6. Speed King (304,923)
Commodore 64 – 100,575
Commodore 16 and Plus/4 – 88,821
Amstrad CPC – 73,086
MSX – 42,441
Speed King was an excellent bike game from Digital Integration, and effectively the Commodore 64’s own version of the successful Full Throttle on the ZX Spectrum. Mastertronic got the re-release rights around a year after the original release, and having the game on multiple formats helped considerably with bike racing being popular at the time (not least with Hang On being in arcades also.) Shaun Southern re-skinned Formula 1 Simulator for the Commodore 16 and Plus/4 version but at least you had four tracks, and the solid playability helped it sell well there. Ed Hickman handled the conversions of the original game to the Amstrad CPC and MSX, which both appear to play similarly. For anyone who had purchased the original, it was a steal at two pounds of anyone’s money, and the fact you do have to downshift to get around corners shows good attention to detail with the gameplay too.
7. Kikstart II (293,941)
ZX Spectrum – 130,676
Commodore 64 – 107,869
Amstrad CPC – 45,040
Amiga – 10,356
Shaun Southern’s finest hour on the Commodore 64 was Kikstart II – with improved graphics, sound, playability, and a course editor, all in one load – even if there were suitable nods to the BBC television series Kick Start, with some fiendishly difficult courses around the Easton Neston estate. Needless to say, that the critics loved it at the time, and today it is still a game that one of my good friends plays regularly, which is a surefire sign of it being a classic. The ZX Spectrum conversion was a decent effort all round and shows some speed and pace, but oh dear me – that Amstrad CPC version. If you play that after the Commodore 64 version, you will ask how you can get a conversion so badly wrong, with some not very good gameplay mechanics. The Amiga version is the highest positioned 16-bit game on the list, and although the graphics and sound are nice enough, it does feel like there is something lacking. My advice? Play the Commodore 64 version and enjoy it – you will be glad that you did.
8. Kikstart (291,491)
Commodore 64 – 137,008
Commodore 16 and Plus/4 – 92,912
Atari XL/XE – 56,989
Commodore 128 – 4,582
The original Shaun Southern bike game that had nods to the BBC TV series Kick Start, this started off as a full price Mr Chip Software release before being re-released by Mastertronic for the Commodore 64. It is still great fun to play with some tricky courses and a real need to time the throttle correctly. The Commodore 128 only version has more courses on the disk as well as a computer opponent – and the only Commodore 128 only game in this chart, whilst the Atari XL/XE version is a faithful conversion from the Commodore 64 original with a charm all its own. The odd one out here is the Commodore 16 and Plus/4 version, also by Shaun Southern, where you complete courses within a time limit more like the arcade game Superbike. It is very playable and was up there as one of my favourite Commodore 16 and Plus/4 games for a good reason. Well worth a try if you get the chance.
9. Chiller (280,234)
Commodore 64 – 121,935
ZX Spectrum – 61,230
Amstrad CPC – 54,610
MSX – 42,459
The original Commodore 64 release of Chiller by the Darling brothers courted controversy, but not of their making – it was the David Dunn music that was the cause. There is no doubt that it attracted some publicity and sales too though, with the game being one tough platformer to crack – more so as you play the girl and boy attempting to go back through the screens in the second half of the game. The music from the second version would also make its way on to the Amstrad CPC and MSX versions, both coded by Ed Hickman and was notable for the MSX version utilising hardware sprites, which not all UK MSX games did. The ZX Spectrum conversion also seemed to play less well for some reason, and of course the market was full of more playable platform games at the time. Nonetheless, the title was important in Mastertronic’s history because they learned from that controversy, and utilised in the best way possible.
10. Kane (262,829)
Commodore 64 – 83,922
Amstrad CPC – 55,863
ZX Spectrum – 50,185
Commodore 16 and Plus/4 – 47,420
BBC Micro – 25,439
The Wild West called and you need to head to town, shooting the birds, riding the horse into town of Kane, shooting the bad guys in the saloons and the stores, and then riding the horse back to be able to stop the train. The tones of the William Tell Overture certainly fitted the game well, and although the last level was very difficult (understatement) it was a solid budget classic on both the Commodore 64 original and Amstrad CPC conversion. The ZX Spectrum version tries hard but does not quite match the feel of the others. Interestingly, both the BBC Micro and Commodore 16 and Plus/4 versions do away with the horse-riding stages to fit the game into memory, so you have the bird shoot and then the shoot-out. It works as well as it can on the Commodore 16 and Plus/4. and was another indicator that Mastertronic knew their market: and conversions for this system were worthwhile doing for both sales and reputation.
11. Action Biker (251,887)
Commodore 64 – 96,525
ZX Spectrum – 95,692
Atari XL/XE – 59,670
The loose cash-in and tie-in with KP Skips snacks, and the Clumsy Colin character, with the publicity for the game on the packs, made the game sell well across the three formats it appeared on. It is indeed is the highest selling original game for the Atari XL/XE too. Both that and the Commodore 64 version go the isometric 3D view, where you steer your bike to collect objects that boost the bike enough, and have all the other things such as helmet and so on to be ready to run the race at the end. The Commodore 64 version has an early excellent Rob Hubbard soundtrack which still stands the test of time well to this day. As for the ZX Spectrum version, it is odd why they did not do the same game and instead came up with something that was, in our view, much less impressive, and that is an understatement. Notably some copies of the game, even on the Commodore 64, came with a yellow cassette case and yellow cassette itself, so do keep an eye out for those if you can.
12. One Man and His Droid (212,722)
ZX Spectrum – 46,921
Atari XL/XE – 46,383
Commodore 64 – 42,796
Commodore 16 and Plus/4 – 39,300
Amstrad CPC – 37,322
Clive Brooker’s take on the old sheepdog trials programme, One Man and His Dog, but collecting ramboid robots in the right order, certainly made for a frenetic and yet difficult game to master. There are some who love this game, and others who are not fans of it. Certainly, the opening part on some versions where you must get past the robots coming down at you to the top is a real joystick smasher with frustration at times. The Commodore 16 and Plus/4 version does not have that due to limitations, and so plays reasonably. Of course, the big draw of the Commodore 64 version is the Rob Hubbard tune which would later get used for the iconic Invade-a-Load and sounds suitably manic. The Atari XL/XE version sold very well too, only just behind the Spectrum original which showed that it appeared to be a solid conversion and rated well.
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