History of video games/Platforms/BBC Bridge Companion

The BBC Bridge companion with the Bridge Builder cartridge inserted.

History

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Andrew Kambites was a programmer for the BBC Bridge Companion, and also programed the otherwise unrelated handheld Saitek Pro Bridge Professor.[1]

The BBC Bridge companion was released in 1985 at a cost of 199.99 British pounds.[2][3]

Technology

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The BBC Bridge player uses a Z80A CPU and a TMS9129NL graphics chip.[2] The system could output 8 colors and had spartan audio capabilities.[4]

The system has 16 kilobytes of RAM.[2]

Game library

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Various bridge themed cartridges were released for the system.

  • Advanced Bidding[5]
  • Advanced Defence[5]
  • Bridge Builder[5]
  • Club Play 1[5]
  • Club Play 2[5]
  • Club Play 3[5]
  • Conventions 1[5]
  • Duplicate 1[5]
  • Master Play 1[5]
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Notes

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The BBC Bridge Companion is similar to the later Koei PasoGo, which was another cartridge based system which focused on a singular traditional game. Unlike the BBC Bridge Companion, the PasoGo was a handheld console, and focused on the game of Go.

External Resources

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References

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  1. "Andrew Kambites English Bridge Union". www.ebu.co.uk. Retrieved 29 October 2020.
  2. a b c "Home Page". Video Game Console Library. Retrieved 29 October 2020.
  3. "BBC Bridge Companion by BBC Enterprises Ltd – The Video Game Kraken". Retrieved 27 November 2020.
  4. "BBC Bridge Companion (1985 - mid 1980s)". Museum of Obsolete Media. 13 May 2018. Retrieved 29 October 2020.
  5. a b c d e f g h i "BBC Bridge Companion". Wikipedia. 4 July 2020. Retrieved 4 November 2020.