Sham Mountebank
@shammountebank.bsky.social
Sub par since 1989
https://whereweretheynow.blogspot.com/
https://whereweretheynow.blogspot.com/
Do you know any of these winners?
Can anyone help Martyn Carroll to track down some of the winners of the #UltimatePlayTheGame trophies?
#ZXSpectrum #RetroGaming
#ZXSpectrum #RetroGaming
February 5, 2026 at 9:44 PM
Do you know any of these winners?
Reposted by Sham Mountebank
On my blog today, I take a (rather silly) look at Terry Nation’s ‘Dal to Lek’ anecdote and consider which book spines might really have been useful to him in naming the Daleks, riffing on a thread in my upcoming Black Archive monograph.
thehiddenplanet.substack.com/p/dal-to-lek
thehiddenplanet.substack.com/p/dal-to-lek
Dal to Lek
In my Black Archive monograph about The Daleks (out in April), I examine the naming of the story’s various characters and species.
thehiddenplanet.substack.com
January 31, 2026 at 8:32 PM
On my blog today, I take a (rather silly) look at Terry Nation’s ‘Dal to Lek’ anecdote and consider which book spines might really have been useful to him in naming the Daleks, riffing on a thread in my upcoming Black Archive monograph.
thehiddenplanet.substack.com/p/dal-to-lek
thehiddenplanet.substack.com/p/dal-to-lek
In 1985 Ian Hetherington and Dave Lawson built Psygnosis from the ashes of Imagine Software.
This is the story of what happened next, with a special guest appearance by @jake74.bsky.social
whereweretheynow.blogspot.com/2026/02/psyg... #Amiga #AtariST #PlayStation #RetroGaming #RetroComputing
This is the story of what happened next, with a special guest appearance by @jake74.bsky.social
whereweretheynow.blogspot.com/2026/02/psyg... #Amiga #AtariST #PlayStation #RetroGaming #RetroComputing
Psygnosis
whereweretheynow.blogspot.com
February 1, 2026 at 5:06 PM
In 1985 Ian Hetherington and Dave Lawson built Psygnosis from the ashes of Imagine Software.
This is the story of what happened next, with a special guest appearance by @jake74.bsky.social
whereweretheynow.blogspot.com/2026/02/psyg... #Amiga #AtariST #PlayStation #RetroGaming #RetroComputing
This is the story of what happened next, with a special guest appearance by @jake74.bsky.social
whereweretheynow.blogspot.com/2026/02/psyg... #Amiga #AtariST #PlayStation #RetroGaming #RetroComputing
I may not know much* about art but I know what I like.
*or, indeed, anything.
*or, indeed, anything.
January 21, 2026 at 8:38 PM
I may not know much* about art but I know what I like.
*or, indeed, anything.
*or, indeed, anything.
Post the first game you actually completed!
Ant Attack. Once I'd got to grips with the awkward controls the game was difficult enough to be a challenge but short enough for my 13 year old attention span.
Ant Attack. Once I'd got to grips with the awkward controls the game was difficult enough to be a challenge but short enough for my 13 year old attention span.
January 19, 2026 at 1:20 PM
Post the first game you actually completed!
Ant Attack. Once I'd got to grips with the awkward controls the game was difficult enough to be a challenge but short enough for my 13 year old attention span.
Ant Attack. Once I'd got to grips with the awkward controls the game was difficult enough to be a challenge but short enough for my 13 year old attention span.
Batman and Head Over Heels were probably the high water mark for Ultimate-style 3D games. Another great article from Super Chart Island.
Jon Ritman was amazed by Knight Lore, and set out to make his own isometric adventure. Ocean got him the Batman licence to use.
With Bernie Drummond's art and some forward-thinking gameplay ideas, he would do much more than just make The Dark Knight Lore.
New post on Batman (and Head Over Heels):
With Bernie Drummond's art and some forward-thinking gameplay ideas, he would do much more than just make The Dark Knight Lore.
New post on Batman (and Head Over Heels):
Batman – “Batcraft parts”
For Jon Ritman, playing Knight Lore for the first time was a revelatory experience. As he later told Retro Gamer, when he first saw Ultimate’s isometric 3D platform adventure game, his jaw hit the …
www.superchartisland.com
January 19, 2026 at 11:42 AM
Batman and Head Over Heels were probably the high water mark for Ultimate-style 3D games. Another great article from Super Chart Island.
A new blog post about Sony in the UK. Basically, lots and lots* of PlayStations got sold.
whereweretheynow.blogspot.com/2026/01/sony...
#RetroGaming #RetroComputing #PlayStation
* and lots and lots, and then some more.
whereweretheynow.blogspot.com/2026/01/sony...
#RetroGaming #RetroComputing #PlayStation
* and lots and lots, and then some more.
Sony Electronic Publishing / Sony Computer Entertainment Europe
whereweretheynow.blogspot.com
January 18, 2026 at 6:58 PM
A new blog post about Sony in the UK. Basically, lots and lots* of PlayStations got sold.
whereweretheynow.blogspot.com/2026/01/sony...
#RetroGaming #RetroComputing #PlayStation
* and lots and lots, and then some more.
whereweretheynow.blogspot.com/2026/01/sony...
#RetroGaming #RetroComputing #PlayStation
* and lots and lots, and then some more.
Reposted by Sham Mountebank
Bomb Jack's arcade action wasn't especially cutting edge by the time it reached home computers in 1986. It still translated well enough to become UK #1, and then did so again in 1988. New post on some impressive design plus the allure of a £2 price tag:
www.superchartisland.com/bomb-jack
www.superchartisland.com/bomb-jack
Bomb Jack – “Get all 💣by operating Jack!”
The inventive arcade game scene in Japan in 1984 had an impact over in the UK that went on well past the end of the year. Karate Champ inspired The Way of the Exploding Fist, the UK’s bestselling h…
www.superchartisland.com
January 12, 2026 at 6:59 AM
Bomb Jack's arcade action wasn't especially cutting edge by the time it reached home computers in 1986. It still translated well enough to become UK #1, and then did so again in 1988. New post on some impressive design plus the allure of a £2 price tag:
www.superchartisland.com/bomb-jack
www.superchartisland.com/bomb-jack
Reposted by Sham Mountebank
Unlocked! I look at Namco's brutal, cool spy shooter Rolling Thunder, and discuss what it, and many other games, owe to SpartanX/Kung-Fu Master.
On Patreon: www.patreon.com/posts/rollin...
On Patreon: www.patreon.com/posts/rollin...
Rolling Thunder (Namco, 1986) - exp.
As cool, and as brutal, as it ever was.
expzine.com
January 14, 2026 at 3:45 PM
Unlocked! I look at Namco's brutal, cool spy shooter Rolling Thunder, and discuss what it, and many other games, owe to SpartanX/Kung-Fu Master.
On Patreon: www.patreon.com/posts/rollin...
On Patreon: www.patreon.com/posts/rollin...
Slightly diminish a game.
Resident Ignoble
Resident Ignoble
Slightly diminish a game
Local Planning Authority of Catan
Local Planning Authority of Catan
Slightly diminish a game
Duopoly
Duopoly
January 11, 2026 at 6:53 PM
Slightly diminish a game.
Resident Ignoble
Resident Ignoble
Reposted by Sham Mountebank
January 5, 2026 at 1:24 PM
Reposted by Sham Mountebank
#Discourse2000 returns with the best #2000AD story yet as Judge Dredd goes epic in a story about horror, history, Britain's idea of America and what it means to be "THE LAW" - join me for a saunter across THE CURSED EARTH
freakytrigger.co.uk/wedge/2026/0...
freakytrigger.co.uk/wedge/2026/0...
January 3, 2026 at 2:24 PM
#Discourse2000 returns with the best #2000AD story yet as Judge Dredd goes epic in a story about horror, history, Britain's idea of America and what it means to be "THE LAW" - join me for a saunter across THE CURSED EARTH
freakytrigger.co.uk/wedge/2026/0...
freakytrigger.co.uk/wedge/2026/0...
Reposted by Sham Mountebank
The story of Adventure International in a blog post that covers a period from 1980 to basically today. That's 45 years and not three, like I thought when I started writing the article.
whereweretheynow.blogspot.com/2026/01/adve...
#Amiga #AtariST #Commodore #ZXSpectrum #RetroGaming #RetroComputing
whereweretheynow.blogspot.com/2026/01/adve...
#Amiga #AtariST #Commodore #ZXSpectrum #RetroGaming #RetroComputing
Adventure International (UK)/ Calisto Software/ Adventure Soft UK / Horror Soft / Adventure Soft Publishing / Headfirst Productions
whereweretheynow.blogspot.com
January 4, 2026 at 4:32 PM
The story of Adventure International in a blog post that covers a period from 1980 to basically today. That's 45 years and not three, like I thought when I started writing the article.
whereweretheynow.blogspot.com/2026/01/adve...
#Amiga #AtariST #Commodore #ZXSpectrum #RetroGaming #RetroComputing
whereweretheynow.blogspot.com/2026/01/adve...
#Amiga #AtariST #Commodore #ZXSpectrum #RetroGaming #RetroComputing
I loved Starquake. One of a handful of games good enough to rival the those made by Ultimate at their height. Also, one of the few Spectrum games I finished without cheating*
* assuming that using a map printed in CRASH wasn't cheating.
* assuming that using a map printed in CRASH wasn't cheating.
Random thing of the day:
Starquake (ZX SPECTRUM version)
A hard and labyrinthic game where you have to find various items and bring them to a certain place. But you only can carry a limited number of them and you need to carry keys as well. Meanwhile everything is trying to kill you.
Starquake (ZX SPECTRUM version)
A hard and labyrinthic game where you have to find various items and bring them to a certain place. But you only can carry a limited number of them and you need to carry keys as well. Meanwhile everything is trying to kill you.
January 3, 2026 at 10:50 PM
I loved Starquake. One of a handful of games good enough to rival the those made by Ultimate at their height. Also, one of the few Spectrum games I finished without cheating*
* assuming that using a map printed in CRASH wasn't cheating.
* assuming that using a map printed in CRASH wasn't cheating.
Reposted by Sham Mountebank
Reposted by Sham Mountebank
“Get, you rascal! Get! … Heaven knows how he keeps getting in here, Betty, but you better count ’em.”
December 28, 2025 at 12:07 PM
“Get, you rascal! Get! … Heaven knows how he keeps getting in here, Betty, but you better count ’em.”
Reposted by Sham Mountebank
OH CWIPES! #Discourse2000 is heading for the Cursed Earth, but first we have to discuss the first ever Judge Dredd spin-off strip, WALTER THE WOBOT: FWIEND OF DREDD. Can #2000AD handle single page gag strips, and does Dredd need supporting characters? Find out!
freakytrigger.co.uk/wedge/2025/1...
freakytrigger.co.uk/wedge/2025/1...
December 15, 2025 at 8:04 PM
OH CWIPES! #Discourse2000 is heading for the Cursed Earth, but first we have to discuss the first ever Judge Dredd spin-off strip, WALTER THE WOBOT: FWIEND OF DREDD. Can #2000AD handle single page gag strips, and does Dredd need supporting characters? Find out!
freakytrigger.co.uk/wedge/2025/1...
freakytrigger.co.uk/wedge/2025/1...
Reposted by Sham Mountebank
Speed chess! The 1979 Blake's 7 episode Gambit uses footage from a computer chess game but which one? The otherwise definitive Blake's 7 Production Diary just describes it as “an electronic chess board game.” Can anyone identify it?
www.youtube.com/watch?v=7yN_... #Blakes7 #Atari #RetroGaming
1/2
www.youtube.com/watch?v=7yN_... #Blakes7 #Atari #RetroGaming
1/2
Blake's 7 - Speed Chess!
YouTube video by carrot515
www.youtube.com
December 23, 2025 at 10:08 PM
Speed chess! The 1979 Blake's 7 episode Gambit uses footage from a computer chess game but which one? The otherwise definitive Blake's 7 Production Diary just describes it as “an electronic chess board game.” Can anyone identify it?
www.youtube.com/watch?v=7yN_... #Blakes7 #Atari #RetroGaming
1/2
www.youtube.com/watch?v=7yN_... #Blakes7 #Atari #RetroGaming
1/2
Reposted by Sham Mountebank
40 years ago, CRASH featured this terrific Oli Frey Xmas cover. Just absolutely terrific. And BTW, that £8000 worth of prizes translates to £25,000 in today's money. Holy freakin' crap!
December 23, 2025 at 11:10 AM
40 years ago, CRASH featured this terrific Oli Frey Xmas cover. Just absolutely terrific. And BTW, that £8000 worth of prizes translates to £25,000 in today's money. Holy freakin' crap!
Reposted by Sham Mountebank
For my last Commodore 64 game review of 2025, I take a look at Energy Warrior, a release on Mastertronic's short lived MAD X label. Is it a shoot-em-up worth the cash, or will you run out of energy playing it? Find out:
#Commodore64 #Masterrtronic
mastertronic.co.uk/game-review-...
#Commodore64 #Masterrtronic
mastertronic.co.uk/game-review-...
Game Review: Energy Warrior (Commodore 64, Mastertronic) - Mastertronic Collectors Archive
Energy Warrior on the Commodore 64 is shoot-em-up in which you need to fly your craft around the zones and stop the aliens from destroying your aura energy in each of the zones, with strategy and tact...
mastertronic.co.uk
December 22, 2025 at 9:07 AM
For my last Commodore 64 game review of 2025, I take a look at Energy Warrior, a release on Mastertronic's short lived MAD X label. Is it a shoot-em-up worth the cash, or will you run out of energy playing it? Find out:
#Commodore64 #Masterrtronic
mastertronic.co.uk/game-review-...
#Commodore64 #Masterrtronic
mastertronic.co.uk/game-review-...
Reposted by Sham Mountebank
From the exp. archive: Legendary Australian video game developer knock out a cheap quick adventure/promotional game that's all snowy and that even though it's summer in Australia at Christmas, as everyone knows.
Merry Christmas From Melbourne House (Melbourne House, 1984) - exp.
Melbourne House wish you a Merry Christmas (if you've got 95p.)
expzine.com
December 19, 2025 at 3:45 PM
From the exp. archive: Legendary Australian video game developer knock out a cheap quick adventure/promotional game that's all snowy and that even though it's summer in Australia at Christmas, as everyone knows.
Reposted by Sham Mountebank
ICYMI my post this week was on The Way of the Tiger, a UK #1 in March 1986. Read about:
- the "ninjas meets Lord of the Rings" game book series
- how Gremlin Graphics turned it into a fighting game with a difference
- the players "infuriated" by its difficulty level
- the "ninjas meets Lord of the Rings" game book series
- how Gremlin Graphics turned it into a fighting game with a difference
- the players "infuriated" by its difficulty level
The Way of the Tiger – “Please insert Pole Fighting”
The dawn rays of the sun greet you as you begin your preparations for the time of trial. Today you will become the youngest ever to challenge for the title of Grandmaster of the Five Winds. When yo…
www.superchartisland.com
December 19, 2025 at 2:37 PM
ICYMI my post this week was on The Way of the Tiger, a UK #1 in March 1986. Read about:
- the "ninjas meets Lord of the Rings" game book series
- how Gremlin Graphics turned it into a fighting game with a difference
- the players "infuriated" by its difficulty level
- the "ninjas meets Lord of the Rings" game book series
- how Gremlin Graphics turned it into a fighting game with a difference
- the players "infuriated" by its difficulty level