1993 Codemasters
Code – Colin Jones
Graphics – Keith Ross
Music – Allister Brimble (?)
This game is one of the rumoured unreleased 22 Codemasters games which one day we hope to track down and bring to you, like Codemasters should have done a long time ago.
This game was to be the sequel to Slightly Magic by Colin Jones, which Ian Gray converted from the Spectrum version. We guess that the game would have pretty much been more of the same using the same engine.
The Spectrum entry at the World of Spectrum website states that the game was a finished but unreleased game on the Amiga. We spoke to Colin Jones, who confirmed this and also confirmed that the 8-bit versions were already being cut back when he completed the Amiga version. Where Colin talks about 8-bit versions, we only know that allegedly the ZX Spectrum was started but never finished.
Colin also told us that Keith Ross, who did graphics for the original game, also did an animation for this unreleased sequel. Sadly, like Colin, Keith has nothing of his work from this time although he does remember working on it.
It is also thought that Allister Brimble probably did the music on the game, as he did the music on the original. Sadly he remembers nothing of the sequel, only his work on the original, casting doubt over his involvement in the Slightly Spooky although it was likely that had the game gone ahead he would have become involved later.
For those who do not know, a story broke in the news pages of Commodore Scene (A popular C64 fanzine in the UK), that Codemasters confirmed they had 22 unreleased games which were ready to be released, but they pulled out of the market before many could sneak out.
Some of these games are now known as Bee 52, Grell and Falla and CJ’s 4th, mainly because they have made it out. Others are speculated titles such as CJ in Space and Wacky Po. The others are a mystery, but rumours suggest there were a few games that Codemasters released on the NES multicarts.
It looks almost certain that no one connected with the game knows much about it beyond that it was completed on the Amiga and handed over to Codemasters, and sadly nothing looks to remain except what is in Codemasters archives.
Hopefully one day they’ll open up their archives and let their unreleased titles see the light of day but until that time, if it ever comes, we won’t get to see what Slightly Spooky looked like.
Creator speaks
Colin Jones speaks:
“It’s a long time ago now, but as I remember it I only worked on the Amiga version of Slightly Spooky. I think by the time I started work on it 8-bit releases were already being cut back.
Slightly Spooky, again as I remember, was completed only on the Amiga, and handed over to Codemasters. It had a really nice intro animation by Keith Ross and followed the same style as Slightly Magic.
It must have been the last game I worked on until forming Potassium Frog.
I’ll have to search the attic some time to see what I’ve got.”
Keith Ross speaks:
“I do remember doing graphics for the game many, many years ago but sadly I don’t think I have any graphics from that time. It was a very long time ago.”
Allister Brimble speaks:
“Hmm tbh I can’t remember the Slightly Spooky music, only Slightly Magic!”
