I’m not entirely sure what to make of Black Thunder. It is a remake of Tony Crowther‘s previous game, Suicide Express, with slightly different graphics and released a year later by a different publishing house (Quicksilva).
Monthly Archives: January 2020
Gryphon, Commodore 64
Tony Crowther‘s 1985 release through Quicksilva, Gryphon, is a much misunderstood game. Most people don’t even get past the first stage, because they don’t know what’s going on…
Loco, Commodore 64
Published by Alligata Software in 1984, Loco is a side-scrolling train-based shooter that is basically a clone of a 1982 Sega arcade game called Super Locomotive.
Potty Pigeon, Commodore 64
Percy the Potty Pigeon (to give the game its full title) was coded by Tony Crowther and published by Gremlin Graphics for the C64 in 1984. It was a minor hit at the time.
Son of Blagger, Commodore 64
The 1984 sequel to Blagger, Son of Blagger is different to its parent in that this time the platforming is done within a large, scrolling landscape, rather than the Manic Miner-style, single screen stages of the first game. It is basically the same game engine as another Tony Crowther game: Wanted! Monty Mole.
Suicide Express, Commodore 64
Suicide Express, published in 1984 by Gremlin Graphics, is a spin-off from designer Tony Crowther‘s previous game, Loco. It is a train game in the mould of the classic Sega arcade game, Super Locomotive.
Killer Watt, Commodore 64
Published in 1984 by Alligata Software, Killer Watt is a single-player, side-scrolling shoot ’em up where you fly around a cave blasting light bulbs. It was designed and programmed by Tony Crowther.
Blagger, Commodore 64
Blagger was Tony Crowther‘s attempt at a Manic Miner clone on the C64. It was first published by Alligata Software way back in 1983.
Tony Crowther Week
Born in Sheffield in 1965, Antony Crowther is a prolific and highly-regarded British video games designer/programmer who has had success across a number of different platforms.
Crowther is particularly well known for his Commodore 64 games, although he has worked on pretty much every gaming system known to man. He still designs and programs games to this day.
Tour de France, Commodore 64
Published by Activision in 1985, Tour de France is one of the rare times in gaming history where cycling has proven to be a hit with gamers.