Wendy Hughes and James Smillie. It began as a three-part, six-hour mini-series shown on Network Ten on September 27–29, 1983. Gilling and Smi ...

'' and ''

The Worm in Paradise ''The Worm in Paradise'' is the third and final video game in the ''Silicon Dreams'' trilogy, a series of text adventure games in which the player takes the role of Kim Kimberly. It is the sequel to ''Snowball (game), Snowball'' and ''Return to Ed ...

''. ''Red Moon'' and its sequel ''

The Price of Magik ''The Price of Magik'' is the third game in the '' Time and Magik'' trilogy. Gameplay Sequel to the previous game; Myglar the Magician, guardian of the Crystal, has become insane and is draining its energy for his own use; he must be defeated bef ...

'' were bundled together with '' Lords of Time'' by

Mandarin Software Europress was a British magazine and software publisher based in Adlington, near Macclesfield, Cheshire. Their magazine publishing business was previously known as Database Publications. The software division was renamed in 1999 to Actualize. His ...

to create yet another trilogy: ''

Time and Magik ''Time and Magik'' is a trilogy of interactive fiction games by Level 9. The individual games were initially released separately in 1983-1986. In 1988 the three games were revised, expanded and re-released together as a compilation by Mandarin S ...

''. "Lancelot" was published by

, a division of

Europress Software Europress was a British magazine and software publisher based in Adlington, near Macclesfield, Cheshire. Their magazine publishing business was previously known as Database Publications. The software division was renamed in 1999 to Actualize. His ...

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.

List of software

* ''Extension BASIC for the Nascom'' (198x) * ''rqFORTH for the BBC Micro'' (198x) * ''rqFORTH toolkit for the BBC Micro'' (198x) * ''Compass for the Lynx'' (198x)

List of arcade games

* ''Fantasy'' (198x) * ''Space Invasion'' (198x) * ''Bomber'' (198x) * ''Missile Defence'' (198x)

List of text adventure games

* ''

'' (1982) * '' Adventure Quest'' (1982) * ''

Dungeon Adventure ''Jewels of Darkness'' is a trilogy of text adventure games by Level 9. The individual games were initially released separately in 1982. They featured some themes and names inspired by the books of J. R. R. Tolkien and so became known as the '' ...

'' (1982) * ''

Snowball A snowball is a spherical object made from snow, usually created by scooping snow with the hands, and pressing the snow together to compact it into a ball. Snowballs are often used in games such as snowball fights. A snowball may also be a larg ...

'' (1983) * '' Lords of Time'' (1983) * ''

'' (1984) * '' Emerald Isle'' (1985) * '' Red Moon'' (1985) * ''

'' (1985) * '' The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole Aged 13¾'' (for

Mosaic Publishing Mosaic Publishing was a computer games company founded in 1983 by Vicky Carne, who had previously worked with magazine publisher Haymarket and with Sinclair-Brown, an imprint started by Clive Sinclair and Patrick Brown. Mosaic published a series ...

, 1985) * ''

The Archers ''The Archers'' is a BBC radio drama on BBC Radio 4, the corporation's main spoken-word channel. Broadcast since 1951, it was famously billed as "an everyday story of country folk" and is now promoted as "a contemporary drama in a rural sett ...

'' (for Mosaic, 1985) * ''

The Saga of Erik the Viking ''The Saga of Erik the Viking'' is a children's novel written by the Welsh comedian Terry Jones, illustrated by Michael Foreman, and published by Pavilion in 1983. Foreman was commended for the annual Greenaway Medal by the Library Association, ...

'' (for Mosaic, 1985) * ''

'' (1986) * ''

Jewels of Darkness ''Jewels of Darkness'' is a trilogy of text adventure games by Level 9. The individual games were initially released separately in 1982. They featured some themes and names inspired by the books of J. R. R. Tolkien and so became known as the '' ...

'' trilogy (for

, 1986) (also known as the ''Middle-Earth Trilogy'') ** ''Colossal Adventure'' ** ''Adventure Quest'' ** ''Dungeon Adventure'' * ''

'' trilogy (for Rainbird, 1986) ** ''Snowball'' ** ''Return to Eden'' ** ''The Worm in Paradise'' * ''

Knight Orc ''Knight Orc'' is a text adventure, with limited graphics on some platforms, by Level 9 released in 1987. It comes with a short novella by Peter McBride ("The Sign of the Orc") explaining the background to the story. Plot After a night of hea ...

'' (for Rainbird Software, 1987) * ''

The Growing Pains of Adrian Mole ''The Growing Pains of Adrian Mole'', is an epistolary novel by Sue Townsend. It is the second in the Adrian Mole series. It focuses on the worries and regrets of a teenage aspiring intellectual and, like its predecessor, takes the form of a d ...

'' (for

Virgin Games Virgin Interactive Entertainment (later renamed Avalon Interactive) was the video game publishing division of British conglomerate the Virgin Group. It developed and published games for major platforms and employed developers, including Westwoo ...

, 1987) * '' Gnome Ranger'' (1987) * ''

'' trilogy (for

, 1988) ** ''Lords of Time'' ** ''Red Moon'' ** ''The Price of Magik'' * ''

Lancelot Lancelot du Lac (French for Lancelot of the Lake), also written as Launcelot and other variants (such as early German ''Lanzelet'', early French ''Lanselos'', early Welsh ''Lanslod Lak'', Italian ''Lancillotto'', Spanish ''Lanzarote del Lago' ...

'' (for Mandarin, 1988) * '' Ingrid's Back: Gnome Ranger 2'' (for Mandarin, 1988) * ''

Scapeghost ''Scapeghost'' is a text adventure published by Level 9 Computing in 1989. It was the last text adventure game released by the company. Description The player takes the role of police detective Alan Chance, who starts the game watching people di ...

'' (1989) * ''The Legend of Billy the Kid'' (for

Ocean Software Ocean Software Ltd was a British software development company that became one of the biggest European video game developers and publishers of the 1980s and 1990s. The company was founded by David Ward and Jon Woods and was based in Manchester. ...

, 1990; never released) * ''

Champion of the Raj ''Champion of the Raj'' is a turn-based strategy video game developed by Level 9 Computing and published by Personal Software Services. It was released exclusively in the United Kingdom for the Amiga, Atari ST, and IBM PC compatibles in 1991. It ...

'' (1991) * ''

It Came from the Desert ''It Came from the Desert'' is a 1989 action-adventure game by Cinemaware. It was originally released for the Amiga, but later ported to MS-DOS, as well as released in distinctly different forms to consoles. The TurboGrafx-16 release is distinctl ...

'' ( PC port for

Cinemaware Cinemaware was a video game developer and publisher that released several titles in the 1980s based on various film themes. The company was resurrected in 2000, before being acquired by eGames in 2005. Cinemaware Corp. (1986–1991) The compa ...

, 1991)

References

External links

Level 9 Memorial
*
Level 9 Fact Sheet

by Richard Hewison

by Chris Bourne
History of Time and Magik and Lancelot at Mandarin Software

Level 9 - Masters of Adventure
(In-depth 1988 interview of Pete and Mike Austin) from ''

Page 6 ''Page 6'' (subtitled ''Atari Users Magazine'' and later known as ''Page 6 Atari User'', then ''New Atari User'') was an independent British publication aimed at users of Atari home computers. It was published between 1982 and 1998. The maga ...

'' magazine {{Level 9 Video game companies disestablished in 1991 Video game companies established in 1981 Defunct video game companies of the United Kingdom Interactive fiction