About
Space Trap before it was finished. The disc as imaged holds the finished 32,768 byte SPTRAP.COM, byte for byte the library’s Space Trap, and DEARDAVE.TXT, a letter from John Line of Gem Software dated 29 March 1985: “a very, very, pre-prod copy of Space-Trap for Einstein”, controls as in Time Trap plus volume and scroll keys, a cheat mode on a need to know basis, and only four of a planned eight planets complete.
The copy the letter came with had been written over by the release, but not destroyed: a deleted SPTRAP.COM of 23,040 bytes with all its blocks unclaimed was recovered whole from the disc. Its tables name six planets against the release’s full set, and it already carries the “1985 Tatung (UK) Ltd. and Gem Software” credit. The same file is live on a Tatung evaluation disc from the same batch, which will join the library in its own right.
Running It
Boot SPTRAP-PREPROD-BOOT.DSK, then type SPTRAP and press ENTER. It runs to its keyboard or joystick prompt in MAME. For the letter, boot the letter disc and type TYPE DEARDAVE.TXT.
Files on the Original Disc
| File | Size | What it is |
|---|---|---|
SPTRAP.COM | 32,768 bytes | the finished release, identical to the library’s Space Trap |
DEARDAVE.TXT | 1,280 bytes | John Line’s covering letter of 29 March 1985 |
SPTRAP.COM (deleted) | 23,040 bytes | the pre-production build, recovered whole from blocks no live file had reused |
Files in the Package
| File | What it is |
|---|---|
SPTRAP-LETTER-DISC.DSK | sector image of the disc as received, letter and all |
SPTRAP-PREPROD.COM | the recovered pre-production build on its own |
SPTRAP-PREPROD-BOOT.DSK | a System Master with the build added, so it boots and runs |
README.txt | what each file is and where the disc came from |
About this Dump
From a reader’s disc collection, received in the TatungBytes New Submissions folder on 12 October 2026; the submitter is not recorded. Imaged by the contributor and checked here: the live files read cleanly, and the deleted build’s blocks were all still unclaimed, so nothing had to be guessed. The game and the letter are Tatung (UK) and Gem Software’s. The file will be taken down on request from any rights holder.
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