The First and Last: Mastertronic’s 310 Range

1 August 2026 Warren Pilkington Articles 0

As you will be aware, Mastertronic’s main range of games started life as the 199 Range with that emblazoned on the front cover initially, and for collectors is also known as the 310 range, mainly due to the fact that the catalogue numbers started at 0001 and ended at 0310. This did include other labels within the Mastertronic catalogue too, so the likes of Entertainment USA, Bulldog, and later MAD releases all shared the same numbering.

The first numbered game in the range is Duck Shoot (0001), with the last being the re-release of Jonah Barrington’s Squash (0310) with plenty of games in between. However, in this series we’re going to delve into which games were actually released by their release date, first and last on each format, which differs significantly in some cases from the way the games were numbered. This can be for a number of reasons, such as:

  • Late conversions from one format to another (for example if programmers were needed to perform that conversion)
  • A new computer coming on to the market, and older games being converted
  • Logistical issues which meant release dates were pushed back

We’ll take a look at the first and last, starting with the first for each of the systems Mastertronic supported, then the last, based on the release date. If there is a tie where a system has two games released at the same time, then the lowest catalogue number (for first release) and highest catalogue number (for last release) will be deemed to be the winner, but we will mention the other games released at the same time as well, just so that you have a timeline of what was released early and late for your system of choice.

So, let’s get on with the first, and some surprises are ahead:

The First

Vic-20 and Commodore 64

Duck Shoot (April 1984)

Vic-20 (1V 0001)
Commodore 64 (1C 0001)

First released for the Vic-20 in 1983 as Krazy Kwaks, the game is effectively an homage to the arcade game Carnival, with Shaun Southern managing to fit a small clone of the game on the unexpanded Vic, complete with a version of the Over the Waves music that the arcade version had. It may be simplistic, but it is addictive and good fun to play. Shaun himself then handled the conversion to the Commodore 64, which drops Over the Waves, looks more like the arcade machine in question with all the targets to shoot, and even a version of what became known as The Birdie Song playing on the title screen, which I guarantee will not leave your ears for some time after you have heard it. This version is also good clean addictive fun, and shows that even then Mr Chip were to prove a reliable source of good playable games over the years.

Also released in April 1984 for the Vic-20:

Also released in April 1984 for the Commodore 64:

ZX Spectrum

Bullseye (1S 0005, April 1984)

Despite Vegas Jackpot having a lower catalogue number (IS 0002) that was not actually released for the ZX Spectrum until January 1985. So, it was left to a Mr Chip game, a re-release of Darts which was coded by Allison Kerr in December 1982. The game itself may be written in BASIC, but it certainly is playable, with the controls working well and a number of different game modes to choose from, some of which were not even included in the MAD release 180 two years later. So, if you want to play the darts versions of cricket, noughts and crosses and the brilliant killer, this may well be the game for you. Certainly, it was one that would give you plenty of fun, more so if two of you were playing or even watching the computer play itself!

Also released in April 1984 for the ZX Spectrum:

Dragon 32

Bug Diver (ID 0025, April 1984)

This game, like several others, was licenced for re-release from Galactic Software. Strangely, Mastertronic only chose this version, and not the Commodore 64 or Vic-20 releases. Think of this game as Frogger in reverse. You go from the top to the bottom of the screen to dive down from the surface, collect the egg from the chest, and head back to the surface at the top where the waiting boat will collect it. All of this whilst dodging the fish in the water and putting up with some controls that are not as responsive as they could be. As we will see, there were not many releases for the Dragon 32.

BBC Micro

Starmaze 2 (IB 0012, April 1984)

Whilst the Vic-20 had 3D Maze, the equivalent for the BBC Micro machines was Starmaze 2, with the BBC’s graphics modes being used to display the maze in a similar 3D view. Two things let the game down however: the lack of speed in drawing the maze and the location, meaning you are twiddling your thumbs waiting before you make your move, and also the controls are poorly defined: L for left, R for right, F for forward and B for back. This makes no sense during play and a sensible squarer layout of controls, or the option to redefine keys would have been a welcome addition to have.  The Electron only conversion was released in January 1986.

Also released in April 1984 for the BBC Micro:

Commodore 16 and Plus/4

Vegas Jackpot (2C 0002, January 1985)

The Commodore 64 version of Vegas Jackpot had proved to be a significant seller for Mastertronic, and Shaun Southern performed the conversion himself for the Commodore 16, which was starting to gain traction due to promotion of its starter pack with a cassette unit and some games and utilities. Despite the fact that Revision B Commodore 16 motherboards did not display the loading screen correctly, the game was also an instant hit here, with the same lovely graphics and sound being present, and a smoothness of the reels as they spun. The enhanced colour palette offered meant that good use of those colours was also made, meaning that they would pop out at you more. A solid enough start to what would be, which may be surprising to some, Mastertronic’s fourth largest system in terms of overall sales.

MSX

Chiller (IX 0036, April 1985)

One of the more popular MSX machines in the UK was the Toshiba HX-10, not least helped by their advertising and the later fact you would get everything in a bundle. No doubt this meant a smaller but ready-made market, and so Ed Hickman performed conversions of a number of Mastertronic games for the system. This conversion of Chiller from the Commodore 64 version used the MSX’s hardware sprites for the characters and enemies, and a good rendition of the soundtrack from the second Commodore 64 version too. The difficulty is ramped up just the same and practice does make perfect over time. However, there are a couple of bugs which do mean you cannot complete the fifth level and so not be able to then do the return journey either. A shame, as it did show promise.

Also released in April 1985 for the MSX:

Amstrad CPC

Chiller (IA 0036, July 1985)

The Amstrad CPC was making inroads into the home computing market as an all in one (including monitor) affordable solution. Mastertronic did arrive a little late to the party, but they gave Ed Hickman the job of converting the Commodore 64 original to the Amstrad, as he had already done with the MSX. It uses a graphic mode which means that although there were plenty of colours on the screen, and it certainly does show well, the screen can feel a bit cramped due to the mode in use. The soundtrack is there and sounds well on the AY chip, similar to how the MSX sounded too. Unfortunately, like the MSX, there is a bug which means you cannot collect all of the crosses on the fifth level. Even if you hack it to do so, you then cannot change characters either. Again, a shame, that.

Also released in July 1985 for the Amstrad CPC:

Atari XL/XE

Action Biker (IC 0087, October 1985)

Despite the loose licencing link to KP Skips and the Clumsy Colin character (hence him appearing on the cover) the Atari version here is a good port of the Commodore 64 version, complete with isometric 3D view as you head around the map, collect the necessary parts to soup up your bike, and when you are done, compete in a final race. The game does have a more limited landscape but this also does allow you to be able to see more of the objects easier, and riding over bridges or gaps seems to work better here too. For a first foray into the Atari 8-bit range, it was a solidly playable game that would also go on to become their biggest seller.

And yes, they did use a Commodore catalogue number for the Atari release, in case you were wondering.  This may have been down to the the dual format Commodore 64 and Atari disk release (which was ICD 0087) and using the cassette version of that number.  With IA already being used for the Amstrad CPC, Mastertronic went for IT for the Atari format, and One Man and His Droid was the first release to use this (IT 0089, February 1986.)

continues…

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