Miner Willy
Encyclopedia
Miner Willy is a fictional character
in a series of platform game
s for the ZX Spectrum
, MSX
, Amstrad CPC
and the Commodore 64
home computer
s starring Miner Willy. The first two games - Manic Miner
and Jet Set Willy
- were written by computer game programmer Matthew Smith
, during the early 1980s.
A third game in the series was planned, Miner Willy Meets The Taxman.
The series started in 1983 with the release of Manic Miner
, and was followed up a year later
with Jet Set Willy
(one of the best selling video games of all time) and Jet Set Willy II
. Another game in the series, The Perils of Willy, was released solely for the Commodore VIC-20
. In addition quite a few unofficial sequels, remakes, homages and updates have been released.
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
in a series of platform game
Platform game
A platform game is a video game characterized by requiring the player to jump to and from suspended platforms or over obstacles . It must be possible to control these jumps and to fall from platforms or miss jumps...
s for the ZX Spectrum
ZX Spectrum
The ZX Spectrum is an 8-bit personal home computer released in the United Kingdom in 1982 by Sinclair Research Ltd...
, MSX
MSX
MSX was the name of a standardized home computer architecture in the 1980s conceived by Kazuhiko Nishi, then Vice-president at Microsoft Japan and Director at ASCII Corporation...
, Amstrad CPC
Amstrad CPC
The Amstrad CPC is a series of 8-bit home computers produced by Amstrad between 1984 and 1990. It was designed to compete in the mid-1980s home computer market dominated by the Commodore 64 and the Sinclair ZX Spectrum, where it successfully established itself primarily in the United Kingdom,...
and the Commodore 64
Commodore 64
The Commodore 64 is an 8-bit home computer introduced by Commodore International in January 1982.Volume production started in the spring of 1982, with machines being released on to the market in August at a price of US$595...
home computer
Home computer
Home computers were a class of microcomputers entering the market in 1977, and becoming increasingly common during the 1980s. They were marketed to consumers as affordable and accessible computers that, for the first time, were intended for the use of a single nontechnical user...
s starring Miner Willy. The first two games - Manic Miner
Manic Miner
Manic Miner is a platform game originally written for the ZX Spectrum by Matthew Smith and released by Bug-Byte in 1983 . It is the first game in the Miner Willy series and among the pioneers of the platform game genre. The game itself was inspired by the Atari 800 game Miner 2049er...
and Jet Set Willy
Jet Set Willy
Jet Set Willy is a computer game originally written for the ZX Spectrum home computer. It was published in 1984 by Software Projects and ported to most home computers of the time....
- were written by computer game programmer Matthew Smith
Matthew Smith (games programmer)
Matthew Smith is a British computer game programmer. He is best known for his games Manic Miner and Jet Set Willy for the ZX Spectrum, released in 1983 and 1984 respectively...
, during the early 1980s.
A third game in the series was planned, Miner Willy Meets The Taxman.
The series started in 1983 with the release of Manic Miner
Manic Miner
Manic Miner is a platform game originally written for the ZX Spectrum by Matthew Smith and released by Bug-Byte in 1983 . It is the first game in the Miner Willy series and among the pioneers of the platform game genre. The game itself was inspired by the Atari 800 game Miner 2049er...
, and was followed up a year later
1984 in video gaming
-Notable releases:* May 10, King's Quest , the first animated adventure game, the first in the King's Quest series, and the first to use the AGI engine.* June 4, Nintendo releases Donkey Kong 3...
with Jet Set Willy
Jet Set Willy
Jet Set Willy is a computer game originally written for the ZX Spectrum home computer. It was published in 1984 by Software Projects and ported to most home computers of the time....
(one of the best selling video games of all time) and Jet Set Willy II
Jet Set Willy II
Jet Set Willy II: The Final Frontier was a platform game released in 1985 by Software Projects for a variety of 8-bit home computers. It was the only official sequel to Jet Set Willy, one of the most successful and popular home computer games ever released...
. Another game in the series, The Perils of Willy, was released solely for the Commodore VIC-20
Commodore VIC-20
The VIC-20 is an 8-bit home computer which was sold by Commodore Business Machines. The VIC-20 was announced in 1980, roughly three years after Commodore's first personal computer, the PET...
. In addition quite a few unofficial sequels, remakes, homages and updates have been released.
Games in the series
- Manic MinerManic MinerManic Miner is a platform game originally written for the ZX Spectrum by Matthew Smith and released by Bug-Byte in 1983 . It is the first game in the Miner Willy series and among the pioneers of the platform game genre. The game itself was inspired by the Atari 800 game Miner 2049er...
, (1983), Bug-ByteBug-ByteBug-Byte Software Ltd. was a company founded in 1980 by Tony Baden and Tony Milner, two Oxford chemistry graduates. It was one of the first to develop a range of 8-bit computer games during the early 1980s, for Sinclair, Commodore and other home computer brands, particularly for the Spectrum...
/ Software ProjectsSoftware ProjectsSoftware Projects was the name of a computer game development company which employed Manic Miner developer Matthew Smith. After leaving Bug-Byte as a freelance developer, Smith was able to take the rights to his recently developed Manic Miner game with him, due to an oversight in his freelance... - Jet Set WillyJet Set WillyJet Set Willy is a computer game originally written for the ZX Spectrum home computer. It was published in 1984 by Software Projects and ported to most home computers of the time....
, (1984), Software ProjectsSoftware ProjectsSoftware Projects was the name of a computer game development company which employed Manic Miner developer Matthew Smith. After leaving Bug-Byte as a freelance developer, Smith was able to take the rights to his recently developed Manic Miner game with him, due to an oversight in his freelance... - The Perils of Willy, (1984), Software ProjectsSoftware ProjectsSoftware Projects was the name of a computer game development company which employed Manic Miner developer Matthew Smith. After leaving Bug-Byte as a freelance developer, Smith was able to take the rights to his recently developed Manic Miner game with him, due to an oversight in his freelance...
- Jet Set Willy IIJet Set Willy IIJet Set Willy II: The Final Frontier was a platform game released in 1985 by Software Projects for a variety of 8-bit home computers. It was the only official sequel to Jet Set Willy, one of the most successful and popular home computer games ever released...
, (1985), Software ProjectsSoftware ProjectsSoftware Projects was the name of a computer game development company which employed Manic Miner developer Matthew Smith. After leaving Bug-Byte as a freelance developer, Smith was able to take the rights to his recently developed Manic Miner game with him, due to an oversight in his freelance... - Jet Set RacingJet Set RacingJet Set Racing is a racing mobile game, developed by Numfum in 2005.-Racers:There are 10 racers in the game:*Miner Willy*Maria*André*Brian*Terry*Brother Geoff*Bub*Baz2 others can be unlocked as you progress through the game*Boxcart Willy...
, (2005), Numfum