The Excellent Dizzy Collection
Encyclopedia
Codemasters
The Codemasters Software Company Limited, or Codemasters is a British video game developer founded by Richard and David Darling in 1986...
in November 1993. The title includes three stand alone games, based on the video game character Dizzy created by the Oliver Twins
Oliver Twins
The Oliver Twins are two British brothers, Philip and Andrew Oliver, who started to professionally develop computer games while they were still at school. Their first game, Super Robin Hood for the Amstrad CPC, was published in 1985 by Codemasters...
. The compilation contains, Dizzy the Adventurer
Dizzy Prince of the Yolkfolk
Dizzy Prince of the Yolkfolk is an adventure video game published in December 1991 by Codemasters for the Amstrad CPC, Atari ST, Commodore 64, ZX Spectrum, DOS, NES and Amiga. It was the sixth game in the Dizzy adventure series...
, Panic Dizzy
Dizzy Panic!
Dizzy Panic! is a puzzle video game published in 1990 by Codemasters for the Amstrad CPC, ZX Spectrum, Commodore 64, Sega Master System and the Sega Game Gear...
and the previously unreleased Go! Dizzy Go!.
Background
After the failure of the Aladdin Deck EnhancerAladdin Deck Enhancer
The Aladdin Deck Enhancer, produced by Camerica, and developed by Codemasters, is a cartridge based system that allows software on Compact Cartridges to be played on the Nintendo Entertainment System. It is similar to the Datach system for the Famicom, but without the Barcode feature...
, Camerica
Camerica
Camerica was a company owned and operated by David J. Harding. It was a video game company that was notable for producing unlicensed Nintendo Entertainment System games and hardware. It was founded in 1988 and published games through 1992. It created a number of peripherals for the NES, including...
was forced to close down, and Codemasters
Codemasters
The Codemasters Software Company Limited, or Codemasters is a British video game developer founded by Richard and David Darling in 1986...
was in financial trouble. As a result many staff left the Oliver twins' software company, Interactive Studios, who were unable to find replacements. Dizzy The Adventurer was freely bundled with the Aladdin, and three other titles were being developed for it; Dreamworld Pogie, Go! Dizzy Go! and Wonderland Dizzy. However, after the Aladdin was abandoned, the Oliver twins decided to release all four (when completed) on the Sega Master System and Sega Game Gear to bring in some extra revenue. However, Codemasters wasn’t comfortable releasing each as a full priced stand alone title, so forced them to combine the games into a compilation, but only three would fit. They abandoned the non-Dizzy oriented game, Dreamworld Pogie, and intended to release the action game Go! Dizzy Go! and the two adventure games Wonderland Dizzy and Dizzy The Adventurer. However Codemasters marketing team informed the Olivers that they couldn’t release two adventure games on the one compilation. They decided that the previously-released Dizzy The Adventurer was the stronger title and didn’t require any further development and, as a replacement for Wonderland Dizzy, the twins included the previously-released Panic Dizzy.
After The Excellent Dizzy Collection was released, the Oliver twins left Codemasters for another publisher and with the intellectual property
Intellectual property
Intellectual property is a term referring to a number of distinct types of creations of the mind for which a set of exclusive rights are recognized—and the corresponding fields of law...
split between Codemasters and the Oliver twins no more Dizzy games were ever produced, although both companies have since said they would like to revisit the series. Both Dreamworld Pogie and the final Dizzy game, Wonderland Dizzy, remain unreleased.
Dizzy the Adventurer
Dizzy the Adventurer is an enhanced version of the previously released Dizzy Prince of the YolkfolkDizzy Prince of the Yolkfolk
Dizzy Prince of the Yolkfolk is an adventure video game published in December 1991 by Codemasters for the Amstrad CPC, Atari ST, Commodore 64, ZX Spectrum, DOS, NES and Amiga. It was the sixth game in the Dizzy adventure series...
that was bundled with the Aladdin Deck Enhancer
Aladdin Deck Enhancer
The Aladdin Deck Enhancer, produced by Camerica, and developed by Codemasters, is a cartridge based system that allows software on Compact Cartridges to be played on the Nintendo Entertainment System. It is similar to the Datach system for the Famicom, but without the Barcode feature...
for the Oliver twin's publisher (Codemasters
Codemasters
The Codemasters Software Company Limited, or Codemasters is a British video game developer founded by Richard and David Darling in 1986...
/Camerica
Camerica
Camerica was a company owned and operated by David J. Harding. It was a video game company that was notable for producing unlicensed Nintendo Entertainment System games and hardware. It was founded in 1988 and published games through 1992. It created a number of peripherals for the NES, including...
) ill-fated NES
Nes
-Localities:In Norway:* Nes, Akershus, a municipality in the county of Akershus in Norway* Nes, Buskerud, a municipality in the county of Buskerud in Norway* Nes, Hedmark, a former municipality in the county of Hedmark in Norway...
peripheral. The title had not previously been released on the Sega
Sega
, usually styled as SEGA, is a multinational video game software developer and an arcade software and hardware development company headquartered in Ōta, Tokyo, Japan, with various offices around the world...
platforms so was originally going to be released as a stand-alone game but publisher Codemasters was uncomfortable releasing it at full price.
Panic Dizzy
The game was originally released as a stand alone product as, Dizzy Panic!Dizzy Panic!
Dizzy Panic! is a puzzle video game published in 1990 by Codemasters for the Amstrad CPC, ZX Spectrum, Commodore 64, Sega Master System and the Sega Game Gear...
for the 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,...
, 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...
and 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...
however was included as a last minute replacement for Wonderland Dizzy. Publisher, Codemasters felt two Adventure games shouldn’t be included on the one compilation so the Oliver twins decided to leave Dizzy the Adventurer and replace (the still unreleased) Wonderland Dizzy the with Panic Dizzy to complement the other two styles of game.
Go! Dizzy Go!
Go! Dizzy Go! was originally to be released on the NES for the Aladdin however due to its unexpected failure the title was then going to be released as a stand alone title for the Sega Master System and Sega Game Gear. However the publisher, Codemasters, was uncomfortable releasing it separately at full price so was included as part of The Excellent Dizzy Collection.Quattro Arcade, released for the NES in 1992, featured Go! Dizzy Go!.
The game is an arcade-style puzzle game where the player must navigate the Dizzy through a series of mazes similar to the Adventures of Lolo games.