A very short placeholder entry for yet another missing 1987 Computer Novels title – Around the World in 80 Days.
Mentioned in Svenska Hemdator Nytt No.4/1987, it is suggested that the game would be released soon by the company on the Commodore 64 and 16-bit platforms. It was never to see release on any platform, and only The Three Musketeers would see release.
A feature appeared in Swedish magazine Datormagazin, issue 7 1987, page 4, with P Diab at publisher American Action which adds a few snippets, where they say:
“We are planning to release the Computer Novels series for all computers I just mentioned [previous passage: Atari 520 ST, Amiga, C64, C128, PC]. This also includes all other games. The Computer Novels series will also be published in special editions for the C128. It won’t be a direct conversion from the C64, more like a Deluxe version of the C64 game.”
Followed by:
“Maybe it’s time for you to say a few words about Computer Novels…
Computer Novels is just a name for a series of games we publish. Another name we use is Action and there’s no doubt about what type of games will be included in that series, right? The Computer Novels series is based on old well-known novels. Within the next months “Ivanhoe” and “Around the World in 80 Days” will be published, all three of which are, as you know, two [sic] very well-known novels. Additionally, we have already published “The Three Musketeers”.
For the game, a little more detail was then mentioned about the style:
“Will “Ivanhoe” and “Around the world…” be in the same style as “The Three Musketeers”?
Well, more or less, they won’t be action games and no text adventures either. “Ivanhoe” will contain 6 different action parts in the vein of “Defender of the Crown”. “Around the world in 80 days” will also contain action parts, plus there will be a time limit hovering over the players, those 80 days you know…”
Was anything ever started, and can anything be found?
Contributions: Martin/Stadium64, Anonymous Contributor
