Forums > Game Forums > Pac-Man > Pac-Man Atarisoft / Datasoft releases
S Olafsson (59654) on 5/2/2016 11:05 AM · Permalink · Report
HI,
Can anyone help me understanding the relationship between the Atarisoft and Datasoft releases of Pac-Man? I think (but not necessarily limited to) Apple II, Atari 8-bit and C64 versions were released under both labels. I was initially convinced the two were separate versions and have according release info pending here at Moby, but further research has made me doubt that conclusion. There seems to be no mention of Datasoft when it comes to Pac-Man here at Moby, and I am not sure what their involvement was. Were they responsible for the porting? Or did they just re-publish it at a later date? Were the Atarisoft releases cartridge only?
Datasoft Pac-Man discussion on Atariage
Atarisoft C64 Pacman art
Datasoft Atari/C64 Pacman art
Kabushi (261192) on 5/2/2016 12:27 PM · Permalink · Report
It looks like the same games re-released with some minor changes (like title screens and menus). The Datasoft releases are copyrighted 1984 so they appear to have been a bit later.
The Apple II release is interesting though. This was originally an unlicensed clone called Taxman which was made by H.A.L. Labs (not the Japanese company) then bought by Atari for an official release.
S Olafsson (59654) on 5/2/2016 12:40 PM · Permalink · Report
[Q --start Kabushi wrote--]It looks like the same games re-released with some minor changes (like title screens and menus). The Datasoft releases are copyrighted 1984 so they appear to have been a bit later.[/Q --end Kabushi wrote--] Yeah, I have come to pretty much that conclusion. I will alter the pending submissions accordingly.
[Q --start Kabushi wrote--]The Apple II release is interesting though. This was originally an unlicensed clone called Taxman which was made by H.A.L. Labs (not the Japanese company) then bought by Atari for an official release.[/Q --end Kabushi wrote--]Interesting, now how the hell will this fit within the confines of mobyreleases.com ?