Writer(s) Ian Andrew Developer Quicksilva | Initial release date 1983 Mode Single-player video game | |
Platforms ZX Spectrum, Microsoft Windows, BBC Micro, Dragon 32/64, Acorn Electron Publishers Quicksilva, Microparadise Software Similar Quicksilva games, Strategy games | ||
Mined-Out was a video game released for the Sinclair Spectrum in 1983 by Quicksilva. It is conceptually similar to the later Minesweeper, where a player must cross a minefield successfully using logic. Although Mined-Out was not the first game in the style of Minesweeper, it was the first to be released on a personal computer, and to display how many mines are adjacent to the player.
The game was written by Ian Andrew, an early adopter of the ZX81 and Spectrum. He learned to program BASIC in his spare time, and sent a copy of Mined-Out to Quicksilva after they published an advert wanting programs to publish. It received a positive reception, with Home Computing Weekly describing it as "excellent fun to play".
The game was later ported to other home computers, including the Dragon 32, BBC Micro and Acorn Electron, while Andrew founded his own company, Incentive Software.