Join Ocean Software and look like Morten Harket on the red carpet at the Smash Hits Poll Winners Party. Wonder how many bedroom programmers started dreaming big when this ad appeared in mags in 1987?

Nice little time capsule I spotted today in the one-screen cinema in Aberystwyth

Britsoft’s finest Rare was incorporated as a company on this date 40 years ago. According to the doc on Companies House, it was called Chameleon, then The Stamper Group, before they finally settled on Rare. Here is the firm’s very first logo.

I'll see your Metroid Prime 4 and raise you...

And here's the magazine ad and game packaging

Here's a larger version of the fold-out map that came with the game, showing the town of Bridgton (and THE MIST creeping in from the east)

Some background on the winner (and seller of the item), from New Computer Express (Apr 22, 1989).

(Vessel do nicely?? I'm having that)

> GO EBAY
> GET TREASURE
A 'holy grail', awarded as a competition prize to promote the 1988 Level 9 adventure game Lancelot, has surfaced on eBay.
www.ebay.co.uk/itm/26717938...

Sad news: programmer Don Priestley, best known for his cartoon-style games like Trap Door and Popeye, passed away late last year after a short illness. One of Don’s friends shared the news on a Facebook comment. RIP Don (1940-2024), your games shine on.

Alien, the Italian edition 👍

"This looks like the sad lad of the pack..."

As PlayStation turns 30 today, let's remind ourselves of this bold prediction by C&VG in 1992.

We may laugh, but the mag was talking about an early prototype PlayStation. Still, it's clear to see that NO-ONE saw Sony coming #PlayStation