The Quill was created by Graeme Yeandle in 1983 and was published by Welsh software house Gilsoft. Various support programs were created over the years which added extra features; The Press, the Patch and the Illustrator. The Quill was the first in the "Gilsoft family" of adventure systems which includes the PAW, the SWAN, and DAAD.
Localised versions were published by Norace in Norway, Denmark and Sweden, all on one disc/tape.
In the USA, the tool was sold, under license, as AdventureWriter by the publisher CodeWriter who included their own graphics system. CodeWriter "grey imported" a French language version to Europe.
Gilsoft's Quill was available for ZX Spectrum, Amstrad CPC, Commodore 64, BBC Micro & Acorn Electron, Sinclair QL, and Oric 1/Atmos. An Atari 800/XL version was developed but may not have been released.
CodeWriter's (US & French) version of the system was available for Commodore 64, Atari 800 and XL series computers with 48K, Apple II (II, II+, IIc) / Franklin Ace 1000, and IBM-PC (MS-DOS). The C64 and Apple/Franklin version had support for graphics.
Although The Quill only had a two-word parser, a special four-word version was created by Gilsoft for CRL to use in their Bugsy game; although the commercially released version does not seem to implement that feature. Support for four word inputs could be added to Spectrum games by the use of the third-party The Fix program that was marketed by Kelsoft.
In addition to the commercial games produced using the Quill, several games used the system as a prototyping/development tool (such as Dodgy Geezers and Terrormolinos).
There were also games released using (often uncredited) heavily-modified versions of the Quill such as Rigel's Revenge and The Serf's Tale. That particular hack of the Quill, produced by Smart Egg, was dubbed "The Ballpoint".
The Quill influenced many other adventure systems that followed it. It has also been unofficially ported to other platforms. For example, in the early 2000s Zeljko Juric produced an enhanced version for Texas Instruments (TI) programmable graphical calculators. There was an unofficial ZX81 version in development back in 2009/2010 together with a Windows-based editor.
Title |
Publisher |
Year |
Language |
Documents |
Crystals of Doom |
Time Assassin |
1985 |
English |
Solution |
Cuddles |
8th Day Software |
1984 |
English |
Solution, Map |
Cup, The |
Adventure Workshop, The , River Software |
1987 |
English |
Solution, Map |
Curious Case Of The Missing Victorian, The |
Stuart Johns |
2013 |
English |
Solution |
Curse of Calutha |
Zenobi Software |
1992 |
English |
Solution, Map, Hints |
Curse of Shaleth, The |
Central Solutions |
1985 |
English |
Solution |
Curse, The |
Gilsoft International |
1983 |
English |
Solution |
Custerd's Quest |
Alpha-Omega Software |
1986 |
English |
Solution, Map, Hints |
Dallas Nasty |
John Pitts |
? |
English |
|
Damsels in Distress II |
Frank McMahon |
1986 |
English |
Solution |
Dances with Bunny Rabbits |
Adventure Workshop, The , Guild Adventure Software, The , WoW Software |
1992 |
English |
Solution, Map |
Danger! Adventurer at Work! |
Commodore Force, Guild Adventure Software, The , WoW Software |
1991 |
English |
Solution, Map |
Danger! Adventurer at Work! 2 |
Guild Adventure Software, The , WoW Software |
1992 |
English |
Solution, Hints |
Dare, The |
Atlas Adventure Software , Base 7 Software, Guild Adventure Software, The |
1989 |
English |
Solution, Map, Hints |
Dark Tower, The |
Adventure Workshop, The , River Software |
1992 |
English |
Solution, Map |
Davy Jones Locker |
River Software |
1987 |
English |
Solution, Map, Hints |
Day Before, The |
CodeWriter |
1985 |
English |
Solution, Map |
Day Trip |
? |
? |
English |
Solution, Map |
Death Valley |
Free Spirit Software |
1988 |
English |
Solution |
Deek's Deeds |
Zenobi Software |
1990 |
English |
Solution |
Delron |
Richard Otter |
1989 |
English |
Solution, Hints |
Demon From the Darkside |
Compass Software |
1986 |
English |
Solution, Hints |
Demonstration Adventure |
Gilsoft International |
1983 |
English |
Solution, Map |
Denis Through the Drinking Glass |
Applications Software Specialities |
1983 |
English |
Solution, Map |
Dennis the Dwarf at the Funfear |
RWAP Software, Talent Computer Systems |
2016 |
English |
|
Desert Island |
Atlas Adventure Software , H&D Services |
1985 |
English |
Solution, Map |
Desert of Destiny |
? |
1988 |
English |
Solution, Hints |
Desperado |
Central Solutions |
1986 |
English |
Solution |
Destruction of the Galactic Empire, The |
David Ashton, Grant Wilson |
1984 |
English |
Solution |
Devil's Hand, The |
Compass Software |
1986 |
English |
Solution |
Devil's Island |
Gilsoft International |
1983 |
English |
Solution, Map |
Diamond |
Dr. Laser |
1998 |
Russian |
|
Diamond Trail |
Gilsoft International |
1983 |
English |
Solution, Map |
Dick Ironside - Attacco al Bunker |
Viking |
1987 |
Italian |
|
Dick Ironside - Bronx |
Viking |
1987 |
Italian |
|
Dick Ironside - Bronx II: La Minaccia |
Viking |
1987 |
Italian |
|
Dick Ironside - Progetto Atlantide |
Viking |
1987 |
Italian |
|
Dick Ironside - Underground Killers |
Explorer |
1987 |
Italian |
|
Dick Turpin |
B. J. Curtis |
1985 |
English |
Solution |
Dildo and the Dark Lord |
R.C.L. Software |
1989 |
English |
Solution, Hints |
Dimensione Sconosciuta |
Load 'n' Run |
1987 |
Italian |
Solution, Map |
Diplomat's Dilemma |
TPUG |
1985 |
English |
Solution |
Doctor Download Adventure |
? |
? |
English |
|
Doctor Goo |
Spectrum Adventure Exchange Club |
1987 |
English |
Solution |
Doctor Goo and the Samorons |
Global Games , Spectrum Adventure Exchange Club |
1988 |
English |
Solution |
Doctor Goo and the Wobegon Affair |
Spectrum Adventure Exchange Club |
1988 |
English |
|
Doctors Demise |
Guild Adventure Software, The |
1986 |
English |
Solution |
Dodgy Geezers |
Melbourne House |
1986 |
English |
Solution, Hints |
Dodo and Damn |
R.C.L. Software |
1989 |
English |
Solution, Hints |
Dome Trooper |
Matand Software |
1986 |
English |
Solution, Hints |