Micro Power

Last updated
Micro Power
Company type Computer software, Video game developer, publisher and retailer
Industry Computer software, video games
Headquarters Leeds, United Kingdom
Products Killer Gorilla , Felix in the Factory , Cybertron Mission , Castle Quest , Imogen

Micro Power was a British company established in the early 1980s by former accountant Bob Simpson. The company was best known as a video game publisher, originally under the name Program Power. It also sold many types of computer hardware and software (both its own and third-party) through its Leeds 'showroom' or via mail order.

Contents

Games

From 1980 to 1987 the company published a number of video games and other software for various home computers. The earliest programs were released for the Acorn Atom but Micro Power is best remembered for its games for that machine's successor, Acorn's BBC Micro (with all but two of its post-Atom games running on that machine). A large selection of games that could be (and weren't considered 'too old') were ported to the Acorn Electron after its release in 1983 and most new games were now released for these 2 machines in 1984. A few were also ported to other 8-bit platforms including Commodore 64, Amstrad CPC and ZX Spectrum but these never achieved the success of the Acorn originals.

Most of these were basic single screen games, typically arcade clones (see the list of notable games below). While mostly well received and popular at the time (especially on the Acorn platforms), by the mid 1980s, video games were becoming increasingly complex. While simple early arcade-style games still sold well, it was usually at a budget price. Micro Power themselves released two Micro Power Magic compilations in 1986 [1] and 1987, [2] each featuring ten of their games that had previously sold at up to £7.95 each (some only two years earlier), for £7.95.

From 1985 onwards, Micro Power began to produce a few advanced games as opposed to a high quantity of simpler games. The first of these was the arcade adventure Castle Quest (BBC only) by Tony Sothcott, [3] billed as "Probably the most challenging game ever devised for the BBC Micro". This game was successful and a sequel was started which became Doctor Who and the Mines of Terror (BBC, C64, CPC), a huge arcade adventure that required its own ROM chip to run on the BBC Micro. Another later release was puzzle/platform game Imogen (BBC only, later ported to Electron by Superior Software and more recently remade for PC [4] ) by Michael St. Aubyn which was noted for its witty, original puzzles and cute high-resolution monochrome graphics.

There were also two 32-bit games, Chess 3D [5] and Zelanites the Onslaught (a Space Invaders clone) for the Acorn Archimedes, released in 1991.

Notable earlier games include:

Typical cover image. The majority of Program Power / Micro Power software was released in uniform covers. This is the Electron version of Cybertron Mission Cybertronmission.jpg
Typical cover image. The majority of Program Power / Micro Power software was released in uniform covers. This is the Electron version of Cybertron Mission

Educational / Utility Software

As well as games, Micro Power released a number of educational programs (covering subjects such as science and geography) as well as utility software such as the Draw art package (BBC, Electron), Basic Extensions [6] and Constellation astronomy program (Atom, BBC, later ported to Electron by Superior Software).

Hardware

Micro Power also released hardware such as the 'Micro Power Add-On' for the ZX Spectrum which added 2 joystick ports and 3-channel sound capability. [7]

Leeds Store

Micro Power had a store on the corner of North Street and Meanwood Road in Leeds. They primarily sold Acorn hardware and software. Also they sold software for other computers including C64, ZX Spectrum, and QL. In the 1990s Micro Power downsized and moved further up Meanwood Road to reduce outgoings.

There is still the original Micro Power sign at the back of their first premises. [8]

Related Research Articles

Andrew Nicholas Oliver and Philip Edward Oliver, together known as the Oliver Twins, are British twin brothers and video game designers.

Acornsoft was the software arm of Acorn Computers, and a major publisher of software for the BBC Micro and Acorn Electron. As well as games, it also produced a large number of educational titles, extra computer languages and business and utility packages – these included word processor VIEW and the spreadsheet ViewSheet supplied on ROM and cartridge for the BBC Micro/Acorn Electron and included as standard in the BBC Master and Acorn Business Computer.

<i>Repton</i> (video game) Video game series

Repton is a video game originally developed by 16-year-old Briton Tim Tyler for the BBC Micro and Acorn Electron and released by Superior Software in 1985. The game spawned a series of follow up games which were released throughout the 1980s. The series sold around 125,000 copies between 1985 and 1990 with Repton 2 selling 35,000 itself. The games have since been remade for several modern systems, including iRepton for the iPhone / iPod Touch in 2010, and Android Repton 1, Android Repton 2 and Android Repton 3 from 2016 to 2018.

<i>Last Ninja</i> Series of video games

Last Ninja is a series of video games published by System 3. The first game in the series titled The Last Ninja, was released in 1987 for the Commodore 64 and was one of the most successful games for the system. In 1988, System 3 released Last Ninja 2, and in 1991 the third game in the series, Last Ninja 3. In 1990, Last Ninja Remix was released for 8-bit systems. This was Last Ninja 2 with new music, a new introductory sequence, slightly changed graphics and fixed bugs. Confusingly, the 16-bit versions of the original The Last Ninja game were also released in 1990 as Ninja Remix.

<i>Jet Set Willy II</i> 1985 video game

Jet Set Willy II: The Final Frontier is a platform game released 1985 by Software Projects as the Amstrad CPC port of Jet Set Willy. It was then rebranded as the sequel and ported to other home computers. Jet Set Willy II was developed by Derrick P. Rowson and Steve Wetherill rather than Jet Set Willy programmer Matthew Smith and is an expansion of the original game, rather than an entirely new one.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tynesoft</span> Former software developer and publisher

Tynesoft Computer Software was a software developer and publisher in the 1980s and early 1990s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Atarisoft</span> Brand name by Atari, Inc.

Atarisoft was a brand name used by Atari, Inc. in 1983 and 1984 to publish video games for non-Atari home computers and consoles. Each platform had a specific color for its game packages: video games sold for the Commodore 64 were in green boxes, games for the TI-99/4A in yellow, the IBM PC in blue, and so on.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Artic Computing</span> English computer game company, 1980–1986

Artic Computing was a software development company based in Brandesburton, England from 1980 to 1986. The company's first games were for the Sinclair ZX81 home computer, but they expanded and were also responsible for various ZX Spectrum, Commodore 64, BBC Micro, Acorn Electron and Amstrad CPC computer games. The company was set up by Richard Turner and Chris Thornton. Charles Cecil, who later founded Revolution Software, joined the company shortly after it was founded, writing Adventures B through D. Developer Jon Ritman produced a number of ZX81 and Spectrum games for Artic before moving to Ocean Software.

Blue Ribbon was the budget computer software publishing label of CDS Micro Systems.

<i>Graphic Adventure Creator</i> Adventure game creation system released in 1985

Graphic Adventure Creator is a game creation system/programming language for adventure games published by Incentive Software, originally written on the Amstrad CPC by Sean Ellis, and then ported to other platforms by, amongst others, Brendan Kelly (Spectrum), Dave Kirby and "The Kid" (C64). The pictures in the demo adventure, Ransom, were made by Pete James and the box cover art by Pete Carter.

<i>Hunchback</i> (video game) 1983 video game

Hunchback is a video game developed by Century Electronics and published in arcades in 1983. The game is loosely based on the 1831 Victor Hugo novel The Hunchback of Notre-Dame and the player controls Quasimodo. Set on top of a castle wall, the player must guide the Hunchback from left to right while avoiding obstacles on a series of non-scrolling screens. The goal of each screen is to ring the church bell at the far right.

Alligata Software Ltd. was a computer games developer and publisher based in Sheffield in the UK in the 1980s.

Lunar Rescue is an arcade game released by Taito in November 1979. The gameplay has some resemblance to both Taito's own 1978 hit Space Invaders and Atari, Inc.'s Lunar Lander.

Atlantis Software was a London-based UK computer games publisher that released a number of games during the 1980s and early 1990s.

<i>Superman: The Game</i> 1985 video game

Superman: The Game is a 1985 video game designed by Fernando Herrera and published in the US by First Star Software for the Commodore 64. For European release, Superman was ported the Acorn Electron, Amstrad CPC, Atari 8-bit computers, BBC Micro, and ZX Spectrum.

Addictive Games was a UK video game publisher in the 1980s and early 1990s. It is best known for the Football Manager series of games created by company founder Kevin Toms. The company was originally based in Milton Keynes, England, and later relocated to Bournemouth, in southern England.

<i>Superman: The Man of Steel</i> (1989 video game) 1989 video game

Superman: The Man of Steel is a 1989 video game featuring the DC Comics character Superman. It was developed and published by UK software company Tynesoft under license from First Star Software.

The English Software Company, later shortened to English Software, was a Manchester, UK-based video game developer and publisher that operated from 1982 until 1987. Starting with its first release, the horizontally scrolling shooter Airstrike, English Software focused on Atari 8-bit computers of home, then expanded to other platforms. The company used the slogan "The power of excitement".

<i>Jet-Boot Jack</i> 1983 video game

Jet-Boot Jack is a platform game written by Jon Williams for Atari 8-bit computers and published by English Software in 1983. It was ported to the Acorn Electron, Amstrad CPC, BBC Micro, and Commodore 64. A C64-only sequel, Legend of the Knucker-Hole, was released in 1984.

References

  1. ↑ "Best Compilation Bargain". Electron User. Vol. 4, no. 3. Database Publications. December 1986. p. 16. Retrieved 2024-09-30.
  2. ↑ "Magic!". A&B Computing. Vol. 4, no. 8. Argus Specialist Publications. August 1987. p. 33. Retrieved 2024-09-30.
  3. ↑ Skinner, Bryan (23 February 1985). "Gameplay". Personal Computer News . p. 35. Retrieved 18 April 2023.
  4. ↑ "Imogen 2004 credits". Ovine by Design. Archived from the original on 2006-08-11. Retrieved 2006-07-11.
  5. ↑ "New 3D Chess Game From Micro Power". Acorn User. No. 105. Redwood Publishing. April 1991. p. 10. Retrieved 17 April 2023.
  6. ↑ Alan Webster (May 1985). "Basic Extensions review (in "More ROMS For Your Beeb")". Beebug. 4 (1): 20.
  7. ↑ "Micro Power Add-On". World Of Spectrum. Retrieved 2007-08-01.
  8. ↑ "Google Street View - North Street, Leeds" . Retrieved 2020-07-22.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.