Spectral Associates
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Video games, Software |
| Founded | 1980 |
| Defunct | Late 1980s |
| Headquarters | United States |
Area served | United States |
| Products | Computer games for TRS-80 Color Computer, educational software, utilities |
Spectral Associates was a United States-based creator of computer games tailored for the TRS-80 Color Computer, established in 1980 and ceasing operations by the late 1980s. The firm marketed its software through Radio Shack outlets as well as direct distribution, emerging as a significant publisher for both the TRS-80 Color Computer I and II models.
Games
- Cave Walker (1986, released through Tandy Corporation)
- Color Meteoroids 1.6 (1981)
- Color Space Invaders 1.4 (1981)
- Cubix
- Decathlon
- Froggie
- Galagon
- Ghost Gobbler (available on cassette and disk)
- Ice Castles
- Interbank Incident (circa 1985–1987)
- Lancer (1983, distributed on cassette and disk)
- Lunar Rover Patrol (1983, cassette and disk formats)
- Keys of the Wizard (cassette format)
- Madness and the Minotaur (1982, cassette)
- Maze Escape (32K+ memory requirement, cassette)
- Ms. Gobbler (offered on cassette and disk)
- Pegasus and the Phantom Riders (circa 1985–1987)
- Pengon (cassette)
- Piggy (cassette)
- Planet Invasion (cassette)
- Qix
- Realm of Nauga (cassette)
- Roller Controller
- Space Sentry (available on cassette and disk)
- Springster (circa 1985–1987)
- Storm Arrows (cassette and disk formats)
- Treasury Pack 1 (disk) – featuring titles like Keys of the Wizard, Lunar Rover Patrol, and Cubix
- Treasury Pack 2 (disk)
- Whirlybird Run (1982, offered on cassette and disk)
Educational Titles
- Alpha Search (educational software, available on cassette and disk)
Utilities and Applications
- Clone 80cc (cassette format)
- RGB Patch (disk format)
- Demonstration Program (1986, used as a Radio Shack store demo)
- Holiday Demonstration Program (1986, Radio Shack store demonstration)
July 1980 to June 1981
During this period, the company introduced a 16K memory expansion priced at $75, an editor/assembler tool, multiple utility programs, and an early version of the game SPACE INVADERS. They also developed MAGIC BOX, a utility designed to allow tapes created for Model I & III machines to be compatible with the Color Computer.
July 1981 - June 1982
- Issued the technical manual for the Color Computer.
July 1983 - June 1984
- Introduced a collection of technical guides, including Color Basic Unravelled II, Disk Basic Unravelled II, Extended Basic Unravelled II, and Super Extended Basic Unravelled II.
Additional Publications
- Produced The Facts for the TRS-80 Color Computer (initial edition in 1981; fifth edition in 1983).
- Published CoCo 3 Secrets Revealed.