Micro Power was a British company established in the early 1980s by former accountant Bob Simpson. The company was best known as a

video game Video games, also known as computer games, are electronic games that involves interaction with a user interface or input device such as a joystick, controller, keyboard, or motion sensing device to generate visual feedback. This fee ...

publisher, originally under the name Program Power. It also sold many types of

computer hardware Computer hardware includes the physical parts of a computer, such as the computer case, case, central processing unit (CPU), Random-access memory, random access memory (RAM), Computer monitor, monitor, Computer mouse, mouse, Computer keyboard, ...

and

software Software is a set of computer programs and associated documentation and data. This is in contrast to hardware, from which the system is built and which actually performs the work. At the lowest programming level, executable code consists ...

(both its own and third-party) through its

Leeds Leeds () is a city and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds district in West Yorkshire, England. It is built around the River Aire and is in the eastern foothills of the Pennines. It is also the third-largest settlement (by populati ...

'showroom' or via

mail order Mail order is the buying of goods or services by mail delivery. The buyer places an order for the desired products with the merchant through some remote methods such as: * Sending an order form in the mail * Placing a telephone call * Placing a ...

Games

From 1980 to 1987 the company published a number of

video games Video games, also known as computer games, are electronic games that involves interaction with a user interface or input device such as a joystick, game controller, controller, computer keyboard, keyboard, or motion sensing device to gener ...

and other

for various home computers. The earliest programs were released for the

Acorn Atom The Acorn Atom is a home computer made by Acorn Computers Ltd from 1980 to 1982, when it was replaced by the BBC Micro. The Micro began life as an upgrade to the Atom, originally known as the Proton. The Atom was a progression of the MOS Techn ...

but Micro Power is best remembered for its games for that machine's successor, Acorn's

BBC Micro The British Broadcasting Corporation Microcomputer System, or BBC Micro, is a series of microcomputers and associated peripherals designed and built by Acorn Computers in the 1980s for the BBC Computer Literacy Project. Designed with an emphas ...

(with all but two of its post-Atom games running on that machine). A large selection of games that could be (and weren't considered 'too old') were ported to the

Acorn Electron The Acorn Electron (nicknamed the Elk inside Acorn and beyond) was a lower-cost alternative to the BBC Micro educational/ home computer, also developed by Acorn Computers Ltd, to provide many of the features of that more expensive machine at a ...

after its release in 1983 and most new games were now released for these 2 machines in 1984. A few were also ported to other

8-bit In computer architecture, 8-bit Integer (computer science), integers or other Data (computing), data units are those that are 8 bits wide (1 octet (computing), octet). Also, 8-bit central processing unit (CPU) and arithmetic logic unit (ALU) arc ...

platforms including

Commodore 64 The Commodore 64, also known as the C64, is an 8-bit home computer introduced in January 1982 by Commodore International (first shown at the Consumer Electronics Show, January 7–10, 1982, in Las Vegas). It has been listed in the Guinness ...

Amstrad CPC The Amstrad CPC (short for ''Colour Personal Computer'') is a series of 8-bit home computers produced by Amstrad between 1984 and 1990. It was designed to compete in the mid-1980s home computer market dominated by the Commodore 64 and the Sin ...

and

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 ...

but these never achieved the success of the Acorn originals. Most of these were basic single screen games, typically arcade

clones Clone or Clones or Cloning or Cloned or The Clone may refer to: Places * Clones, County Fermanagh * Clones, County Monaghan, a town in Ireland Biology * Clone (B-cell), a lymphocyte clone, the massive presence of which may indicate a pathologi ...

(see the list of notable games below). While mostly well received and popular at the time (especially on the Acorn platforms), by the mid 1980s, video games were becoming increasingly complex. While simple early arcade-style games still sold well, it was usually at a budget price. Micro Power themselves released ''Micro Power Magic'' compilations in 1986, each featuring ten of their games that had previously sold at up to £7.95 each (some only two years earlier), for £7.95. From 1985 onwards, Micro Power began to produce a few advanced games as opposed to a high quantity of simpler games. The first of these was the

arcade adventure Arcade most often refers to: * Arcade game, a coin-operated game machine ** Arcade cabinet, housing which holds an arcade game's hardware ** Arcade system board, a standardized printed circuit board * Amusement arcade, a place with arcade games ...

'' Castle Quest'' (BBC only) by Tony Sothcott, billed as ''"Probably the most challenging game ever devised for the BBC Micro"''. It was never converted for the Electron, because it used near full-screen scrolling in an 8-colour mode which was not possible on the more limited machine. This game was successful and a sequel was started which became ''

Doctor Who and the Mines of Terror ''Doctor Who and the Mines of Terror'' is a game for the Amstrad CPC, BBC Micro and Commodore 64. It was first released by Micro Power on the BBC Micro in 1985, and on the Amstrad CPC & C64 in 1986. Gameplay left, In-game screenshot (BBC Micro) ...

'' (BBC, C64, CPC), a huge arcade adventure that required its own

ROM Rom, or ROM may refer to: Biomechanics and medicine * Risk of mortality, a medical classification to estimate the likelihood of death for a patient * Rupture of membranes, a term used during pregnancy to describe a rupture of the amniotic sac * R ...

chip to run on the BBC Micro. Another later release was

puzzle A puzzle is a game, Problem solving, problem, or toy that tests a person's ingenuity or knowledge. In a puzzle, the solver is expected to put pieces together (Disentanglement puzzle, or take them apart) in a logical way, in order to arrive at th ...

platform game A platform game (often simplified as platformer and sometimes called a jump 'n' run game) is a sub-genre of action video games in which the core objective is to move the player character between points in an environment. Platform games are charac ...

'' Imogen'' (BBC only, later ported to Electron by

Superior Software Superior Software Ltd (also known as Superior Interactive) is a video game publisher. It was one of the main publishers for the BBC Micro and Acorn Electron computers in the 1980s and early 1990s. It currently releases games for Microsoft Windows ...

and more recently remade for PC ) by Michael St. Aubyn which was noted for its witty, original puzzles and cute high-resolution monochrome graphics. These games took more money and time to produce and with significantly fewer releases per year, contributed to the downfall of the company. The ''

Doctor Who ''Doctor Who'' is a British science fiction television series broadcast by the BBC since 1963. The series depicts the adventures of a Time Lord called the Doctor, an extraterrestrial being who appears to be human. The Doctor explores the u ...

'' game in particular is often cited as crippling the company with a number of problems such as the added cost of producing the ROM chips for the BBC version and the unreleased (but heavily previewed and advertised) ZX Spectrum version which would have required an add-on cartridge. There were also two

32-bit In computer architecture, 32-bit computing refers to computer systems with a processor, memory, and other major system components that operate on data in 32-bit units. Compared to smaller bit widths, 32-bit computers can perform large calculation ...

games, ''Chess 3D'' and ''Zelanites the Onslaught'' (a ''

Space Invaders is a 1978 shoot 'em up arcade game developed by Tomohiro Nishikado. It was manufactured and sold by Taito in Japan, and licensed to the Midway division of Bally for overseas distribution. ''Space Invaders'' was the first fixed shooter and set ...

'' clone) for the

Acorn Archimedes Acorn Archimedes is a family of personal computers designed by Acorn Computers of Cambridge, Cambridge, England. The systems are based on Acorn's own ARM architecture processors and the proprietary operating systems Arthur and RISC OS. The fi ...

, released under the Micro Power name in 1991. It is unknown how these releases relate to the original company as there hadn't been a Micro Power release for four years. Notable earlier games include: *''

Adventure An adventure is an exciting experience or undertaking that is typically bold, sometimes risky. Adventures may be activities with danger such as traveling, exploring, skydiving, mountain climbing, scuba diving, river rafting, or other extreme spo ...

'' – a text adventure (Atom, BBC, Electron) *''Alien Destroyers'' – a ''

'' clone (BBC only) *''Bandits at 3 O'Clock'' – a 2-player

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

dogfight (BBC, Electron) *''Block Buster'' – a ''

Q*bert ''Q*bert'' (also known as ''Qbert'') is an arcade video game developed and published for the North American market by Gottlieb in 1982. It is a 2D action game with puzzle elements that uses isometric graphics to create a pseudo-3D effect. The ...

'' clone (BBC only) *''Bumble Bee'' – a '' Lady Bug'' clone (BBC, Electron, C64) *''Cabman'' – an overhead view

taxi A taxi, also known as a taxicab or simply a cab, is a type of vehicle for hire with a driver, used by a single passenger or small group of passengers, often for a non-shared ride. A taxicab conveys passengers between locations of their choice ...

driving game (Spectrum only) *''Cowboy Shootout'' – a ''

Boot Hill Boot Hill, or Boothill, is the given name of many cemeteries, chiefly in the Western United States. During the 19th and early 20th century it was a common name for the burial grounds of gunfighters, or those who " died with their boots on" (i.e ...

'' clone (Atom, BBC, Spectrum) *''Croaker'' – a ''

Frogger is a 1981 arcade action game developed by Konami and manufactured by Sega. In North America, it was released by Sega/Gremlin. The object of the game is to direct a series of frogs to their homes by crossing a busy road and a hazardous rive ...

'' clone (BBC, Electron) *''

Cybertron Mission ''Cybertron Mission'' is a multidirectional shooter released by Micro Power in 1983 for the BBC Micro and Acorn Electron and ported to the Commodore 64 in the same year. The game is heavily influenced by the 1982 Atari 8-bit family game '' Shamu ...

'' – a '' Berzerk'' clone (BBC, Electron, C64) *''Danger UXB'' – a '' Check Man'' clone (BBC, Electron) *''Dune Rider'' – a ''

Moon Patrol is a 1982 arcade video game developed and released by Irem. It was licensed to Williams for distribution in North America. The player controls a moon buggy which can jump over and shoot obstacles on a horizontally scrolling landscape as well as ...

'' clone (BBC only) *''Electron Invaders'' – a ''

'' clone (Electron only) *''Escape from Moonbase Alpha'' – a graphic adventure (BBC, Electron) *'' Felix and the Fruit Monsters'' – a ''

Pac-Man originally called ''Puck Man'' in Japan, is a 1980 maze action video game developed and released by Namco for arcades. In North America, the game was released by Midway Manufacturing as part of its licensing agreement with Namco America. Th ...

'' style overhead maze game (BBC, Electron) *''

Felix in the Factory Felix in the Factory is a platform game written by John Chaytor for the BBC Micro and published by Micro Power (a.k.a. Program Power) in 1982. Versions were released for the Acorn Electron (1983), Commodore 64 (1984), and Memotech MTX (1984). I ...

'' – a platform game (BBC, Electron, C64,

Memotech MTX The Memotech MTX500, MTX512 and RS128 are a series of Zilog Z80A processor-based home computers released by Memotech in 1983 and 1984. Design The MTX500 had 32 KB of RAM, the MTX512 had 64KB, and the RS128 had 128KB. Although the Z80A could ...

) *''Felix Meets the Evil Weevils'' – a platform game (BBC, Electron) *''

Frenzy ''Frenzy'' is a 1972 British thriller film directed by Alfred Hitchcock. It is the penultimate feature film of his extensive career. The screenplay by Anthony Shaffer was based on the 1966 novel ''Goodbye Piccadilly, Farewell Leicester Squar ...

'' – a ''

Qix is a 1981 puzzle video game developed by husband and wife team Randy and Sandy Pfeiffer and published in arcades by Taito America. ''Qix'' is one of a handful of games made by Taito's American division. At the start of each level, the playing f ...

'' clone (BBC, Electron, C64) *''Galactic Commander'' – a ''

Lunar Lander A lunar lander or Moon lander is a spacecraft designed to land on the surface of the Moon. As of 2021, the Apollo Lunar Module is the only lunar lander to have ever been used in human spaceflight, completing six lunar landings from 1969 to 19 ...

'' clone (BBC, Electron) *'' Gauntlet'' – a '' Defender'' clone (BBC, Electron, CPC) *''

Ghouls A ghoul ( ar, غول, ') is a demon-like being or monstrous humanoid. The concept originated in pre-Islamic Arabian religion, associated with graveyards and the consumption of human flesh. Modern fiction often uses the term to label a certa ...

'' – a platform game with ''

''-like characters (BBC, Electron, C64, CPC) *''Hell Driver'' – an overhead view driving game (BBC only) *''Intergalactic Trader'' – a text-based space trading game (BBC, Electron) *''Invasion Force'' – a ''

'' clone (Atom only) *''Jet Power Jack'' - a platform game (BBC, Electron, C64) *'' Killer Gorilla'' – a ''

Donkey Kong is a video game franchise created by Shigeru Miyamoto and owned by Nintendo. It follows the adventures of a gorilla named Donkey Kong (character), Donkey Kong and his clan of other Ape, apes and monkeys. The franchise primarily consists of plat ...

'' clone (BBC, Electron, CPC) *''Laser Command'' – a ''

Missile Command ''Missile Command'' is a 1980 shoot 'em up arcade video game developed and published by Atari, Inc. and licensed to Sega for Japanese and European releases. It was designed by Dave Theurer, who also designed Atari's vector graphics game ''Tempest ...

'' clone (BBC only) *''The Mine'' – a ''

Dig Dug is a maze game, maze arcade game developed by Namco in 1981 and released in 1982, distributed in North America by Atari, Inc. The player controls Dig Dug to defeat all enemies per stage, by either inflating them to bursting or crushing them unde ...

'' clone (BBC, Electron) *''Mr. Ee!'' – a ''

Mr. Do! is a 1982 maze game developed by Universal. It is the first arcade video game to be released as a conversion kit for other arcade machines; Taito published the conversion kit in Japan. The game was inspired by Namco's ''Dig Dug'' released earlier ...

'' clone (BBC only) *''Moon Raider'' – a ''

Scramble Scramble, Scrambled, or Scrambling may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Games * ''Scramble'' (video game), a 1981 arcade game Music Albums * ''Scramble'' (album), an album by Atlanta-based band the Coathangers * ''Scrambles'' (album) ...

'' clone (BBC, Electron) *''Nemesis'' – a ''

Centipede Centipedes (from New Latin , "hundred", and Latin , " foot") are predatory arthropods belonging to the class Chilopoda (Ancient Greek , ''kheilos'', lip, and New Latin suffix , "foot", describing the forcipules) of the subphylum Myriapoda, an ...

'' clone (BBC only) *''Plutonium Plunder'' – a '' Pengo''-style overhead maze game (BBC only) *''

Positron The positron or antielectron is the antiparticle or the antimatter counterpart of the electron. It has an electric charge of +1 '' e'', a spin of 1/2 (the same as the electron), and the same mass as an electron. When a positron collides ...

'' – a fast-paced ''

'' style shoot 'em up (BBC, Electron) *''Rubble Trouble'' – a '' Pengo''-style overhead maze game (BBC, Electron) *''Starfleet Encounter'' – a text-based strategy game for 2-8 players (BBC only) *''

Stock Car Stock car racing is a form of automobile racing run on oval tracks and road courses measuring approximately . It originally used production-model cars, hence the name "stock car", but is now run using cars specifically built for racing. It ori ...

'' – an overhead view racing game (BBC, Electron, C64) *''Swag'' – a 2-player arcade game involving bank robbery (BBC, Electron) *'' Swoop'' – a ''

Galaxian is a 1979 fixed shooter arcade video game developed and published by Namco. The player assumes control of the Galaxip starfighter in its mission to protect Earth from waves of aliens. Gameplay involves destroying each formation of aliens, who ...

'' clone (BBC, Electron, C64) *''Zarm'' – a ''

Lunar Rescue ''Lunar Rescue'' (ルーナー・レスキユー Runā Resukyū) is an arcade game released by Taito in November 1979. The gameplay has some resemblance to both Taito's own 1978 hit ''Space Invaders'' and Atari, Inc.'s ''Lunar Lander'' (release ...

'' clone (BBC only)

Educational / Utility Software

As well as games, Micro Power released a number of educational programs (covering subjects such as science and geography) as well as utility software such as the ''Draw'' art package (BBC, Electron), ''

Basic BASIC (Beginners' All-purpose Symbolic Instruction Code) is a family of general-purpose, high-level programming languages designed for ease of use. The original version was created by John G. Kemeny and Thomas E. Kurtz at Dartmouth College ...

Extensions'' and ''Constellation''

astronomy Astronomy () is a natural science that studies astronomical object, celestial objects and phenomena. It uses mathematics, physics, and chemistry in order to explain their origin and chronology of the Universe, evolution. Objects of interest ...

program (Atom, BBC, later ported to Electron by

Hardware

Micro Power also released hardware such as the 'Micro Power Add-On' for the

which added 2 joystick ports and 3-channel sound capability.

Leeds Store

Micro Power had a store on the corner of North Street and Meanwood Road in Leeds. They primarily sold

Acorn The acorn, or oaknut, is the nut of the oaks and their close relatives (genera ''Quercus'' and '' Lithocarpus'', in the family Fagaceae). It usually contains one seed (occasionally two seeds), enclosed in a tough, leathery shell, and borne ...

hardware and software. Also they sold software for other computers including C64,

, and QL. In the 1990s Micro Power downsized and moved further up Meanwood Road to reduce outgoings. There is still the original Micro Power sign at the back of their first premises.

References

Working at Micro Power / Program Power
{{Micro Power Defunct video game companies of the United Kingdom