Dr. Franky and the Monster is a 1984 platform game written by Martin Wheeler (who created the original Sorcery) and published by Virgin Games for the ZX Spectrum. It’s a cartoony, satirical take on the Frankenstein story, and – to be honest – it isn’t very good.
Tag Archives: Virgin Games
Aladdin, Megadrive/Genesis
AKA “Disney’s Aladdin” is a classic Megadrive/Genesis platform game based on the hit 1992 Disney film of the same name (the one featuring Robin Williams as the voice of The Genie). It was first released in November 1993.
Judge Dredd, Commodore 64
The second Judge Dredd game on the Commodore 64 was developed by Random Access and published by Virgin Games in 1991, and while it’s better than the crappy 1986 Judge Dredd game from Melbourne House, it’s still not very good.
Judge Dredd, Amiga
The 1990 version of Judge Dredd, developed by Random Access and published by Virgin Games, is a frustrating and barely playable platform action game that is hamstrung by restrictive game mechanics.
Judge Dredd, Atari ST
The Atari ST version of the 1990 Judge Dredd game from Virgin Games is pretty much identical to the Amiga version – and the 8-bit versions – which means that it’s another failed attempt to bring the famous 2000AD comic character to life in a video game.
Judge Dredd, ZX Spectrum
This second attempt at a Judge Dredd game on the Spectrum was developed by Random Access (the development team at The Sales Curve) and published by Virgin Games in 1990, although there is some debate about how widespread the game’s release actually was.
Was the game even properly released, or was it cancelled and some copies leaked out? Few people seem to have had a copy and it only recently turned up on game preservation sites. There were reviews in most of the major magazines at the time, although this doesn’t indicate whether the game was released or not.
Sorcery Plus, Amstrad CPC
Sorcery Plus is an expanded version of the best-selling Amstrad game Sorcery, catering for 128K disk-based machines and featuring new rooms and other enhancements. It was developed by Gang of Five and published by Virgin Games in 1985.
Sorcery, ZX Spectrum
Martin Wheeler‘s 1984 Spectrum game, Sorcery, was a decent hit for publisher Virgin Games. Enough at least for Virgin to convert the game to various other systems, including for the Amstrad CPC, which is the better version.
Cool Spot, Megadrive/Genesis
Cool Spot is a cartoony platform game featuring the brand mascot* for the soft drink 7 Up. It was programmed by David Perry and first published by Virgin Games for the Sega Megadrive/Genesis in 1993.
Archer Maclean’s Pool, Atari ST
Following on from Jimmy White’s Whirlwind Snooker, Archer Maclean’s Pool was published in 1992 by Virgin Games. It was of course designed and programmed by Archer MacLean.
And, because pool is much more simple to play than snooker, and because this game uses the same engine as the previous game, Pool is arguably more immediately playable and more fun overall than its predecessor.
The King of Grabs 