Life & Death
| Life & Death | |
|---|---|
| 
 Life & Death box art | |
| Developer(s) | Jake Smith & Don Laabs (Atari ST & Amiga conversions by Simon Beal) | 
| Publisher(s) | The Software Toolworks | 
| Distributor(s) | The Software Toolworks | 
| Designer(s) | Myo Thant | 
| Platform(s) | Mac OS, DOS, Amiga, Atari ST, Apple IIgs | 
| Release date(s) | 1988 | 
| Genre(s) | Life simulation | 
| Mode(s) | Single player | 
Life & Death is a computer game published in 1988 by The Software Toolworks. It is one of the few realistic medical computer games ever released. In the role of a resident abdominal surgeon at fictional hospital Toolworks General, the player must diagnose and treat a variety of maladies including kidney stones, arthritis, appendicitis, and aneuritic aorta. The last two require the player to perform surgery.
A sequel, Life & Death II: The Brain, was published in 1990. In this game, the player is a neurosurgeon.[1]
Modern critics continue to praise the game for its attention to detail and the way it offers significant depth and challenge despite only using one input, the mouse.[2]
Reception

Compute! complimented Life & Death's graphics and sound, stating that the game effectively used CGA's four colors and the PC speaker, and stated that the game's warning to those queasy of blood was accurate.[3]
Life & Death was nominated for Software Publishers Association (SPA) awards in the following categories:
- Best Game
- Best Simulation
- Best Use of Technology
References
- ↑ Cobbett, Richard (August 27, 2011). "Saturday Crapshoot: Life and Death". PC Gamer. Retrieved May 12, 2013.
- ↑ ""A Matter Of Life And Death", Leigh Alexander.". gamasutra.com. Retrieved May 6, 2012.
- ↑ Latimer, Joey (May 1989). "Life & Death". Compute!. No. 108. pp. 71–72. Retrieved 24 April 2016.
