Classic Replay

Are you still working with computers? In 2000 I came back to Cambridge to do a PhD in the Computer Laboratory.  I've remained an academic since then, in the Security Group. What qualities have you found most important throughout your journey? I've always found it useful to concentrate on the details. That's how  you understand what's important about the big picture, and why that big  picture is shaped the way it is. What’s the worst job you’ve ever had? I've always found work to be fun. Running our own software house for 13  years certainly helped, but I've enjoyed my other jobs as well. Was your time with Alan Sugar as traumatic as it for the contestants in the Apprentice, did the partnership work out for you? I only met Alan Sugar a handful of times -- and I found him to be  extremely sharp and very focused on what mattered. Why Amstrad? They found us. The people they'd chosen to do their CPC project had let  them down,...

The Oliver Twins just dropped in to say hi and answer a few questions. It's about time as well, now they can take their rightful place as CPC Legends! Here's what they had to say for themselves: What was your first experience of tech? OT) Wow... long time ago... PO) I remember at Junior school, must have been about ’77 seeing someone with a RED LED digital watch. You had to push the button for the RED LED to show. AO) About a year later we got a Merlin. PO) Our Friend Ivan, gave us access to his Dad’s Apple II in about 1980 – and we got absolutely addicted to games like Tax-Man & Zork & Night Mission https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Merlin_(game) AO) For Christmas ’80 our parents bought us a Binatone TV Game console, which played variations on Pong. PO) but we got our first computer, a ZX81 in late 1981 when our brother bought a second hand one and put it under the family TV. share something about the Amstrad CPC, nobody else knows? OT) um... ...

In the hot seat this month is 8-bit legend Jim Bagley. He's the main man and sole programmer responsible for many classic games on the Speccy and CPC. He was behind the fantastic Batman: The Caped Crusader, Cabel, Midnight Resistance and the massively addictive adventure, Hudson Hawk! But all these were nothing compared to what Jim considers his greatest achievement... Read on!   I played Batman the Caped Crusader to death? Glad it was good enough to keep you playing, I enjoyed making it. and Hudson Hawk was a great game, Yeah, shame the movie was a flop, I really loved the game also, it was fun to make as well! Amstrad Action awarded it a MasterGame! You must of been really proud? Yeah, I was, especially considering the slating the movie got, it was like we were off to a bad start I guess the only way was up lol. I loved Midnight Resistance, although a tad slow, played like a dream back in the day? Thanks :D yeah it was a bit slow on CPC unfortunately, but it was p...

CPC Legend - Jas Austin Interview: If the thought of attribute clash or MODE 0 warms your cockles, you'll love this interview with CPC and all-round ZX Speccy legend Jas Austin. To help jog the memory, Jas coded the wonderful Amstrad and Speccy versions of a lot of classic games, including Altered Beast on the Speccy, Nemesis the Warlock, War, Slaine and the futuristic bullet hell shooter, REX (CRASH awarded 82%)! He also programmed Alien 3 and the excellent R-Type on the GameBoy. So Mr Anderson, how on gods green earth was Rex even possible on the humble Speccy? HaHa! Mr Anderson indeed... Damn rumbled. Our previous game for Martech hadn't done particularly well commercially. So for Rex, we decided to re-invent ourselves with fake names and a new company 'The Light' We even invented a back story... That we were all ex IBM employees and wrote the game in a matter of weeks. Of course, all a complete pack of lies. Yes, Rex did have a lot going on... I've a...

Stefan Walker is not only a CPC Legend, but an ace programmer in his own right. He was just twenty years of age when he snatched his first job at MicroProse, where he wrote the excellent Pirates for the Amstrad CPC. He later joined Electronic Arts and gave us Chuck Yeager’s Advanced Flight Trainer. ACE Magazine included Chuck Yeager in their top-100 games for 98-97. Retro Gamer awarded Pirates the 84th best game ever made.  Are you still passionate about games?  Not new games. I find them far too time consuming than the days of old when you could just pick up a joystick and play, now it’s 30 minutes of customising your character before you even see any gameplay. What was it like working in America compared to the industry in Britain? It was the late 80’s when I worked at Microprose in Baltimore. Reagan was still president, it was certainly a more relaxed ‘vibe’ than working in the UK, but the expectations were probably higher. The Americans were actually ama...

Below is an interview with Dave Perry which was conducted way back in 2007.  Not to be confused with David Perry the programmer from Probe software and EarthWorm Jim fame. Dave Perry was instrumental in bringing the hit show GamesMaster to our television screens.   Question: You recently had an article published in MCV on the state of videogames and their representation on TV through celebrities and other media icons. Can you please tell us as to what the reaction was to your article and how do you feel about Mr Biffo's reply in his column at Edge magazine? Perry:  On the whole the reaction to my article was extremely positive. MCV had asked me personally to write the piece, so I guess they felt it needed saying. As for Biffo's comment in Edge, I can only assume he was short of something to write that month, because I certainly don't want to believe that he would be that naive. He's entitled to his opinion - but he should be aware that he's w...