''The Thompson Twins Adventure'' is a 1984
graphic adventure game
An adventure game is a video game genre in which the player assumes the role of a protagonist in an interactive story driven by exploration and/or puzzle-solving. The genre's focus on story allows it to draw heavily from other narrative-based m ...
that was distributed by ''
Computer and Video Games'' magazine as a
promotional[ 7" ]flexi disc
The flexi disc (also known as a phonosheet, Sonosheet or Soundsheet, a trademark) is a phonograph record made of a thin, flexible vinyl sheet with a molded-in spiral stylus groove, and is designed to be playable on a normal phonograph turntable. ...
[ "freebie" along with its October 1984 issue (Issue 36). The game is based on the ]Thompson Twins
Thompson Twins were a British pop band formed in 1977 in Sheffield. Initially a new wave group, they switched to a more mainstream pop sound and achieved considerable popularity during the mid-1980s, scoring a string of hits in the United Kin ...
' single "Doctor! Doctor!
"Doctor! Doctor!" is a song performed by the British new wave band Thompson Twins. It is the second single from the band's fourth studio album, '' Into the Gap'' (1984). It was written by Tom Bailey, Alannah Currie and Joe Leeway, and promine ...
", and features the Thompson Twins band members as the protagonists. The unusual storage format of the game showcases an experimental technique pioneered by the London-based Flexi Records label, and places the game alongside a small handful of other games distributed on grooved disks. This format never became established and ''The Thompson Twins Adventure'' is today valued more for its nostalgic and artifactual value than for its ludological aspects which have been uniformly panned by critics.
Plot
Based on the Thompson Twins' 1984 "Doctor! Doctor!
"Doctor! Doctor!" is a song performed by the British new wave band Thompson Twins. It is the second single from the band's fourth studio album, '' Into the Gap'' (1984). It was written by Tom Bailey, Alannah Currie and Joe Leeway, and promine ...
" single, the plot of ''The Thompson Twins Adventure'' revolves around the efforts of the three Thompson Twins members ( Tom Bailey, Alannah Currie
Alannah Joy Currie (born 20 September 1957) is a New Zealand artist based in London. She is a musician and activist, best known as a former member of the pop band Thompson Twins.
Career
Born in New Zealand and trained as a journalist, Currie e ...
, and Joe Leeway) to gather ingredients for the concoction of the titular doctor's potion. The game opens with the Thompson Twins at a beach location.[ From there they must travel through several areas including a forest and a cavern to search for ingredients for the doctor's potion.][ When they have collected all ingredients and located the doctor, the doctor creates his potion and the game ends.
The nature of the doctor's potion was the secret answer to a competition launched concurrently with the game's release by ''Computer and Video Games''.][ The contest ran for one month (ending on 16 November 1984][) during which time contestants were intended to gather and examine clues by listening to the "Doctor! Doctor!" single (a selection of which was included on the flexi disc), listening to the game's special introduction message recorded on the same disc by the Thompson Twins, and playing through the game.][ When the identity of the potion was discovered, contestants were supposed to send in their answers to ''Computer and Video Games''. The first correct answer would win the grand prize: free tickets to an upcoming Thompson Twins concert with the opportunity to meet the musicians backstage afterward.][ Prizes would also be awarded to ten ]