Sanctuary Woods
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Multimedia, Video games |
| Founder | Brian Beninger, Toni Beninger |
| Defunct | 2001 |
| Headquarters | Canada, United States |
| Products | Multimedia software, Video games |
Sanctuary Woods Multimedia, Inc. was a multimedia developer and third-party video game publisher operating in both Canada and the United States, recognized as one of the pioneers in producing CD-ROM-based software. Established by technology experts Brian and Toni Beninger, the firm concentrated on creating family-friendly and educational multimedia products following the introduction of Apple's HyperCard platform.
Among Sanctuary Woods' published works were two titles developed in collaboration with actress Shelley Duvall — It's a Bird's Life and It's a Dog's Life — as well as distributing prominent games from Presto Studios. In 1994, the company obtained the MicroProse Adventure Development System engine, which had been utilized in games such as Rex Nebular and Return of the Phantom. After experiencing underwhelming sales figures in 1995, Sanctuary Woods implemented staff reductions and organizational changes before ultimately closing down in 2001.
3DO
- Dennis Miller: It's Geek to Me
- Dennis Miller: That's News to Me
- It's a Bird's Life
Macintosh
- Ripley's Believe It or Not!: The Riddle of Master Lu
- The Journeyman Project Turbo!
- The Journeyman Project 2: Buried in Time
- Math Ace JR.
- Victor Vector & Yondo: The Cyberplasm Formula
- Hawaii High: Mystery of the Tiki
PC
- It's a Bird's Life
- It's a Dog's Life
- Ripley's Believe It or Not!: The Riddle of Master Lu
- The Journeyman Project Turbo!
- The Journeyman Project 2: Buried in Time
- Radio Active: A Music Trivia Game
- Wolf — recognized as the first wildlife simulation
- Lion — sequel to Wolf
- Victor Vector & Yondo: The Cyberplasm Formula
- Victor Vector & Yondo: The Hypnotic Harp
- Victor Vector & Yondo: The Vampire's Coffin
- Victor Vector & Yondo: The Last Dinosaur Egg
- Math Ace Grand Prix Edition
- Word City Grand Prix Edition
- Hawaii High: Mystery of the Tiki
Victor Vector & Yondo
The Victor Vector & Yondo series from the 1990s, released by Sanctuary Woods, centers around the superhero figure Victor Vector and his loyal St. Bernard companion, Yondo. Designed primarily for young audiences, these early CD-ROM games merged educational content with entertaining gameplay.
- Victor Vector & Yondo: The Cyberplasm Formula
- Victor Vector & Yondo: The Hypnotic Harp
- Victor Vector & Yondo: The Vampire's Coffin
- Victor Vector & Yondo: The Last Dinosaur Egg
PC
- Once Upon a Forest
- Orion Burger
- Victor Vector & Yondo: The Cyberplasm Formula
- Victor Vector & Yondo: The Hypnotic Harp
- Victor Vector & Yondo: The Vampire's Coffin
- Victor Vector & Yondo: The Last Dinosaur Egg
- It's A Bird's Life
- Ripley's Believe It or Not!: The Riddle of Master Lu
Reception
In 1993, Computer Gaming World described Victor Vector & Yondo as emphasizing flashy visuals over meaningful content and criticized its digitized speech quality. Meanwhile, Entertainment Weekly’’ assigned a C− grade to It's a Bird's Life, pointing out its rudimentary animation and technical flaws that detracted from player involvement. Ultimately, the title did not achieve commercial success.
- Sanctuary Woods company overview available at MobyGames
- Sanctuary Woods information provided by IGN