Similar to less popular handheld of the era, the Gameboy, the Psion used a proprietary cartridge format for distributing commercial software. Psion sold blank cartridges, flashing hardware and duplicators to software houses, as well as releasing a number of titles under their own license. There’s a wide range of commercial software available for the Series 3 family, and only some of it was ported to the Series 5 (I really wish Scrabble had been released on Series 5).

The range of software available was signifiant. Cartridges unlocked the Psion 3’s ability to play a large number of games, provide phrase book translation to a number of languages (Berliz Interpreter), route plan your car journeys (Microsoft Autoroute), look up the best wines for this year (Hugh Johnson’s Wine Guide) or build your organisation chart Purple Software’s OrgChart.

While a fair amount of commercial software was released for the Series 5, the type, ambition and scale of software released for the Series 3 is different. Names with household recognition are throwing their weight being the device, such as Hasbro releasing Scrabble and Monopoly, Microsoft releasing Autoroute, as well as smaller publishers releasing very high quality software such as Purple Software’s Chess.

I thought it would be an idea to document the ones I own. The list is a little game heavy - games on this device fascinate me, and how you take such as productivity orientated device and turn it in to an entertainment platform. Some cartridges contain more than one application or game, I’ve provided details for all the games on an individual cartridge. As I obtain more, I’ll probably update /this/ post to act as a central page.

Images taken directly from a Psion 3a 2MB (shortcut: Psion+Shift+Control+S), converted to PCX on device using FirePic and then converted to PNG with ImageMagick on desktop.

Index

Games
- Psion Games 3a
  - Fairway
  - HomeRun
  - Bomz3a
  - Lander
  - PopOut
- Psion Games Deluxe 3a
- Widget Sofware Games Pack 3
  - Bandit
  - Poker
  - Quad
  - Reversi
  - Solo
- Pipemania
- Purple Software Chess
- Scrabble
- Monopoly
Utility
- Autoroute
- Berlitz Interpreter

Games

Psion Games 3a

This is a collection of 5 games specific to the 3a and above.

Individual games can be installed to the home screen, or they can be added as a single group for convenience.

Fairway

Golf game by Steve Litchfield.

On boot and between rounds it displays golf related quotes.

The game allows for practice or competition mode, with a range of clubs and a stroke system like other games. Left and right to line up shot, and three presses of the space bar to swing: start, power and spin. I know nothing of golf, but picked this up quickly enough to play a few holes.

The visualisation is excellent, clever and detailed. For such a relatively low powered machine, this is clever as hell, and quite enjoyable. And I don’t like golf.

The 2D mode can give you a sense of distance, if objects are in your way. On a 3a this plays at a very respectable pace.

HomeRun

A solitaire game from Right Hand Software.

Eliminate the stacks of cards by selecting a card next higher or lower than the displayed card on the deck. Single pass through the deck, jokers are wild.

This is fine, but the draw is random and it’s not always solveable. I like a solitaire game, play a significant amount of classic Patience and Freecell. I have yet to clear the board on this one.

The game also supports a betting system, but I’m not a fan of betting in games.

Bomz3a

A block pusher/puzzle game from Mick Andon.

I like this. Collect the dot-like crystals to open the door and escape each room. You may need keys to get past locked doors. Very Sobokan like, apparently an expansion of an earlier version of the Series 3.

Different tiles have different features. Some move, some are one way, some explode. Absolutely do read the help section for this game.

Lander

A combined lunar lander and basic space trading game.

Fantasticly simple and clever intro sequence. Worth playing to watch for that alone.

Take contracts, land your … lander, and take off again. You’re rewarded for successful launches and landing. Some areas include additional obstacles and enemy fire.

The game will warn you about the difficulty of the contracts you’re going to take, and what to expect. Remember to refuel your ship between missions, or be surprised when you unexpectedly hit the deck.

This game is clever in layering complexity over a simple game, but to be honest I would rather play a straight lunar lander. I admire the attempt at building a bigger game here, but I’m not convinced it’s a success.

PopOut

A breakout-type from Jon Read.

It’s a pretty straightforward breakout game, with a number of nice levels of differing designs, and multiple power-ups and power-downs for you to pick-up and avoid.

I like simplicity in mobile games, and I keep going back and playing this. It suffers from slow-downs when the powers start falling on screen, but apart from that, is a very nice game.

Psion Games Deluxe 3a

This is a collection of 5 games specific to the 3a and above.

Individual games can be installed to the home screen, or they can be added as a single group for convenience.

Horace

An platform game in the style of Manic Miner and Jet Set Willy from Michael Ware of Proteus Developments, released 1995. Was originally only available on the 3a+, until 2010, when a port was released for the ZX Spectrum.

Direct Horace on each level to collect all the jewels, avoid enemies, and then direct to the exit. Very playable, although Horace’s inertia can be a bit troublesome. Default keys are cursor plus space, can be remapped to OP plus space for comfort.

Does not experience slow down, very playable.

Stigma

Marble madness style puzzle game from Michael Ware of Proteus Developments, released 1995.

Move the marble over the 2D level, avoiding obstacle tiles, and collecting pearls to open the exit. Finish the level within the time limit.

Marble physics feel good, with the right level of frustration for puzzle play.

Keys can be remapped from cursor. Very playable.

Strange Fruit

Pattern / Puzzle game from Mick Andon, released 1995.

This one took a few plays to understand, and I’m still not completely clear on all the mechanics.

Each level presents an objective and it’s own set of rules for the manipulation of the objects on screen. Selecting a “fruit” may or may not transform it based on it’s current state and the state of those around it. It’s a very classic puzzle with the nice twists of having different rules per level and a slightly different visual style. Meet the stated end goal to win the level.

On first play I was quite dismissive, but this one has grown on me. I’m a couple of levels in. I’ve enjoyed the exploratory nature of this game.

FiveOAK

A dice solitaire game from Right Hand Software, published 1995.

Over 13 rounds, roll three times. Aim to build the best hand and then score. Every hand must be scored on the score sheet, and you may only choose one type of scoring once. If you score a high straight early, and then score a better high straight later, you may not change your score card. It’s not a bad way to pass the time, but for me, tires quickly.

Logjam & Pushpop

A pair of solitaire card games from Right Hand Software, published 1995.

Play Logjam by clearing all stacks by selecting a minimum of three cards at a time from the same suit. Jokers are wild. If a game is cleared, the number of jokers is reduced and play repeats (there’s a mechanic for a locked Joker but I’m honestly unsure on that). It’s a passable solitaire game, there’s a betting mechanic.

Cards can be moved to a clear stack.

Remembering you need at least three of a suit to finish, including jokers, look to the bottom of the stacks and plan ahead.

Pushpop feels closer to FreeCell. Stacks build, aces up, with eight holding places for cards, which can be placed back on the stacks in descending order with matched suits. For a solitaire game, I enjoyed this one.

Unlike Freecell, the games are not pre-set, but rounds do feel loose enough to solve in the early stages. As with Logjam, there’s a gambling system.

This is a collection of 5 games for the Series 3 by KP Holloway for Widget Software. Later devices display the games in low resolution mode.

Games can only be installed individually. For convenience, I’ve created a group to show them together.

Bandit

It’s fine. It’s a fruit machine. A personal opinion, but I’ve never had any engagement with fruit machine games.

Poker

Very standard. No progression in game as far as I can tell. It’s functional, but I had the same game on a Casio pocket organiser. Not very engaging for long.

Quad

Fun, but the controls are terrible, marring the experience.

Reversi

Honestly, the stand-out title on the cartridge. Tab movement between available places, undo, replay, and a great balance meter to show dominance on the board. This is great, and it’s a shame the other games don’t come even close to this.

Solo

A very standard Patience game, but makes good, clear use of the keyboard for moving cards between stacks.

I have no clear idea what “Cheat” does - I think the game is draw 3 and cheat moves the draw 1, but I’m not entirely sure. It’s not documented in the help.

If you have a 3a with 1MB+ of memory, you already have a high resolution Patience game.

Series 3 Pipemania

Pipemania is a title released by Empire software in 1993 based on the 1989 Amiga game of the same name.

Connect a series of pipes together so that when water flows from the start tile, it makes a continuous sequence. A target is given for the minimum number of tiles to be passed each level.### ({#[\w-]+}) .+

It’s simple and quite addictive, the best kind of gaming for mobile play.

Different types of tiles are used in later levels.

Absolutely recommended.

Purple Software Chess

Chess game by one of the largest publishers of Psion Software - Purple Software. Chess also had a release on the Psion 5. Psion themselves also released a Chess game.

Features single player, two player, against CPU and demonstration mode. Play as either player and also play a number of pre-programmed matches. Can set the board for practice and scenario play.

This is a /very/ comprehensive chess game, and was seen as /the/ chess game for the series 3. I would be very happy to put this in my pocket and have it as a portable chess computer.

The 3D visualisation is a nice touch, and you can rotate the board for different views. It’s very well put together.

Scrabble

Scrabble by Psion for the Psion 3a and up, published in 1995.

Quite simply, the best version of Scrabble I’ve played on desktop or mobile. This is a Scrabble game made for players - practice mode, competition, word lookups, scoring, board tracking. Individual player scores can be tracked over time. Multi-player with human or computer opponents of graduated difficulty. Customisable rule-set, and customisable layout.

The position of everything on the screen can be tweaked. I like playing in a split screen view - close-up on left, overview on right, with tiny tile rack and score board. Everything is accessible via a shortcut.

Dictionary lookups and word matching are great - disabled for competition mode, available in practice. The whole game feels /very/ well thought-out. A fantastic training aid, as well as a great game.

Monopoly

A faithful port of Monopoly by Steve Godfrey and Phil Creed for the Psion 3a and up, published in 1996.

Graphics are excellent. Board screen showing current gameplay, and additional screens for managing properties. Close up view of current position on board, with right hand side showing board overview. Nice animation as the dice roll and the pieces move around the board which don’t slow the machine down.

There’s options to tweak the rules, which are welcome, and change the board to different countries, which also changes the currency you’re playing in. Up to six players are supported, with any number of human and computer players.

As you land on properties, they’re offered to you, and if you pass, an auction starts (oh - you didn’t know that about Monopoly rules?) For Monopoly, early stage gameplay is quite brisk, which is welcome on mobile.

Offers come from other players, or you can make offers to other players for property and cash. I found the willingness of the computer to trade quite low, irrespective of how generous the offer is. Not sure if that is intentional or not.

Building properties is exactly as you would expect, and as crippling as it gets when you land on Mayfair with a full Hotel.

At any point the game gives you your, and your opponents, asset values, to give you an indication if you can continue. It should be able to work out if you can continue, but it’s been a little too optimistic on a few occasions - where I could not continue, but my opponents were unwilling to trade. Resignation awaits.

Utility

Microsoft Autoroute

Autoroute is a car travel planning program for UK and Ireland from 1995, published by Microsoft.

We will start with a quick disclaimer. The road system in the UK has aged signficaintly since 1995. Whilst it’s fun to play with, a number of roads are not present in this version - a chunk of the M60 around Manchester doesn’t exist as the M60 unitl 1998, and the M63 no longer exists. Some towns are noticable by their abscence - they simply weren’t large enough to include in 1995, but are now as large or larger than neighboughing towns that are included in 2024.

All that said, it works just like any other route planner. Give it a start, give it an end, it’ll spend some time working out a route.

The longer and more complex the route, the more time it will take to compute. We did break it with a Land’s End to John O’Groats run, but more reasonable runs from Edingburugh to London, and Leigh to Birmingham were absolutely fine. It does recognise some points of interest such as the Birmingham NEC.

The map can be zoomed in and out, and the level of detail and place names increased or decreased. The more complexity you add, the longer the rendering times.

Routes can be displayed in tabular form, and printed using a parallel printer. Speeds and feeds (sorry) can be adjusted for different road types.

The Psion excels in mixed modes, using its wide screen to display two types of data at the same time. Autoroute is a great example of this, where you can display the route table and a small portion of the map side by side.

Berlitz Interpreter

Berlitz Interpreter is a multi-way interpreter, interpreting words between English, French, German, Spanish and Italian for the Psion 3 and up.

This package is deceptivally trivial. It can not translate phrases, but given a word in any of the languages it can translate to any other the languages.

The dictionary is not comprehensive, but is adequate for finding your way to the library, or asking about the fish course.

There’s a built in quiz that will ask you random words from the dictionary and ask you to translate.

Where it locates a partial match - for example “pez” in Spanish for fish returned seven results, you can paginate through all the returned results and see the different results.

I had no idea that “pez gordo” in Spanish meant “bigwig” in English. Literal minutes of fun.

Nearby words will take whatever you’ve entered and do some best guesses around similar entries.

Nicely, it supports the Bring function for use with other applications, such as Word.

Cartridge Software for the Psion Series 3