Elite 1984

Released: September 20, 1984
Genres: Shooter · Simulator · Strategy
Platforms: Acorn Archimedes · BBC Microcomputer System · Commodore C64/128/MAX · ZX Spectrum · Atari ST/STE · Acorn Electron · DOS · Tatung Einstein · Amiga · Apple II · Amstrad CPC · Nintendo Entertainment System · MSX
Developers: Acornsoft · Frontier Developments
More info: Wikipedia IGDB

Where to buy

Physical: Search on Amazon

Affiliate links: GOG, Fanatical, Green Man Gaming, ININ Games and Amazon

Is it still worth playing?

Written by David Braben and Ian Bell and first released for the BBC Micro in September 1984, this space trading game uses wire frame 3D graphics with hidden line removal. The player is Commander Jameson, a name that can be changed whenever the game is saved, who starts at Lave Station with 100 credits and a lightly armed Cobra Mark III trading ship. Credits come from piracy, trade, military missions, bounty hunting and asteroid mining, and pay for upgrades such as better weapons, more cargo space and an automated docking system. Each star has a single planet with a space station, and travel between stars is by hyperspace jumps limited by fuel, up to 7 light years. Raising a combat rating to Elite is one of the goals. An open-ended universe still invites a player to set their own course.