Graphic Adventure Creator

{{Short description|Adventure game creation system released in 1985}}

{{Infobox video game

| title = Graphic Adventure Creator

| image = GraphicAdventureCreatorCommodore64.png

| image_size = 240px

| developer = Sean Ellis, Brendan Kelly, Dave Kirby, "The Kid"

| publisher = Incentive Software

| designer = Sean Ellis

| engine =

| released = 1985

| genre = Game creation system, utility

| modes = n/a

| platforms = ZX Spectrum, Amstrad CPC, Commodore 64, BBC Micro

| caption = Graphic Adventure Creator for the C64

}}

Graphic Adventure Creator (often shortened to GAC) is a game creation system/programming language for adventure games published by Incentive Software, originally written on the Amstrad CPC by Sean Ellis,{{Cite web |title=the graphic adventure creator © incentive (1985) |url=https://www.cpc-power.com/index.php?page=detail&num=4943 |access-date=2023-09-10 |website=www.cpc-power.com}} and then ported to other platforms by, amongst others, Brendan Kelly (Spectrum),{{Cite web |title=The Graphic Adventure Creator at Spectrum Computing - Sinclair ZX Spectrum games, software and hardware |url=https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/entry/0006391 |access-date=2023-09-10 |website=Spectrum Computing |language=en}} Dave Kirby (BBC, Electron){{Cite web |title=The Graphic Adventure Creator (BBC Model B) - Everygamegoing.com |url=https://www.everygamegoing.com/litem/The-Graphic-Adventure-Creator/38544/ |access-date=2023-09-10 |website=www.everygamegoing.com}} and "The Kid" (Malcolm Hellon) (C64).{{Cite web |title=Graphic Adventure Creator, The |url=https://www.lemon64.com/game/graphic-adventure-creator |access-date=2023-09-10 |website=Lemon64 |language=en}} The pictures in the demo adventure, Ransom, were made by Pete James and the box cover art by Pete Carter.

GAC was released in 1985 for the Amstrad CPC and in 1986 for the ZX Spectrum, Commodore 64 and BBC Micro. A simplified version without graphics, called just the Adventure Creator, was also released for the Acorn Electron in 1987.{{Cite web |title=The Adventure Creator (Acorn Electron) - Everygamegoing.com |url=https://www.everygamegoing.com/litem/The-Adventure-Creator/583/ |access-date=2023-09-10 |website=www.everygamegoing.com}} GAC was ported to the Atari ST in 1988 as ST Adventure Creator (STAC) by the original author.{{Cite news |date=September 1989 |title=The Game Makers - STOS, STAC and TaleSpin Make Game Creation Easy |volume=4 |work=START |issue=2 |url=https://www.atarimagazines.com/startv4n2/gamemakers.html}}{{Cite web |title=Atari ST STAC - ST Adventure Creator : scans, dump, download, screenshots, ads, videos, catalog, instructions, roms |url=http://www.atarimania.com/utility-atari-st-stac-st-adventure-creator_29625.html |access-date=2023-09-10 |website=www.atarimania.com}}

GAC had a more advanced parser than The Quill, allowing commands like GET THE LAMP THEN LIGHT IT, and a built-in graphics editor. Over 300 titles were written using GAC.[http://solutionarchive.com/list/system%2C2/ Classic Adventure Solution Archive, list of GAC titles.] It also came with a built in text compressor.{{Cite news |date=August 1986 |title=YS Adventures - Graphic Adventure Creator |pages=79 |work=Your Sinclair |url=https://archive.org/details/Your_Sinclair_008/page/79/mode/1up?view=theater}}