# Telarium

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{{Short description|Defunct video game publisher}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=February 2014}}
{{Expand German|Telarium|date=October 2011}}
{{Infobox company
| name             = Telarium
| logo             = 
| logo_caption     = 
| image            = 
| image_caption    = 
| former_name      = Trillium
| former type      = 
| type             = 
| traded_as        = 
| industry         = [Video game industry](/source/Video_game_industry)
| fate             = 
| foundation       = {{Start date|1984}}
| founder          = C. David Seuss
| defunct          = {{End date|1987}}
| location_city    = [Cambridge, Massachusetts](/source/Cambridge%2C_Massachusetts)
| location_country = USA
| locations        = <!-- Number of locations, stores, offices, etc. -->
| area_served      = 
| key_people       = 
| products         = [Adventure game](/source/Adventure_game)s
| owner            = 
| num_employees    = 
| parent           = [Spinnaker Software](/source/Spinnaker_Software)
}}

'''Telarium Corporation''' (formerly '''Trillium''') was a brand owned by [Spinnaker Software](/source/Spinnaker_Software). The brand was launched in 1984 and Spinnaker was sold in 1994.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.mobygames.com/company/softkey-international-inc/history|title=History for SoftKey International, Inc}}</ref> The headquarters were located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA. The President of Telarium was C. David Seuss,<ref>[http://ifguide.if-legends.org/essays/Telarium.html C. David Seuss: ''Welcome to Telarium'', Fall 1984 (Telarium-Newsletter) at The Interactive Fiction Collector´s Guide – Telarium by Manuel Schulz] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110818083534/http://ifguide.if-legends.org/essays/Telarium.html |date=August 18, 2011 }}.</ref> the founder and CEO of Spinnaker Software.

==History==
C. David Seuss founded Trillium Corporation as a subsidiary of Spinnaker Software, which he had also founded and of which he was the CEO. Within the first year of its founding, Trillium's name was changed to Telarium due to legal issues presented by a book publisher. Telarium primarily released adventure games, with the exception of Shadowkeep, a role-playing game. The games were based on books, and the development of each game led to cooperation between the software developers and the authors. The first author who was consulted was the science fiction novelist [Michael Crichton](/source/Michael_Crichton). Crichton collaborated on the development of Telarium's game ''Amazon'', which was loosely based on his book ''[Congo](/source/Congo_(novel))''.<ref>{{cite web|last=Maher|first=Jimmy|title=Michael Crichton|url=https://www.filfre.net/tag/telarium/|publisher=The Digital Antiquarian|accessdate=22 May 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Telarium Corp|url=http://www.mobygames.com/company/telarium-corp|publisher=Moby Games|accessdate=22 May 2014}}</ref>

== Adventure games ==
Telarium published eight [adventure game](/source/adventure_game)s. The games belonged to the [genre](/source/video_game_genre) of [interactive fiction](/source/interactive_fiction) with graphics. One game (Shadowkeep) was also a [role-playing video game](/source/role-playing_video_game). They were based on works of literature in the [literary genres](/source/literary_genres) of science fiction, [fantasy](/source/fantasy), [crime fiction](/source/crime_fiction) and [legal drama](/source/legal_drama). Often they were developed in cooperation with established writers.<ref>Selby Bateman: ''Is A Picture Worth A Thousand Words?'', [Compute!](/source/Compute!), Issue 53, October 1984, p. 32.</ref> The game development was a part of Spinnakers marketing strategy in the adventure game market in the 1980s: Adventure games by Telarium were targeted at grown-up players, while those by [Windham Classics](/source/Windham_Classics)–another Spinnaker subsidiary–were targeted at children.<ref>Marguerite Zientara: ''Inside Spinnaker Software'', InfoWorld volume 6, issue 33, August 1984, {{ISSN|0199-6649}}, p.43-48</ref> The development was managed by [Seth Godin](/source/Seth_Godin).<ref>Shay Addams: ''if yr cmptr cn rd ths...'', Computer Entertainment, August 1985, p. 24-27, 76–77; Selby Bateman: ''Is a Picture worth a thousand words?'', Compute!, Issue 53, October 1984, {{ISSN|0194-357X}}, p. 32</ref>

*''[Amazon](/source/Amazon_(video_game))'', 1984 (written by [Michael Crichton](/source/Michael_Crichton), partly based upon his novel [Congo](/source/Congo_(novel)))
*''[Fahrenheit 451](/source/Fahrenheit_451_(video_game))'', 1984 (developed in cooperation with [Ray Bradbury](/source/Ray_Bradbury) and based upon his science fiction novel [Fahrenheit 451](/source/Fahrenheit_451). Bradbury contributed a sequel to the game)
*''[Rendezvous with Rama](/source/Rendezvous_with_Rama_(video_game))'', 1984 (developed in cooperation with [Arthur C. Clarke](/source/Arthur_C._Clarke) and based upon his science fiction novel [Rendezvous with Rama](/source/Rendezvous_with_Rama). Clarke contributed a different ending to the game)
*''[Dragonworld](/source/Dragonworld_(video_game))'', 1984 (written by [Byron Preiss](/source/Byron_Preiss) and Michael Reaves, based upon their fantasy novel ''Dragonworld'')
*''[Shadowkeep](/source/Shadowkeep_(video_game))'', 1984 (first video game to be [novelised](/source/Novelization): Shadowkeep, [Warner Books](/source/Warner_Books) 1984 by [Alan Dean Foster](/source/Alan_Dean_Foster)).
*''[Perry Mason: The Case of the Mandarin Murder](/source/Perry_Mason%3A_The_Case_of_the_Mandarin_Murder_(video_game))'', 1985 (based upon the fictional defense attorney [Perry Mason](/source/Perry_Mason), authored by [Erle Stanley Gardner](/source/Erle_Stanley_Gardner))
*''[Nine Princes in Amber](/source/Nine_Princes_in_Amber_(video_game))'' (based upon the fantasy novels ''[Nine Princes in Amber](/source/Nine_Princes_in_Amber)'' and ''[The Guns of Avalon](/source/The_Guns_of_Avalon)'' by [Roger Zelazny](/source/Roger_Zelazny))
*''[The Scoop](/source/The_Scoop_(video_game))'', written 1986 and rerelased by Spinnaker Software 1989<ref>[https://adventure.if-legends.org/Telarium_Corporation.html Telarium] at ''Adventureland'' by Hans Persson and Stefan Meier</ref> (based upon the detective serials [The Scoop and Behind the Screen](/source/The_Scoop_and_Behind_the_Screen) by [Agatha Christie](/source/Agatha_Christie) ''et al.'')

Two more adventure games were announced, but not published (''Starman Jones'', based on a science fiction novel by [Robert A. Heinlein](/source/Robert_A._Heinlein), and ''The Great Adventure'', based on a science fiction novel by [Philip Jose Farmer](/source/Philip_Jose_Farmer)).<ref>[https://adventure.if-legends.org/Telarium_Corporation.html Telarium] at ''Adventureland'' by Hans Persson and Stefan Meier</ref>

== Reception ==
The Telarium adventures received critical acclaim. They were praised for the prime quality text, the detailed graphics and the interactive opportunities.<ref>e.g. Gil Merciez: ''Fahrenheit 451'', Antic Amiga Magazine, Vol. 5 Nr.1, 05/1985, p.81; [http://archive.gamespy.com/legacy/interviews/afoster_a.shtm David Cuciz: Gamespy Interviews – Alan Dean Foster. The Writing Game, August 2000] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080103042257/http://archive.gamespy.com/legacy/interviews/afoster_a.shtm |date=January 3, 2008 }}</ref> The cooperation with famous writers like Ray Bradbury, Arthur C. Clarke and Michael Crichton was accentuated as a special feature of Telarium.<ref>William V. Costanzo: ''The electronic Text: Learning to write, read and reason with computers''. Educational Technology Publications 1989, Chapter ''A brief History of Interactive Fiction'', p.67f.</ref>

== Notes ==
{{reflist|colwidth=30em}}

== External links ==
*[https://www.mobygames.com/company/telarium-corp Telarium] at [MobyGames](/source/MobyGames)
*[http://mocagh.org/loadpage.php?getcompany=spinnaker&series=Trillium+Games Trillium], [http://mocagh.org/loadpage.php?getcompany=spinnaker&series=Telarium+Games Telarium] at ''Museum of Computer Adventure Game History'' by Howard Feldman
*[http://ifguide.if-legends.org/essays/Telarium.html Telarium] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110818083534/http://ifguide.if-legends.org/essays/Telarium.html |date=August 18, 2011 }} at ''The Interactive Fiction Collector's Guide'' by Manuel Schulz
*[https://adventure.if-legends.org/Telarium_Corporation.html Telarium] at ''Adventureland'' by Hans Persson and Stefan Meier

{{Telarium}}

Category:1984 establishments in Massachusetts
Category:1987 disestablishments in Massachusetts
Category:American brands
Category:American companies established in 1984
Category:American companies disestablished in 1987
Category:Companies based in Cambridge, Massachusetts
Category:Defunct companies based in Massachusetts
Category:Defunct video game companies of the United States
Category:Video game companies established in 1984
Category:Video game companies disestablished in 1987
Category:Video game development companies
Category:Video game publishing brands

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Telarium](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telarium) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telarium?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.