Commodore Amiga: a visual compendium

Launched in 1985, the Amiga ushered in a new age of home computing. Its powerful 16-bit Motorola CPU and custom graphics and audio chipsets made it an instant hit among both gamers looking to move on from their 8-bit systems, and artists and musicians moving into the digital realm.

Early titles like Defender of the Crown, Barbarian and Hybris demonstrated the Amiga's graphics credentials, while arcade-perfect conversions of Marble Madness, Space Harrier and Rainbow Islands showed that it could match the power of dedicated coin-op cabinets. Over the next decade, it would play host to an extraordinary diversity of titles; games like Rocket Ranger, Populous, Cannon Fodder, Speedball and Worms ushered in new genres and helped to redefine the videogame landscape.

Over the course of some 420 pages, Commodore Amiga: a visual compendium showcases more than 140 of the biggest titles, bringing them vividly to life with a double-page screen grab or loading page. Each is accompanied by quotes and commentary from renowned Amiga artists, developers and publishers, including R.J. Mical, David Braben, Sid Meier, Ron Gilbert, Julian Eggebrecht, Tobias Richter, Dave Gibbons and many more.

Beyond the games themselves, it also covers the origins of the hardware and the vibrant demo scene, and includes interviews with artists and profiles of the most prominent games publishers. Presented in hardback, using high-quality lithographic printing on superior paper stock, this book is a wonderful celebration of the machine’s graphics prowess and a reminder of the wealth of quality games the Amiga brought to bear.

About the publisher:
Bitmap Books work with the world's most experienced writers, designers and gaming experts to create meticulously researched, visually ambitious retro gaming books. As a design-led publisher, visual quality matters to us. We don’t just obsessively pursue the best printing quality currently available. We want to constantly push the envelope when it comes to expectations about printing techniques.