Software Projects was a computer game development company which was started by ''

Manic Miner ''Manic Miner'' is a platform video game originally written for the ZX Spectrum by Matthew Smith and released by Bug-Byte in 1983 (later re-released by Software Projects). It is the first game in the Miner Willy series and among the early titl ...

'' developer Matthew Smith, Alan Maton and Colin Roach. After leaving

Bug-Byte Bug-Byte Software Ltd. was a video game company founded in 1980 by Tony Baden and Tony Milner, two Oxford chemistry graduates. It was one of the first to develop a range of 8-bit computer games during the early 1980s, for Sinclair, Commodore and ...

as a freelance developer, Smith was able to take the rights to his recently developed ''Manic Miner'' game with him, due to an oversight in his freelance contract. Software Projects was then able to market and publish the

ZX Spectrum The ZX Spectrum () is an 8-bit computing, 8-bit home computer that was developed by Sinclair Research. It was released in the United Kingdom on 23 April 1982, and became Britain's best-selling microcomputer. Referred to during development as t ...

hit game separately from

. Their logo was a

Penrose triangle The Penrose triangle, also known as the Penrose tribar, the impossible tribar, or the impossible triangle, is a triangular impossible object, an optical illusion consisting of an object which can be depicted in a perspective drawing, but cannot e ...

Released games

* ''Anaconda'' * ''Astronut'' * '' BC's Quest for Tires'' * ''Binky'' * ''

Crazy Balloon ''Crazy Balloon'' is an arcade video game released by Taito in 1980.Crazy Balloon
at Killer Li ...

'' * ''Crypt Capers'' * ''Dinky Doo'' * ''Dodo Lair'' * ''

Dragon's Lair ''Dragon's Lair'' is a video game franchise created by Rick Dyer and Don Bluth. The series is famous for its Western animation-style graphics and complex decades-long history of being ported to many platforms and being remade into television a ...

'' * '' Dragon's Lair Part II - Escape from Singe's Castle'' * ''Ewgeebez'' * ''Fatty Henry'' * ''Galactic Gardener'' * ''Harvey Smith Showjumper'' * ''Hunchback at the Olympics'' * ''Hysteria'' * ''

Jet Set Willy ''Jet Set Willy'' is a platform video game originally written by Matthew Smith for the ZX Spectrum home computer. It was published in 1984 by Software Projects and ported to most home computers of the time. The game is a sequel to '' Man ...

'' * ''

Jet Set Willy II ''Jet Set Willy II: The Final Frontier'' is a platform game released 1985 by Software Projects as the Amstrad CPC port of ''Jet Set Willy''. It was then rebranded as the sequel and ported other home computers. ''Jet Set Willy II'' was developed ...

'' * ''Karls Kavern'' * ''Learning with Leeper'' * ''Ledgeman'' * ''Legion'' * ''

Loderunner ''Lode Runner'' is a 2D puzzle-platform game, developed by Doug Smith and published by Broderbund in 1983. Its gameplay mechanics are similar to ''Space Panic'' from 1980. The player controls a character who must collect all the gold pieces in ...

'' * ''McKensie'' * ''

'' * ''Nutcraka'' * ''Ometron'' * ''Orion'' * ''Project Graphics Language'' * ''Push Off'' * ''Run and Plunder'' * ''Space Swarm'' * ''Space Joust'' * '' Star Paws'' * ''

The Perils of Willy Miner Willy is the protagonist in a series of platform games for the ZX Spectrum, MSX, Amstrad CPC and the Commodore 64 home computers. The first two games - ''Manic Miner'' and ''Jet Set Willy'' were written by Matthew Smith during the early 19 ...

'' * ''Thrusta'' * ''Tribble Trubble'' In 1984 and 1985 they released a number of budget titles at £2.99 on the ''Software Supersavers'' label.

References

Defunct video game companies of the United Kingdom Video game companies established in 1983 {{UK-videogame-company-stub