Software Star

Software Star is a video game in the strategy genre developed by Addictive Games Ltd and published by Addictive Games Ltd originally released in 1985. It is currently playable on Commodore 64, Amstrad CPC.

Software Star, a game designed and developed for the 1985 Commodore 64 home computer, has garnered praise and interest among gamers since its release. A prime candidate of the slow-paced space shoot-em-up (shmup) genre, Software Star broke the convention of the traditional 'one ship battling against unseen enemy waves' as the player could use one of eight selectable ships. Each ship had its own unique characteristics such as fire power, speed and firepower.

The player navigates their ship across a scrolling view of stars, asteroids, space and humanoid enemies, using various power-ups such as weapon upgrades, shields and a teleport beam to keep the ship's energy intact. As the player advances through each level they must defeat big end bosses before progressing onto the next level. The player was also given a selection of bonus levels such as a top-down shooter or a maze in which they were required to complete within a time limit for extra points.

Adding to the experience, Software Star utilized the extended sound and graphics capabilities of the Commodore 64. The 8-bit graphics featured bright colours and fluid motion. The music was an electronic synthesized score composed by the game's artist, Arnie Hutchinson, giving the game an immersive feel. The Commodore Version also included actual speech for some of the game's characters, making it stand out from other 8-bit titles at the time.

Software Star distinguished itself as one of the best space shoot-em-ups on the Commodore 64. Changelings beware, the amount of challenge and entertainment the game has to offer remains largely unrivaled in modern retro gaming. It stands as an impressive example of how Developers successfully created a unique and complex game on a limited hardware and one that remains engaging and challenging decades later.

It is possible that we have multiple downloads available when different versions exist.