Microsphere

 72 Rosebery Road, London, N10

"Little, and round, with no sharp edges." The explanation for Microsphere's name stuck with me ever since I read it in CRASH (February 1986 page 73). It's a very pleasing and charming explanation, and something about it strikes a chord. I like the way it takes two mundane words. Micro, as the interview notes, "from the days when any respectable software house had Micro in it's name" and sphere, and combines them to produce something new. It feels like that's what Microsphere did. It took mundane objects, trains, motorbikes, and of course schools, and made them into something unusual. And they did this from an ordinary London street where quietly and without any fuss they created some remarkable games.

Micro Power / Program Power

Northwood House, North Street, Leeds, LS7

"Are you ready for brain to brain combat? Ultimate risk scenario. Your intervention urgently requested. The Master planning to use the Doctor's brain in a modified TIRU (Time Instant Replay Unit) to produce chaos weapon. Time-warping mineral Heatonite a critical component. Mine/Factory 2nd moon Rijar. Ky-Al-Nargath construction. Mega secure!!!!Madrag (genetically boosted saurian) + psycho-robotics + techno trickery. Force futile. Weapon skills NA. Machine skill vital. Full cerebral combat status needed at all times. Halt Heatonite production. Disable TIRU. Locate and regain plans. Impossible to stress to fully the importance of the Rijan mission. Invisible cat could prove useful." 

Silversoft

London House, 271/273 King Street, W6

FOR ADDED REALISM PLAY THIS STANDING IN THE BATH. The bold advertising strapline on Silversoft Ltd's advert for Worst Things Happen at Sea got the company dinged by the Advertising Standards Authority. CRASH issue 13 (February 1985 page 59) reported how two members of the public complained on the grounds that electricity and water don't mix, and in a game likely to appeal to children the advert encouraged  a disregard for safety. You can view the offending advert here in CRASH issue 11 (December 1984 page 139). Out of curiosity I sent an email to the ASA, and got a polite but brief reply. "Thank you very much for contacting the Advertising Standards Authority with regard to ruling made against the company Silversoft Ltd in 1984 or 1985. I am afraid I am unable to help you on this occasion, as that ruling was archived off many years ago and we no longer have access to it."

Odin Computer Graphics / Thor (Computer Software)

The Podium, Steers House, Canning Place, Liverpool, L1

In the lands of the north where the black rocks stand guard against the cold sea, in the dark night that is very long, the men of the northlands sit by their great log fires and they tell a tale.

Mirrorsoft / Image Works

Maxwell House, Worship Street, London, EC2A

This post frequently felt like a house of cards spinning out of control. I'd started covering Mirrorsoft back in June 2021 (day one, the same day I made a spur of the moment trip to Stratford for CRL) but it quickly became clear this wasn't going to be a simple one-and-done job. One trip down to London became two, and then a third, and then... well you can read about my inability to understand basic street numbers further down the page, along with my flimsy, whinging justification. Oh, look, here's another  address, and it's outside of London, and don't forget Mirrorsoft's spin-off label Image Works. And of course Mirrorsoft is wrapped ivy-like in the complicated corporate structure of Robert Maxwell. At 3000 words this post is so stupidly long I did consider cutting it into two parts but that felt too self-indulgent event for me.

Amstrad / Amsoft

Brentwood House, 169 King's Road, Brentwood, CM14

Brentwood not Brentford. Brentwood not Brentford. Brentwood. Brentwood. I've got a blind spot on the location of the Amstrad HQ which must be a result of reading too many Robert Rankin books.  I'd normally weed out mistakes before publishing but in this case I'm going to allow rogue Brentfords* to remain; to see how many there are. Let's call it a science experiment. Amstrad moved to Brentwood in 1984, 16 years after the company was founded and the same year the CPC 464 was launched.

Micromega

230-236 Lavender Hill, London, SW11

Pop quiz hotshot. It's 1983. You've been given £7500 to promote a new-ish software house. What do you do? If you were Neil Hooper, newly appointed sales manager at Micromega you'd spend £4000 of it on television advertising. HOME COMPUTER WEEKLY (7 June 1983 page 37) went into more detail. "Though TV ads for videogames are nothing new, Micromega is the first home computer software company to advertise its wares on television." Sadly this historic advert hasn't survived or, if it is lurking out there on a videotape (go and check now!), it hasn't made the leap onto Youtube. Micromega were understandably proud of their small step into a new medium and for the next few months their print adverts carry the strapline "AS SEEN ON T.V.!!"