There was a period of time around 2013-2018 when I posted these catalog scans to Tumblr instead of this page. It was simply a matter of bandwidth and storage. Once I fixed those issues I moved all these catalog scans back here.
No disrespect meant to Tumblr. Of all the social media sites I find it the least horrible. I'm done with them all though (except LinkedIn out of necessity, at least until I retire).
During the migration I forgot to include this catalog. I think I confused it with the other 1987 Electronics Boutique catalog I scanned. Other than the cover/first page it's in pretty good shape.
I'm not really sure about the date. It's the same visual style as the January 1987 catalog but not the xmas 1988 one. It references some titles as being October releases. That's why I'm labeling it "Fall 1987". There's a non-trivial chance it's actually from 1988. I could cross-check release dates of things in this catalog but that sounds like a lot of work. Let's just enjoy this catalog and not worry about whether I got the date right.
Page 1 - Partial cover
This is only half of the front cover. The bottom half of the inside had a coupon or something that the original owner tore off. I forgot where I found this in the first place, probably ebay, could have been in a box of magazines at a garage sale.
Page 2 - PC Games
Again, half page. The rest of the catalog is complete, I swear. Anyway, the IBM port of Pirates is listed as "coming soon". Let's cross-check that... that version was a 1987 release so I at least got the year of this catalog right. Whew. I was really dreading a "well but actually" email explaining this couldn't possibly be from 1987... because I'm afraid my delete key might wear out eventually.
Page 3 - PC Games
What stands out for me right away is how all the PC games have C64/128, Atari ST, Amiga, Apple, Macintosh (distinct from "Apple") and/or IBM versions. Today "PC" has a de facto meaning of "Windows PC" of course. Anyway, wow. My hazy memory is that IBM compatible PCs were dominant in the late 80s. I was way off. I was in junior high in 1987, cut me a break.
Page 4 - PC Games
I haven't tried most of the products in this catalog. See the previous comment about being in junior high. My only computer experience at this point was on an Apple II+ clone that was a few years old. I wasn't half-bad at programming on it but didn't own many games. So I'm going to use this opportunity to add some old games to my incredibly long backlog. On this page, 221 B Baker Street and Guild of Thieves sound interesting.
Page 5 - PC Games
OK, so my previous note maybe isn't going to pan out. There's nothing on this page I'm curious about. I think the holding company that calls themselves Atari owns most or all of the Accolade IP now. So maybe I'll try those games on some future collection. They have been really good about collection releases recently.
Page 6 - NES and PC Games
The reason I first questioned whether this was from 1987 was the NES games. The system was still fairly new in the US and I was skeptical all these were all in stores AND discounted by then. Castlevania for $29.99 in 1987 seems like a spectacular deal.
Page 7 - PC Games
The description of Intrigue is, well, intriguing. It sounds like a good game to try in October.
Page 8 - NES and PC Games, Productivity
The Legend of Zelda for $39.99 in 1987 is another amazing deal. On this same page is Eternal Dagger which might be the best title ever for an RPG.
Page 9 - PC Games
There are some solid Infocom games on this page. I have the original versions of a couple of them and the others in a collection. I don't know if I solved any of them.
Page 10 - PC Games
I'm only on page 10 but I'm feeling confident that Bop 'n Rumble has the zaniest description of anything in this catalog.
Page 11 - Cinemaware and Productivity
Cinemaware games are always a favorite of mine. The IP has been passed around a few times and the current owner I hear isn't doing great. I'll keep holding on to my pipe dream of acquiring it all for $5 by accident one day. More likely, the Atari holding company eventually owns it. At this point, that is about the best possible outcome.
Page 12 - Sierra
I would comment how weird it is for a game company, Sierra, to publish a word processor. Except, you know, Microsoft and all that.
Page 13 - Spinnaker
Bazooka Bill has some seriously awful box art. The box art for Ardok and Major League Manager look like masterpieces in comparison. Also, I'm really curious to try Power C now.
Page 14 - Educational
That Spy Series sounds incredibly identical to the Carmen Sandiego games.
Page 15 - PC Games and Educational
I feel like that Inside Trader game could use a reboot that incorporates meme stocks and NFT pyramid schemes.
Page 16 - PC Games
This is an odd assortment of titles to lump together. Going back to the backlog comment, I'd like to try Legacy of the Ancients.
Page 17 - EA
How bad can Ultimate Wizard be for just $9.99? It sounds interesting, also like a total slough. Sort of like Fatal Labyrinth on the Genesis. That's worth $9.99 too. I dunno, I'll eventually try it I guess.
Page 18 - Broderbund
"B.S. Writer Plus" is not a good name for a word processor. ChatGPT is 35 years away but that would be an acceptable name for it. Also on this page are the real Carmen Sandiego games. Let's take a moment to appreciate how they nailed making educational games fun. I even played Where in North Dakota in Carmen Sandiego (Google it) and nearly took a road trip to check out the real world locations I just learned about. It was winter so I decided against it. BTW - Cauldron, that's another backlog addition.
Page 19 - Broderbund
Let's also stop to appreciate how great a piece of software The Print Shop was. It ran on everything and just plain worked. Like, it really worked. Think for a minute what it would take to print literally anything on the computing device you are currently viewing this page on. Yeah. That gave you a panic attack didn't it? I legit started sweating over here. The Print Shop on the other hand, everything was a breeze.
Page 20 - Productivity
The picture on that SAT prep guide looks like the thumbnail for a.. Uh, nevermind. Hey, it's GEOS. I would like to try that out too.
Page 21 - Productivity
By 1987 standards this is some crazy expensive software. Even 35 or so years later it still is.
Page 22 - Timeworks
After a couple searches, I can't tell if anyone owns the IP for Word Writer. I can't explain why but I find it oddly interesting to see who owns the IP for long defunct software. I think it was ultimately owned by Greenstreet software, who have another product I recently ran across. I'm sure somebody bought all their IP in liquidation but don't have the knowledge to figure out who.
Page 23 - Productivity and Programming
I wish there was more programming stuff in this catalog. I figured in 1987 that would be like 1/3 of the products at Electronics Boutique. Here we have Turbo C and Turbo Basic. I have a copy of Turbo C (disk only) in my programmer hoarder archive.
Page 24 - Educational and Holiday
My life is not complete until I try Jingle Disk. I mean that completely sincerely.
Page 25 - Chess Trainers
I've done zero, and I mean zero, research on this but that's not stopping me... I wonder if there is a market for a physical chess trainer like these? They'd have to be connected to "the cloud" now. You couldn't put an advanced chess trainer in a unit like this without it costing $500. Wait. If this was made today it would totally cost $500 and have at most a Pi Zero inside it. Wow, I think I just came up with an awesome grift.
Page 26 - Controllers
Maybe I said this in another catalog scan, that IconTroller is something I would totally use today. It looks super convenient which is a big deal to me. In reality it probably took hours of configuration and didn't work that well. Just like trying to make any controller work in RetroArch.
Page 27 - Books
Of everything so far in this catalog, the "Keys to Solving Computer Adventure Games" book is the thing I most want to own. Well, it's in the top 5 at least. I know nothing at all about it other than the title. That's all I need to know.
Page 28 - Accessories
The large diskbox in the bottom left corner... I have one of those. Not one like it. That exact one. It has my unboxed 5.25" collection. I use the term "collection" loosely here as I don't actively collect old disks that probably don't work. It's mostly games and oddball versions of Windows.
Page 29 - CompuServe
Oh wow. Just wow. I thought 1987 was too early for the home version of CompuServe. I wish there was a site that accurately re-created the CompuServe experience for historical purposes.
Page 30 - Disks
I realize the dollars-per-kb math is comical today. These aren't bad deals for the time. I'm not going to mock these.
Page 31 - Disks
I worked at Electronics Boutique when they phased out this style of packaging for a more 90s looking one. I think both styles are great.
Page 32 - Store Directory
This store directory is very interesting to me and virtually no one else. Most of these stores are gone now or in a different location. The incredibly resilient one is the Woodfield Mall location in Schaumburg Illinois. I assure you that location from 1987 is still there in 2023. It says GameStop on the sign now but it's the same extremely cramped store from 1987. It doesn't look that different. I can't speak to any other locations.
Page 33 - Budget Titles
Alright, I don't have a lot to say about the rest of these pages. Some of these deals look alright.
Page 34 - Budget Titles
Come to think of it, all these are awesome deals. If you bought everything here at the listed price and held onto it until 2020 rolled around you'd be rolling in cash.
Page 35 - Mailer
This dude is sort of a proto-Dilbert. I hope whoever drew this is smart enough to stay off Twitter.
Page 36 - Mailer
Sign up a friend is a dated concept. It seems more like a prank today.
Alright, that was another fun little trip back in time. I just barely missed out on an era when games ran on so many different computer platforms. Today we all know which of them won the competition. Back in 1987 it doesn't seem like any was the clear leader just yet.
Related
