<s>
Dragonriders	B-Application
of	I-Application
Pern	I-Application
is	O
a	O
video	O
game	O
published	O
by	O
Epyx	O
in	O
1983	O
based	O
on	O
Anne	O
McCaffrey	O
's	O
book	O
series	O
of	B-Application
the	I-Application
same	I-Application
name	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
was	O
released	O
for	O
the	O
Atari	B-Device
8-bit	I-Device
family	I-Device
and	O
Commodore	O
64	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Only	O
the	O
combined	O
forces	O
of	O
many	O
Weyrs	O
could	O
hope	O
to	O
deal	O
with	O
the	O
Thread	O
on	O
a	O
global	O
basis	O
,	O
but	O
internecine	O
political	O
battles	O
between	O
the	O
Holds	O
,	O
Weyrs	O
,	O
and	O
powerful	O
Guilds	B-Application
prevent	O
any	O
sort	O
of	O
global	O
response	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Like	O
the	O
books	O
,	O
Dragonriders	O
focuses	O
on	O
the	O
strategic	O
need	O
to	O
form	O
alliances	O
between	O
the	O
Holds	O
,	O
Weyrs	O
,	O
and	O
Guilds	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
could	O
also	O
be	O
played	O
by	O
between	O
one	O
and	O
four	O
players	O
on	O
the	O
Atari	O
,	O
and	O
one	O
or	O
two	O
players	O
on	O
the	O
C64	O
,	O
each	O
using	O
separate	O
joysticks	B-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Commodore	O
64	O
could	O
have	O
up	O
to	O
4	O
players	O
if	O
the	O
paddle	B-Device
(	O
game	O
controller	O
)	O
and	O
keyboard	O
were	O
used	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Originally	O
formed	O
as	O
Automated	O
Simulations	O
in	O
1978	O
as	O
a	O
partnership	O
between	O
Jim	O
Connelley	O
and	O
Jon	O
Freeman	O
,	O
the	O
company	O
had	O
initially	O
concentrated	O
on	O
wargame	B-Application
titles	O
like	O
Starfleet	B-Application
Orion	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
release	O
of	O
the	O
famed	O
Temple	B-Application
of	I-Application
Apshai	I-Application
in	O
1979	O
took	O
the	O
company	O
away	O
from	O
its	O
hardcore	O
market	O
into	O
a	O
more	O
action-oriented	O
space	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
During	O
this	O
period	O
,	O
the	O
company	O
continued	O
moving	O
its	O
focus	O
from	O
simulations	O
and	O
wargames	B-Application
to	O
action	O
titles	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Although	O
Dragonriders	O
garnered	O
critical	O
praise	O
,	O
its	O
release	O
was	O
overshadowed	O
by	O
the	O
pure-action	O
game	O
Jumpman	B-Application
,	O
a	O
huge	O
success	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Computer	O
Gaming	O
World	O
was	O
even	O
more	O
hesitant	O
,	O
suggesting	O
that	O
those	O
looking	O
for	O
action	O
would	O
be	O
better	O
off	O
elsewhere	O
,	O
while	O
those	O
looking	O
for	O
complex	O
strategy	B-Application
would	O
find	O
the	O
game	O
would	O
"	O
appeal	O
to	O
you	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
a	O
1992	O
survey	O
of	O
science	O
fiction	O
games	O
the	O
magazine	O
gave	O
the	O
title	O
two	O
stars	O
out	O
of	O
five	O
,	O
stating	O
that	O
"	O
it	O
offers	O
some	O
interesting	O
features	O
,	O
but	O
it	O
is	O
dated	O
and	O
primitive	O
"	O
and	O
mentioning	O
DragonStrike	B-Application
as	O
a	O
superior	O
clone	O
.	O
</s>
