- Synergistic Software
Synergistic Software was a game developer that published some of the earliest available games and applications for the Apple II family of computers. They continued developing games for various platforms into the late 1990s.
Early history
Synergistic was founded in 1978 by
Robert Clardy andAnn Dickens Clardy . One of the earliest successful third-party software developers for the Apple II platform, they are most well-known for their "Dungeons & Dragons " inspired "Dungeon Campaign / Wilderness Campaign" game, which was later expanded and repackaged as "". "Dungeon Campaign / Wilderness Campaign" is one of the earliest "D&D"-like games that is epic in scope (compared to the more commonplace "dungeon crawl" games, such as "Temple of Apshai ".Synergistic also published a number of business applications, including a word processor and a simple database program.
PC Revival
Unlike many other companies that could or did not make the jump to other platforms, Synergistic continued as an independent developer as the
IBM PC DOS platform became dominant. Possibly their most successful titles during this period were "Thexder ", a side-scrolling shooter game and "Silpheed ", a 2D shooter (later ported and republished bySega for theSega CD console).Merger and Acquisition
Synergistic was acquired by Sierra in 1996. They maintained their identity as an independent development group within Sierra for several years. They were closed in early
1999 as part of a Sierra's restructuration plan.List of Titles
*"Dungeon Campaign / Wilderness Campaign" (1979)
*"" (1980)
*"Higher Text II" (1980)
*"Data Reporter" (1981)
*"Apventure to Atlantis " (1982)
*"Bolo" (1982)
*"Crisis Mountain " (1982)
*"Escape From Arcturus " (1982)
*"Microbe (computer game) " (1983)
*"The Fool's Errand " (1986) (as publishers of DOS port)
*"Pitstop II " (1984)
*"Thexder " (1985)
*"Sidewinder (computer game) " (1988)
*"Silpheed " (1988)
*"J.R.R. Tolkien's War in Middle Earth " (1988)
*"Spirit of Excalibur " (1990)
*"Vengeance of Excalibur " (1991)
*"" (1991)
*"Triple Play '97" (1996)
*"Birthright - The Gorgon's Alliance " (1996)
*"" (1997)External links
* [http://www.mobygames.com/company/synergistic-software-inc MobyGames rap sheet on Synergistic Software] .
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