Games That Weren't 64^®

Another compilation of games (Like with the CDU based games) which seem to be missing, and many we believe could well be GTW’s. These were advertised in Your Computer back in 1986 as part of their software exchange…

There are 20 games listed in Gamebase with 15 of them missing.

• CBM01: The Birds by Richard Palmer & John Palmer
• CBM01: Stellarways by J. Dakin
• CBM02: Adventure Pencil by Chris Pile
• CBM04: Bunker by Simon Beesley
• CBM04: Runner by Ben Kirk
• CBM05: Mission ZX1 by John Storer
• CBM06: Space Ambush by Michael Solomon
• CBM07: Boots by Mark Mainwood
• CBM07: Invasion of the Killer Tomatoes by Russell Wallace
• CBM08: Detective 64 by Stephen Collins
• CBM08: Puss’n’Boots by Gerald M. Duffy
• CBM09: Brag by Lionel Jack
• CBM09: Tug of War by Paul Randall
• CBM10: Lightning Strike by John Taylor
• CBM11: Fast Food Laser by Frank G. Tout
• CBM11: Sorcerers’ Quest by Darryn Lavery
• CBM12: Owzat by Mark Eastham
• CBM12: Super Wormy by Mikael Sundstrom
• CBM13: The Mission by Frank G. Tout
• CBM13: Splish Splash by Paul Greenstead

Help us fill up this list with links / remove them completely by ensuring they get preserved.

Interestingly, contributor Andrew Partis noticed an advert for BBC Software Exchange – bizzarely though with Commodore codes for the following titles (In issue March 1987, Vol 7 No 3):

• CBM03: Fruit Machine by Shaun Hewitt
• CBM03: Haywire by J P Lord
• CBM04: Kung-Fu by David Chung
• CBM04: Bird of Prey by N Sheard
• CBM05: Pandomonium by Peter Scott

Were they C64 or just a mistake with the codes? Andrew also confirmed that the scheme was going well into 1987 as well. So the titles must be out there.

We learn that The Birds was first advertised in Your Computer – May 1986 as part of their software exchange selection, where you could send off for a budget tape for £1.99. Seems like this offer was on for some time! See creator speaks from John Palmer below and also extra scan from May 1986. The game was saved and translated from a Spanish copy -see download below!

Shortly afterwards, The Bunker was also saved thanks to Chris Kraus! Download can be found here or via CSDB link above!

Then in November 2015 – It was found that Space Ambush had been recently preserved on Gamebase!

Do you know any more?

Contributions: Peter Weighill, Chris Kraus, Andrew Partis

Supporting content

• Downloads
• Gallery
• Creator speaks
• History

Available downloads

• Game_Bunker (zip)
• Game_TheBirds (zip)

Gallery

Creator speaks

John Palmer recalls work on The Birds:

“The game was published in the magazine “Your computer” dated May 1985.
In those days you could send the games you made into Magazines and if they liked it they would print the code for the game in the magazine and people could type the code in and run it on the commodore 64, it was all written in basic and some data for the graphics.
The magazine would also sell copies of the game on tape if you could not be bothered to type it all in!

I struggle to remember the full details of the game, but I do remember we had a tree and some animated birds that flew around, I can’t remember if you controlled the bird or a worm, it was only a small game, it was not anything too amazing!”

Update history

• 17/07/20 – More titles and details added thanks to Andrew Partis
• 02/05/19 – Mission ZX1 recovered – link from CSDB added.
• 06/11/15 – Space Ambush recovered!
• 07/02/15 – Following on swiftly from The Birds, here is The Bunker – again thanks to Chris Kraus!
• 02/02/15 – Wow, a year to the below update! The Birds has been found thanks to Chris Kraus!
• 02/01/14 – Added coding credits to field.