The impressive Centre for Computing History in Cambridge was the scene of the action yesterday as a new Kickstarter campaign to fund the new book on the Oliver Twins was launched. The book written by Chris Wilkins and Roger Kean will chronicle the astonishing rise of Andrew and Philip from their first type-in listing submitted to a magazine in 1983, to their first real success; Super Robin Hood and their days coding games for Code Masters which of course include the breathtaking successes of the Dizzy and Simulator series of games.
Chris and the Twins talked about the new Kickstarter book which was launched at 1 o’clock with a click on Chris’s mobile phone. There were opportunities for the attendees to then pledge on the campaign there and then in return for exclusive posters and postcards which Andrew and Philip were only too happy to sign. We were all also treated to a compelling talk by Archer Maclean, author of Dropzone, Jimmy Whites Whirlwind Snooker and Mercury.
Wonderland Dizzy rediscovered
And as if the Kickstarter campaign wasn’t enough, at 4 o’clock we were all treated to the big Dizzy reveal, which was undoubtedly the highlight of the day for many there.
A video was shown of the recent Play Event where the Twins had shown a map of Wonderland Dizzy for Nintendo’s NES, which they could remember finishing but had never had published. Further investigation of the attic later revealed a floppy disk, which with much help from Andrew Joseph of yolkfolk.com and Lucasz Kur, they were able to get working and debugged.
The game is now available to play for FREE at wonderlanddizzy.com thanks to the generosity of Andrew and Philip.