What's in the Acornsoft Elite box?
One of the major things about Elite wasn't just the game itself, it was the extras that came with the game in the box. The box itself was a little too small for everything that came inside it so slightly bulged.
The rear of the box sports a screenshot that in 1984 simply had no equal. It captured an epic image of a space battle between Cobra Mk III's, Mamba's, Sidewinders and a Boa class cruiser.
So on opening the box, you found from the top in a clockwise direction, the Elite Keystrip, Loading instructions, The Dark Wheel Novella, the cassette itself, the Space Traders Flight Manual, A quick reference guide and a Ship Identification poster.
The Quick Reference card and Ship Identification Chart
The Quick Reference card contained a list of every key that performed a function in the game along with a smaller ship identification chart detailing most, but not all of the ships that appeared in the game (There had to be some surprises in the game).
The key strip could be fitted to the BBC Micro under the perspex key strip holder above the red function keys to provide an easy way to remember what all those function keys did!
Inside the Space Traders Flight Training Manual
The Flight Training manual was a detailed look at the Cobra Mk III that you would be piloting as the player in the game, it covered everything you could ever need to know about it and more, fleshing out the Elite universe with detail that added to the depth and richness of the Elite mythology.
Along with the ship identification charts in the box, the flight training manual included incredibly detailed specifications of all the ships that you might meet when travelling around the eight galaxies that the game contained.
The Dark Wheel Novella by Robert Holdstock
Further adding to the Elite mythology, "The Dark Wheel" by Robert Holdstock was a Novella commissioned especially for the game and captured the spirit of the game in all its glory.
Value For Money
So, all that in one box and a game that is still playable and enjoyable 37 years after it was first released. All for the princely sum of £14.95.
