Desert Island Tapes: Pete Prodge

Desert Island Tapes: Pete Prodge

A BASIC compiler, maybe Boriel, or Simon N Goodwin's Zip. Whichever is best, as I think the best way to kill time is to make games, and frankly, I'm not good enough for machine code, so this is my way to create the Streets Of Rage/Double Dragon tribute I've always wanted to make.

The greatest computer game ever made, every new play of it is always different.

THE IN CROWD (Ocean)...mainly for Target Renegade, really.

Taito Coin-Op Hits: The compilation from Imagine, you get Renegade and Bubble Bobble, 'nuff said!

The Curse of Sherwood: First game I bought and one day I'll complete it without cheating.

I don't think you can get bored of this, because of that level creator.

The compilation by Ocean, mainly for Rainbow Islands.

Your Sinclair issue 83: Magnificent Seven - mainly for Soundtracker, so I can compose some 128K music for that long-awaited Streets of Rage/Double Dragon tribute which currently only resides in my head.

The Story of Ocean: The Story Of Ocean from Fusion Retro books is highly compelling. The journey of them just winging it with arcade rip-offs, to becoming one of the biggest games labels in the world.

I think the grey +2 is the most accessible Spectrum, you know, the widest compatibility. Although I'm tempted to get my hands on a Next, to see what that's like.

I suppose internet access is taking the mick (yep! ED), as I'd call to be rescued, naturally. I think the Multiface 128 was the best add-on I had for my +2, a delightful little gadget.

How well will you survive?

Very badly, being vegetarian, I'm not a natural hunter. I'm also terrible at DIY, so building a shelter is going to be a process of failures.

...and the isolation?

I'll end up talking to myself lots. Just like March-June 2020 in severe lockdown, really.

Which ONE of these tapes would you take?

Very hard to pick between Chaos and the BASIC compiler. Both offer endless entertainment. Probably go with the BASIC compiler in the end to enjoy/suffer my own work.

Is there a project you'd finally get your teeth into?

Coding the Streets Of Rage/Double Dragon thing. Set firmly in the 1980s with the usual cliches of multi-storey car parks, tribes of baddies. Thing is, I want to introduce an arcade-adventure aspect into it, where it includes the London Underground stations and you have to travel to specific stations from clues left dotted around.

Which game would you banish to a DIFFERENT desert island?

I think the obvious and most prolific answer is going to be Sqij, isn't it? Or Count Duckula 2. But there's a fascination and almost perverse 'respect' for the games deemed to be the worst ever. Let's just go for Super Gran, then.