Abandonware games developed by Empire Software

3D Defence

ZX Spectrum 1987

D Defence (or Defence, 3D) is a simple shooter from Empire Software. The rules are very simple - the player controls the defense turret, and must destroy enemy spaceships before hostile aliens land on the planet. The player must be accurate - the turret has energy to shoot the invader about 10 times.

Anders Limpar's proffs fotboll

Commodore 64 1989

Based on the same 'engine' as Gazza and Bodo Illgner's Super Soccer games, Anders Limpar's proffs fotboll is named after Swedish Serie A and Premier League player Anders Limpar. The game features Sweden's best teams (from 1989), as well as a surprise visit from Denmark. In single-player mode, you can manage a cup or a league, consisting of between 4 and 20 teams, playing matches from 1 to 45 minutes. The style of play and kicking can be changed, and all squad members can be given names, as well as changing team names. Players gain experience in each match and teams can be saved and loaded onto tape. Exhibition matches can be played either against the computer or against another player. When playing, the view changes from a side view of the field to a vertical view as the ball approaches either goal.

Campaign

DOS, Amiga, Atari ST 1992

Campaign covers some of the most important battles of World War II, from the Sahara to the Russian Campaign, and from the Battle of the Bulge to D-Day. A map editor is included that allows users to modify existing scenarios or create new ones. It is possible to participate in many levels of a battle. It is possible to take direct control of driving or gunning a tank, command groups of 16 tanks and their support units, and create a combined global strategy taking into account supply routes. More than 150 different vehicles from both sides are included. It's a hardcore wargame that will appeal especially to 'fans' of the genre. The game package includes a lot of extras: a thick 'Equipment factfinder' manual (170 pages), 2 huge posters, replicas of WWII postcards and a newspaper.

Campaign II

DOS, Amiga 1993

Veteran wargamer M. E. Brooks spares no criticism of this inferior sequel to the ambitious Campaign: This simulation of a modern conflict took a mediocre game system (Campaign) and left it completely out of whack. Covering hypothetical battles, it also portrayed Korea, Israel (1967/1973), Vietnam (1962), Iran-Iraq (1980s) and the Gulf (1991). The strongest aspect of the simulation was the organization of the task forces (reminiscent of Patriot), but its historical accuracy was abysmal. The 1962 Vietnam scenario showed South Vietnamese and U. S. forces arrayed against the North Vietnamese Army in a conventional confrontation; in 1962, the U. S. had fewer than 1,500 advisors in the country. In short, the history was nonexistent, the lessons of the war were more akin to race car driving, and the general level of enjoyment approached that of a moderate case of hemorrhoids. At least the hard drive wasn't rewritten . . . ' Ouch. Worth a look only if you like alternate history games, or if you want to try a fancy 3D tank simulator that looks nothing like the real thing but offers slightly more complex gameplay than Carrier Command.

Campaign: From North Africa to Northern Europe

Amiga 1993

Here is the video game 'Campaign: From North Africa to Northern Europe'. Released in 1993 on Amiga, it is still available and playable with some tweaks. Campaign: From North Africa to Northern Europe is an add-on for Campaign, you will need the original game to play.

Gazza II

DOS, Amiga 1991

This edition of the second licensed game based on English footballer Paul Gascoigne combines arcade action and management. It features a four-division Super League of top European clubs, with the ability to play with multiple managers. You can buy, find and sell players, and set up individual tactical systems. The in-game action has a side-scrolling view and close control of the ball. The game tolerates hard tackles, as they are usually successful and rarely result in a foul. You can deflect, prod and head the ball in any direction.

Gazza's Super Soccer

Commodore 64, Amiga, Amstrad CPC 1989

This was the first of two soccer games licensed around Paul Gascoigne, then the most expensive player in British soccer history. The game is viewed from top to bottom, and can be configured to move from left to right or top to bottom. League and cup tournaments are included, as well as individual matches and set-piece practice sections (of which you have full control). The game includes a number of advanced moves, as well as a meter to control the exact dimensions of a kick (height and curvature, as well as strength), if you can use it quickly enough. Unusually, you have control over the goalkeeper, so you have only yourself to blame when you concede a goal. Each player has his own skills and strengths, which develop as the game progresses: if you play well, your players improve and become more capable of taking on better opponents.