Anita Sinclair
Pioneer of interactive fiction
Anita Sinclair co-founded Magnetic Scrolls and brought literary ambition to text adventures, proving interactive fiction could be as refined as traditional literature.
Overview
Anita Sinclair (no relation to Clive) co-founded Magnetic Scrolls in 1984, challenging Infocom’s dominance in interactive fiction. Her games—The Pawn, Guild of Thieves, Corruption—combined sophisticated prose with gorgeous graphics and a parser that understood complex English sentences. She brought mainstream credibility to a genre often dismissed as niche.
Fast facts
- Founded: Magnetic Scrolls with Ken Gordon and Hugh Sheridan, 1984.
- Innovation: developed cross-platform engine running on 8-bit and 16-bit systems.
- Parser: Magnetic Scrolls’ parser rivalled Infocom for natural language understanding.
- Later career: moved into mobile games and publishing.
Key games
| Game | Year | Platform | Notable for |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Pawn | 1985 | Multi | First commercial graphic adventure with quality illustrations |
| Guild of Thieves | 1987 | Multi | Refined humour and puzzle design |
| Jinxter | 1987 | Multi | Magical England setting |
| Corruption | 1988 | Multi | Dark corporate thriller |
| Fish! | 1988 | Multi | Surreal comedy |
Technical achievements
Magnetic Scrolls created technology that set their games apart:
- Cross-platform engine: same game ran identically on Spectrum, Amiga, ST.
- Advanced parser: understood complex sentence structures, pronouns, multiple objects.
- Image compression: high-quality graphics that loaded quickly.
Literary ambitions
Sinclair approached games as literature:
- Hired professional writers and illustrators.
- Focused on prose quality, not just puzzle mechanics.
- Games reviewed in mainstream press, not just computer magazines.
Legacy
Magnetic Scrolls proved British developers could compete with American giants on quality. Their parser and engine influenced later adventure games, and their titles remain among the finest examples of interactive fiction.