Datasoft

Datasoft

Industry	Video games Productivity software
Founded	1980; 44 years ago (1980)
Founder	Pat Ketchum
Headquarters	Chatsworth, California , US

Datasoft, Inc. (also written as DataSoft) was a software developer and publisher for home computers founded in 1980 by Pat Ketchum and based out of Chatsworth, California.^{[citation needed]} Datasoft primarily published video games, including ports of arcade video games, games based on licenses from movies and TV shows, and original games. Like competitor Synapse Software, they also published other software: development tools, word processors, and utilities. Text Wizard, written by William Robinson and published by Datasoft when he was 16, was the basis for AtariWriter.^[1] Datasoft initially targeted the Atari 8-bit computers, Apple II, and TRS-80 Color Computer, then later the Commodore 64, IBM PC, Atari ST, and Amiga. Starting in 1983, a line of lower cost software was published under the label Gentry Software.^[2]

Datasoft went into bankruptcy,^[when?] and its name and assets were purchased by two Datasoft executives, Samuel L. Poole and Ted Hoffman.^{[citation needed]} They renamed the company IntelliCreations and distributed Datasoft games until it closed.

Software

Games

1982

Canyon Climber
Clowns and Balloons
Dung Beetles
Pacific Coast Highway
Shooting Arcade
The Sands of Egypt

1983

Genesis
Juno First, arcade port
Moon Shuttle, arcade port
Nibbler, arcade port
O'Riley's Mine
Pooyan, arcade port
Zaxxon, arcade port

1984

Conan
Bruce Lee
Lost Tomb, arcade port
The Dallas Quest
Mancopter
Mr. Do!, arcade port
Pac-Man, arcade port
Pole Position, arcade port

1985

Alternate Reality: The City
The Goonies
Tomahawk
Zorro

1986

Crosscheck
Mercenary
Mind Pursuit

1987

221B Baker Street
Alternate Reality: The Dungeon
Bismarck
Black Magic
Dark Lord
Force 7
Gunslinger^[3]
Saracen

1988

Napoleon in Russia: Borodino 1812 (MS-DOS)

Games under the Gentry Software label

Leap'in Lizards! (1983)
Magneto Bugs (1983)
Maniac Miner (1983)
Maxwell's Demon / Memory Mania (1983)
Rosen's Brigade (1983)
Sea Bandit (1983)
Spiderquake (1983)
Starbase Fighter (1983)
Target Practice (1983)

Education

Bishop's Square / Maxwell's Demon (1982)^[4]

Word processing

Text Wizard (1981)
Spell Wizard (1982)
Letter Wizard (1984)

Other software

Micro-Painter (1982)^[5]

References

^ Cohen, Frank (June 1987). "The Making of AtariWriter Plus". ANALOG Computing (55): 9–10.
^ "New Products". ANALOG Computing (13): 17. September 1983.
^ "Gunslinger". Atari Mania. Archived from the original on 2010-08-27. Retrieved 2010-09-24.
^ "Bishop's Square / Maxwell's Demon". Atari Mania. Archived from the original on 2021-01-22. Retrieved 2020-12-29.
^ "Micropainter". Atari Mania. Archived from the original on 2022-06-22. Retrieved 2020-12-28.