(If you are interested in Matthews current location, I suggest you go to the Where is Matthew Smith? page.

Section 2 - The Legends of Matthew Smith

2.3. Why are there enemy toilets (and other strange things) in Manic Miner and Jet Set Willy?

Matthew decided he was bored with the usual green aliens, and he wanted to have different enemies in his games. The idea for toilets came from his brother, who was three at the time and wanted rampant toilets in the game.

This answer is from an interview with Software Projects from Sinclair User 1984.

2.5. Were there any other Willy games?

Firstly, "Willy meets the Taxman" was a rumour put about by Matthew Smith as a joke, mainly due to his own problems at the time with the inland revenue.

According to Marc Firth:-

I believe there was a Software Projects game (only available for the Vic20 I believe) called "The Perils of Willy". The game required a 16k Ram cartridge to play.

The tape-cover of this featured Willy tied to a railway track (point of view looking at Willy's feet) with an oncoming train about to chop poor Willy into bits.

The game itself comprised of about 32 levels (more Manic Miner style than JSW) and heavily featured trains. When you reached the end the game looped round (NO cangratulations or nothing I remember! :-( ) to the start again. "Stairway to Heaven" was the piece of music played throughout. It was not written by Matthew Smith.

So there we are. Can anyone shed any more light?


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Written by Stephen Smith.
Stephen Smith (stevo@REMOVE-THIScarlylesmith.karoo.co.uk)