Having met as colleagues at the electrical distributor Laskys, Ian Stewart and Kevin Norburn decided there was enough momentum in the home-computer industry to set up their own shop, Just Micro. The store became a magnet for young programming talent, and soon Ian and Kevin’s ambitions exceeded the small building in Sheffield city centre.
Their dream began in 1984 with Gremlin Graphics. Having already secured the services of Monty Mole creator Peter Harrap, Gremlin moved swiftly in gaining a second programmer, Commodore 64 whiz Tony Crowther, as an independent developer. Tony’s first game, Percy The Potty Pigeon, became Gremlin’s debut before mega-hit Wanted! Monty Mole cemented the publisher’s reputation. A conveyor belt of high-quality 8-bit hits followed as Gremlin recognised (and often employed) the talent behind some of its best games, many curiously British in their themes and gameplay. Monty Mole embraced the politics of the time (albeit with its star as an innocent bystander, well, not entirely innocent) while games such as Grumpy Gumphrey Supersleuth and Jack The Nipper, revelled in the roles of a jobsworth security guard and naughty toddler, respectively.
As the inevitable licensed games crept in, Gremlin continued its role as a high-quality publisher, seldom releasing genuine clunkers. The new decade arrived, and a dedication to the established 16-bit formats, particularly the Amiga, strengthened Gremlin’s position further, and it subsequently embraced the 32-bit era with trailblazing titles such as Loaded and Actua Soccer. The company grew as it acquired outside developers, such as Imagitec Design and DMA Design, before being bought by Infogrames in 1999. But it all kicked off in 1984 with that little mole.
WANTED! MONTY MOLE
VARIOUS • 1984
Gremlin’s first big release was also the first game in its most famous series – the saga of Monty Mole. Set during the Miner’s Strike, the eponymous Talpidae is hunting for coal to warm his family. Bucket in paw, the furry fellow soon attracts the ire of picketing miners, the police and Arthur Scargill himself as he travels through the deviously plotted screens. Wanted! Monty Mole is a fine platform game and an excellent start for Gremlin.
IAN’S MEMORIES
WEST BANK
VARIOUS • 1985
Once it had some games under its belt, Gremlin began to receive submissions from third-party developers, including Spanish outfit, Dinamic Software. After the rock-hard platformer and boxing sim came this unsubtle clone that belies its derivative nature. Bloodthirsty is the most playable of Gremlin’s Dinamic games.
