Jacaranda Software facts for kids
| Industry | Video games |
|---|---|
| Headquarters | Brisbane, Australia |
|
Key people
|
John Collins |
Jacaranda Software was an Australian company. They made and sold computer games for children. These games were mostly for learning and education. The company was based in Brisbane, Australia. John Collins was a key leader there.
About Jacaranda Software
Jacaranda Software was part of a larger publishing company. This company was called Jacaranda-Wiley. It was the Australian branch of the American company, Wiley. At first, Jacaranda Software was an experiment. But it quickly became very successful. It made money from its first year. The company kept making money until it closed in the early 1990s.
Jacaranda Software made games for many different computers. These included the Apple II and Commodore 64. They also made games for Macintosh, Microbee, and BBC Micro computers.
What Happened Next?
After Jacaranda Software closed, some of its team kept making games. David Smith, Bruce Mitchell, and Steve Luckett started a new company. They called it Greygum Software. They bought the remaining games and equipment from Jacaranda.
As of 2015, Greygum Software still offers many popular games. These include Goldfields, Kraken: A deep-sea quest, Desert Quest, and Crossing the Mountains. You can play these games on Windows and Macintosh computers.
Games Released by Jacaranda Software
Jacaranda Software created many educational games. Here is a list of some of the games they released:
| Title | Year | Known Versions |
|---|---|---|
| Animal Rescue | 1989 | Apple II |
| Bush Rescue | 1987 | Apple II, BBC |
| Cardsharp | 1988 | Apple II, BBC |
| Cave Surveyor | 1985 | |
| Clockwise: Time activities for the whole primary school | 1992 | Apple II, BBC |
| Crossing the Mountains | 1989 | Apple II, BBC |
| Cunning Running | 1984 | Apple II, C64, Microbee |
| Desert Quest | 1984 | Apple II, BBC, Macintosh |
| Dinosaur Discovery | 1985 | Apple II, BBC |
| Fleetfoot Express | 1992 | Apple II |
| Gold-Dust Island | 1984 | Apple II, BBC, C64, Microbee |
| Goldfields | 1986 | Apple II, BBC, C64, DOS, Macintosh, Windows |
| Jacaranda Maths 10 Software | 1989 | |
| Kraken: A deep-sea quest | 1989 | Apple II, BBC, C64, Macintosh |
| Maths Bingo | 1991 | Apple II, BBC |
| Paws | 1986 | Apple II |
| Pieces of Eight | 1986 | |
| Quick-Cartage Company | 1984 | Apple II, BBC, C64, Microbee |
| Raft-Away River | 1984 | Apple II, BBC, C64, Microbee |
| Scavenger Hunt | 1984 | Apple II, BBC, Microbee |
| Sheep-Dog Trial | 1984 | Apple II, C64, Microbee |
| Terra Australis: Voyages of trade and discovery | 1988 | Apple II, BBC |
| Transformations | 1986 | Apple II, BBC |
| The Tycoon Itch | 1986 | Apple II, BBC, C64 |
| Vegetable Patch | 1987 | Apple II |
| Vote 1 | 1986 | Apple II, BBC |
| Wordsmith | 1985 | Apple II, BBC |
| Wordswork | 1985 | Apple II, BBC |
| Wheat Farmer | 1990 | Apple II, BBC |
| Zoopak | 1987 | Apple II, BBC |
