1986 computer game: "Come party with Jane Austen"

This quarter-page advertisement appears in the May 1986 issue of Computer Gaming World magazine, which features MicroLeague Baseball, Autoduel and Alter Ego, among other games, on its cover. 

It represents a bold move, for sure: Trying to cater to the segment of 1980s computer nerds who were just champing at the bit for a good Jane Austen game. Sold by New Mexico-based Berserker Works Ltd., Pride and Prejudice let one to six players roleplay as young women in Regency era London. 

"Your object — achieve the best possible match and above all avoid spinsterhood," states the advertising copy. The game was available for Apple II, IBM-PC and Commodore-64 computers and cost $34.95, which is the equivalent of $106 today — more than the $99.99 for the Ultimate Edition of this year's release of Grand Theft Auto VI.

I uncovered more about Berserker Works and this game than I thought I might when I started this post, so let's dig in:

• According to this site, author Fred Saberhagen (1930-2007) and Joan Saberhagen led the design and distribution for seven Berserker Works games from 1982 to 1989. In addition to Pride and Prejudice, there were Wings Out of Shadow, Berserker Raids, Sign of the Wolf, Wizard War, Star Ball and Electric Dragon. Pride and Prejudice was designed by Walter Jon Williams. 
• Another advertisement featured on Games That Weren't states that the game involved balls, parties and hunts. "Compete for the fickle attention of Regency bucks! Spread vile gossip about your rivals!" Games That Weren't also has an image of a 1986 review of the game by Bob Lindstrom for The Guide to Computer Living. Lindstrom writes: "Six spinsters take what money a poor family can muster to spend a 15-week season amid London's social whirl. ... Each turn in the game corresponds to one week in London. During a turn, a player can choose to attend a social event, get tutoring or visit the Duchess. ... Though not a game of unlimited complexity, Pride can provide some provocative fun, particularly when played with a group of live, conniving human opponents. And for those who think the game is sexist, the manual explicitly states that the values and goals reflected in the game were chose only to recreate the priorities of their period."
• Some screenshots for the game can be found at this My Abandonware page. One screenshot lists Williams as the creator and Steve Perrin (1946-2021) as the writer.
• Documentation for the game is part of the Fred Saberhagen Papers at Northern Illinois University.

If you have more to share about this game, please leave a comment!