Editing Level 9 Computing (section)

==A-code==
Level 9 devised their own [[interpreted language]], A-code, around 1979. It was very memory efficient, mainly due to the advanced text [[lossless data compression|compression]] routines which could compress texts to about 50%.<ref name=nowgamer>{{cite web | url=http://www.nowgamer.com/company-profile-level-9/ | title=Company Profile: Level 9 | date=2008-12-16 | accessdate=2015-06-08 | url-status=live | archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304195140/http://www.nowgamer.com/company-profile-level-9/ | archivedate=2016-03-04 }}</ref> 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 [[Colossal Cave Adventure#Later versions|550 points extension]] of the original Adventure game.)

In some ways A-code and the A-machine [[virtual machine]] were even more impressive than rival [[Infocom]]'s ZIL and [[Z-machine]]; 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 tape#data|cassette tapes]], which generally meant that programs had to be loaded in one go and that they had to completely fit into memory.<ref name="maher20121022">{{cite web | url=http://www.filfre.net/2012/10/level-9/ | title=Level 9 | work=The Digital Antiquarian | date=2012-10-22 | accessdate=10 July 2014 | author=Maher, Jimmy | url-status=live | archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20140711194242/http://www.filfre.net/2012/10/level-9/ | archivedate=11 July 2014 }}</ref> 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, Amigas 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".<ref name=nowgamer/>
The first game to use this system was ''[[Jewels of Darkness#Colossal Adventure|Colossal Adventure]]'' in early 1982, a faithful conversion of ''[[Colossal Cave Adventure|Adventure]]'' by [[Will Crowther]] and [[Don Woods (programmer)|Don Woods]],<ref>{{cite book|title=The Inform Designer's Manual|first=Nelson|last=Graham|authorlink=graham Nelson|page=349|publisher=Dan Sanderson|year=2001|isbn=0-9713119-0-0|url=http://inform-fiction.org/manual/DM4.pdf|url-status=live|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20151107005951/http://inform-fiction.org/manual/DM4.pdf|archivedate=2015-11-07}}</ref> but with 70 extra locations<ref name="An Interview with Pete Austin">{{Cite web|url=http://l9memorial.if-legends.org/html/austin.html|title = An Interview with Pete Austin}}</ref> to the end game to fulfill Level 9's preexisting claim in advertisements of "over 200" locations; a remarkable achievement given that [[Gordon Letwin]]'s port of ''Adventure'' to the [[TRS-80]] required a disk drive. That year the company produced two sequels, ''Adventure Quest'' and ''Dungeon Adventure'',{{r|maher20121022}} both of which featured the Demon Lord [[Agaliarept]]. The three titles became known as the ''Middle-earth'' trilogy,<ref name=pcg04>{{ citation | url=https://archive.org/stream/personalcomputergames-magazine-04/PersonalComputerGames_04#page/n31/mode/1up | journal=[[Personal Computer Games]] | title = Level 9 Advertiesment | date=March 1984 | issue=4 | pages=30 }}</ref> with a reference in the instructions to ''Dungeon Adventure'' to the city of [[Minas Tirith]], which features in [[J. R. R. Tolkien]]'s ''[[The Lord of the Rings]]''.<ref name=SUser/> When enhanced versions of the three games were published by [[Telecomsoft|Rainbird Software]], the reference to [[Middle-earth]] was quietly deleted; the series became known as ''Jewels of Darkness''; and Minas Tirith became Valaii. In 1985 Level 9 started to develop their games for disk based systems also.<ref name=cvg43/>

''Snowball'' was the first adventure in the ''[[Silicon Dreams]]'' trilogy, followed by ''[[Return to Eden]]'' and ''[[The Worm in Paradise]]''.<ref name="An Interview with Pete Austin"/>  ''Red Moon'' and its sequel ''[[The Price of Magik]]'' were bundled together with ''[[Lords of Time]]'' by [[Mandarin Software]] to create yet another trilogy: ''[[Time and Magik]]''.

''[[Lancelot (video game)|Lancelot]]'' was published by [[Mandarin Software]], a division of [[Europress Software]] 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.