BBC Microcomputer System

Elite

Elite is a space trading video game, written and developed by David Braben and Ian Bell and originally published by Acornsoft for the BBC Micro and Acorn Electron computers in September 1984. In the game the player can fly around the universe in his or her space ship. The player starts out with virtually no equipment and can trade goods between star systems to make a living. More money allows the player to buy better equipment. Meanwhile the player must be on the lookout for pirates. The tape versions of Elite were part of the original release, alongside the first BBC disk release. They differ from the disk version in that they don't feature missions and have less types of ships. There are two of these tape releases, for the Acorn Electron and the BBC Micro Model B. The Acorn Electron release also doesn't feature the alien Thargoids race or suns, and displays the entire game in video mode 4 (black and white), so no colour HUD is present.