Paco Menéndez
Encyclopedia
Francisco "Paco" Menéndez (1965–1999) was a Spanish
computer game programmer
who wrote games for 8-bit computers. His most famous work is La Abadía del Crimen
which is regarded as one of the best games made for 8 bit computers.
and translated into English. Quicksilva
distributed Fred while Mikro-Gen handled Sir Fred's UK release. Both games were well received with critics, with Crash Magazine
giving Sir Fred a 91% rating.
(The Abbey of Crime) for Operasoft. The game was to be a version of Umberto Eco
's book The Name of the Rose
but a license was not obtained as Eco never replied to Menéndez's request, so the game was renamed La Abadía del Crimen. Originally made for the Amstrad CPC
, it was then ported to other 8-bit computers the Sinclair ZX Spectrum and the MSX
. The game was critically acclaimed for its graphics, sound and detail. The game helped Menéndez claim the Best Spanish Programmer award from Spanish Spectrum magazine MicroHobby. Despite its immense popularity and success, the game was never officially released outside Spain.
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
computer game programmer
Game programmer
A game programmer is a software engineer, programmer, or computer scientist who primarily develops codebase for video games or related software, such as game development tools. Game programming has many specialized disciplines all of which fall under the umbrella term of "game programmer"...
who wrote games for 8-bit computers. His most famous work is La Abadía del Crimen
La Abadía del Crimen
La Abadía del Crimen is a computer video game programmed in 1987 by Paco Menéndez. The game was originally conceived as a version of Umberto Eco's book...
which is regarded as one of the best games made for 8 bit computers.
Early works
Menéndez's first work was Fred, an arcade maze game released in 1983 which was followed by a sequel Sir Fred in 1986. Both games were later distributed in the United KingdomUnited Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and translated into English. Quicksilva
Quicksilva
Quicksilva was a British games software publisher active during the early 1980s.Amongst the company's successes were Jeff Minter's Gridrunner and Bugaboo , a title licenced from Spanish software house Indescomp S.A....
distributed Fred while Mikro-Gen handled Sir Fred's UK release. Both games were well received with critics, with Crash Magazine
Crash Magazine
Crash Magazine is a French independent magazine published every trimester that can be found in all major press stores.It was founded in 1998 by Frank Perrin and Armelle Leturcq; Art critics before publishing Crash, Perrin and Leturcq had previously published an art review known as “Blocnotes”...
giving Sir Fred a 91% rating.
La Abadía del Crimen
In 1988, Menéndez teamed with Juan Delcán to write La Abadía del CrimenLa Abadía del Crimen
La Abadía del Crimen is a computer video game programmed in 1987 by Paco Menéndez. The game was originally conceived as a version of Umberto Eco's book...
(The Abbey of Crime) for Operasoft. The game was to be a version of Umberto Eco
Umberto Eco
Umberto Eco Knight Grand Cross is an Italian semiotician, essayist, philosopher, literary critic, and novelist, best known for his novel The Name of the Rose , an intellectual mystery combining semiotics in fiction, biblical analysis, medieval studies and literary theory...
's book The Name of the Rose
The Name of the Rose
The Name of the Rose is the first novel by Italian author Umberto Eco. It is a historical murder mystery set in an Italian monastery in the year 1327, an intellectual mystery combining semiotics in fiction, biblical analysis, medieval studies and literary theory...
but a license was not obtained as Eco never replied to Menéndez's request, so the game was renamed La Abadía del Crimen. Originally made for the Amstrad CPC
Amstrad CPC
The Amstrad CPC is a series of 8-bit home computers produced by Amstrad between 1984 and 1990. It was designed to compete in the mid-1980s home computer market dominated by the Commodore 64 and the Sinclair ZX Spectrum, where it successfully established itself primarily in the United Kingdom,...
, it was then ported to other 8-bit computers the Sinclair ZX Spectrum and the MSX
MSX
MSX was the name of a standardized home computer architecture in the 1980s conceived by Kazuhiko Nishi, then Vice-president at Microsoft Japan and Director at ASCII Corporation...
. The game was critically acclaimed for its graphics, sound and detail. The game helped Menéndez claim the Best Spanish Programmer award from Spanish Spectrum magazine MicroHobby. Despite its immense popularity and success, the game was never officially released outside Spain.