While not as popular as the other 8-bit systems in the 1980s, Mastertronic still catered for Acorn’s BBC and Electron computers. Even though both were mainly dominant in the education sector, they were both still well supported in the games department from a number of developers. In fact many gaming classics started on the platform. So it’s no surprise that Mastertronic supported them for so long.
In fact, they not only released games on their main range, but a couple of their sub-labels as well, and even games on disk. Thanks to members of the Acorn Computer and BBC Micro Enthusiasts Facebook group for assistance with this list.
Updated: 18th October 2024
Mastertronic
| Number | Title | Author | Format | Sales | Cover Art |
| IB0002 | Vegas Jackpot | Mark J Brady (cover) | BBC/Electron | 17,022 | |
| IB0012 | Starmaze 2 | Mark J Brady (cover) | BBC | 17,081 |  |
| IB0012 | Starmaze 2 | Mark J Brady (cover) | Electron | 9,413 | |
| IB0021 | Spectipede | BBC | 14,818 | ||
| IB0021 | Spectipede | Electron | 9,576 | ||
| IB0041 | Thunderball | BBC | 9,989 | ||
| IB0047 | Challenger | John Walsh | BBC | 10,639 | |
| IB0096 | Kane | Mike Woodbridge, John Smyth (cover) |
BBC | 25,439 | |
| IB0097 | Walk The Plank | Electron | 9,739 | ||
| IB0107 | Galactic Patrol | A G Cartlidge | BBC/Electron | 25,752 | |
| N/A | Megaplay Volume 1 (tape) | Various | BBC/Electron | 1,843 | |
| N/A | Megaplay Volume 1 (disk) | Various | BBC/Electron | 1,481 |
Americana
| Title | Author | Original Publisher | Format | Sales | Cover Art |
| Beach Head | US Gold | BBC/Electron | 1,482 |  |
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| Bounty Bob Strikes Back | BBC |  |
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| Questprobe featuring The Hulk | Scott Adams | Adventure International | BBC |  |
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| Questprobe featuring The Hulk | Scott Adams | Adventure International | Electron |  |
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| Questprobe: Spider-Man | Scott Adams | Adventure International | BBC |  |
Ricochet
| Number | Title | Original Publisher | Sales | Cover Art |
| RB 001 | Geoff Capes Strongman | Martech | 7,707 | |
| RB 002 | Gisburne’s Castle | Martech | 6,544 | |
| RB 004 | Brian Jacks Superstar Challenge | Martech | 7,560 | |
| RB 005 | Eddie Kidd’s Jump Challenge | Martech | 8,082 | |
| RB 009 | Jetpac | Ultimate Play The Game | 5,620 | |
| RB 010 | Knight Lore | Ultimate Play The Game | 3,183 | |
| RB 011 | Alien 8 | Ultimate Play The Game | 721 | |
| RB 012 | Nightshade | Ultimate Play The Game | 2,910 | |
| RB 018 | Way Of The Exploding Fist | Melbourne House | 5,371 |
PAL Developments
| Number | Title | Author | Format | Sales | Cover Art |
| PAL 8 | Tetris | BBC/Electron | 1,198 |
This range has Mastertronic Plus branded packaging but uses a unique numbering system prefixed with “PALxx” for all the titles. It is relatively small, with under 20 titles and some gaps that we are aware of but covers 8-bit and 16-bit games. While it has no formal name, we have named this after the software company PAL Developments who were contracted by Virgin Mastertronic to develop a number of games for them. They created most of the games for this range although there were a number of licensed titles amongst them as well. The company underwent numerous name changes during it’s lifetime, including Palmer Acoustics Ltd where the initials would have originated.
We will be expanding this checklist over time with more details, cover art and links to reviews.
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