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Ultrasoft

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Ultrasoft
IndustryVideo games
Founded1989
Defunct1998
FateDissolved
SuccessorCyberdreams
HeadquartersBratislava, Slovakia
Key people
Louis Wittek, founder
ProductsTowdie, Atomix, Hexagonia
Number of employees
10+
SubsidiariesBit magazine

Ultrasoft was a computer game developer and computer game publisher located in Bratislava, Slovakia.[1][2] The company specialised in the development and publishing of games for the ZX Spectrum home computer. With over 40 titles published,[3] its most successful including the platform game Towdie and puzzle games Atomix and Hexagonia – Atomix 2. Ultrasoft also acted as an exclusive distributor within the territory of Czechoslovakia for Domark and Ocean Software[4] game software houses based in the UK. Apart from computer games, the company also published a dozen or so non-game titles, mostly for learning foreign languages, as well as text, image, sound and music editors.

The company was founded by Louis Wittek in 1989, and dissolved in 1998.

Published games

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Example of Cover Art from some of the Ultrasoft's titles
All games by Ultrasoft
Title Year Developer (Country) Genre
Arkarum 1990 Rumatisoft (Slovakia) Shoot 'em up
Atomix 1991 Scorpion (Czech Republic) Puzzle video game
Axons 1992 Ľubomír Salanci (Slovakia) Shoot 'em up
Cesta Bojovníka (Way of the Warrior) 1992 KM Soft (Czech Republic) Fighting game
Chrobák Truhlík (Beetle Dim-witt) 1991 Sybilasoft (Slovakia) Text adventure
Crux 92 1992 Marek Trefný (Czech Republic) Action Puzzle video game
Dokonalá vražda II - Bukapao (Perfect murder II - Bukapao) 1991 Ľudovít Wittek (Slovakia) Text adventure
Double Dash 1991 Fuxoft (Czech Republic) Action Puzzle video game
F.I.R.E. 1991 Fuxoft (Czech Republic) Shoot 'em up
Galactic Gunners 1992 Cybexlab Software (Czech Republic) Shoot 'em up
Hexagonia – Atomix 2 1992 Scorpion (Czech Republic) Puzzle video game
Jet-Story 1992 Cybexlab Software (Czech Republic) Arcade game
Kliatba Noci (Curse of the Night) 1993 Microtech Systems (United States)
DSA Computer Graphics (Slovakia)
Action-adventure game
Komando 2 (Commando 2) 1992 Microtech Systems (United States)
DSA Computer Graphics (Slovakia)
Shoot 'em up
Logic 1991 Rumatisoft (Slovakia) Puzzle video game
Notorik 1992 Bytepack (Slovakia) Action-adventure game
Octopussy 1992 Bytepack (Slovakia) Text adventure
Pedro 1 (Pedro on the Pirates' Island) 1992 Gold Storm (Slovakia) Action-adventure game
Pedro 2 (Pedro in the Haunted Castle) 1993 Gold Storm (Slovakia) Action-adventure game
Pedro 3 (Pedro in the Land of Pyramids) 1993 Gold Storm (Slovakia) Action-adventure game
Phantom F4 - Part 1 1992 Microtech Systems DSA Computer Graphics (United States)
DSA Computer Graphics (Slovakia)
Action game
Phantom F4 - Part 2 1992 Microtech Systems (United States)
DSA Computer Graphics (Slovakia)
Action game
Pick Out 2 1993 Bytepack (Slovakia) Puzzle video game
Prva Akcia (First Heist) 1992 Microtech Systems (United States)
DSA Computer Graphics (Slovakia)
Arcade game
Quadrax 1994 David Durčák and Marián Ferko (Slovakia) Puzzle video game
Rýchle Šípy 1 (Swift Arrows 1) 1991 Májasoft and CIDsoft (Czech Republic) Text adventure
Rýchle Šípy 2 (Swift Arrows 2) 1991 Májasoft and CIDsoft (Czech Republic) Text adventure
Sach-Mat (Check-Mate) 1992 Ján Deák (Slovakia) Chess video game
Sherwood 1992 DSA Computer Graphics (Slovakia) Action Strategy video game
Skladačka (Puzzle) 1992 Deltasoft (Slovakia) Text adventure
Star Dragon 1991 Scorpion (Czech Republic) Shoot 'em up
Tetris 2 1991 Fuxoft (Czech Republic) Puzzle video game
Towdie 1994 DSA Computer Graphics (Slovakia) Action-adventure game
Twilight - Krajina Tieňov (Twilight - The Land of Shadows) 1995 Ľubomír Dekan, Radoslav Javor and Norbert Grellneth (Slovakia) Adventure game

Other published titles

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  • Baby Mantrik (English for children)
  • Datalog 2 (Database)
  • DTP Machine Utility (DTP editor)
  • DTP Machine Professional Pack (Image/Text/DTP editor)
  • Mantrik Anglicky (Learning English)
  • Mantrik Nemecky (Learning German)
  • Mantrik Editor – Professor (Create your own lessons for Mantrik)
  • Mrs08E (ZX Spectrum Assembler editor)
  • ScreenMachine (Image editor)
  • SoundTracker (Music editor)
  • TextMachine (Text editor)
  • Tuition (Sinclair BASIC for beginners)
  • ZX-7 (Music & Sound editor)

Bit magazine

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Cover pages from the first and the last issue of the Bit magazine

Between 1991 and 1994 Ultrasoft also published a specialised monthly magazine, Bit, aimed at owners of home computers and dealing with computer games in particular.[5]

References

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  1. ^ "Extract from the Business Register of the District Court Bratislava I". orsr.sk. Retrieved 2012-10-12.
  2. ^ Švelch, Jaroslav; Olli, Sotamaa (2021). Game Production Studies. Netherland: Amsterdam University Press. pp. 242, 246–247, 310, 329. ISBN 9789048551736. JSTOR j.ctv1hp5hqw. Retrieved 26 October 2021.
  3. ^ "Ultrasoft - Slovakia". worldofspectrum.org. Retrieved 2012-09-14.
  4. ^ Swertz, Christian; Wagner, Michael G. (2010). Game\\play\\society: Contributions to Contemporary Computer Game Studies (in English and German). Austria: kopaed. pp. 265–277. ISBN 9783867362405.
  5. ^ Pavel Plíva. "ZX-Spectrum Games". Zx-spectrum.wz.cz. Archived from the original on 2013-06-07. Retrieved 2012-08-25.
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