In 80 Days Around the World was published in 1987 by the German house Rainbow Arts for the Commodore Amiga. The catalogue notes a top-down view and single-player play. The title refers to the journey around the world in eighty days, the subject made famous by Jules Verne's novel and long in the public domain by the time this game appeared.

The Amiga had been on sale for only two years in 1987, and its capabilities were exceptional for a home machine: a wide colour palette, dedicated hardware for moving graphics, and sound built on sampled instruments. European studios made visual quality their calling card on it from the outset, because that was how to stand apart from the 8-bit computers still dominating the market.

Rainbow Arts was among the most active German publishers of the late eighties, with output aimed at the whole of Europe. A travel theme suited a game of the period well, since it offers changing settings and modes of transport without requiring one continuous system to hold everything together.

A top-down view means movement across a map or flat locations where the player sees the surroundings at a glance. Games laid out this way usually alternate travel with short self-contained tasks.

1987 matters for an Amiga release for one more reason. Most European titles of the period were conversions from 8-bit computers using only part of what the Amiga could do. Games designed for the machine from the start were recognisable at a glance but initially a minority, because the installed base was still small.

The single-player note reflects the habits of the day: home computers had two joystick ports, but games built around travel and tasks were made for one person settling in for a long session. Shared play belonged to sports and simple head-to-head contests.

This entry on OldGame.cz records the release year, the publisher, the platform and images from the game.