Computer Shopper - UK (2020-10)

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IISSSUUEE 339922 |COMPUTER SHOPPER|OOCCTTOOBEERR 2002200

Gasking’sdauntinghuntforthe
remnantsofcancelledorabandoned
projectsbeganinMay1 99 3,when
CommodoreForcemagazineranan
articleentitled‘ThatWasTheGame
ThatWasn’t’.ItlookedatAlloyrun,
Deadlock,Armalyte2,DrWhoand
theMinesofTerror,alongwith 12
othertitles,includingMinerWilly
MeetstheTaxMan,aproposedthird
instalmentfollowingManicMiner
andJetSetWilly.Gasking’ssenseof
curiositywastriggered.
“Iwashooked,andIthoughtifthe
magazinewasabletotakescreenshots
ofthegamesthentheymusthave
beenwithinreachsomehow.Notbeing
abletoplaythosegamesalsomade
thedesiretotrythemevenstronger.
There’s excitement in playing
something that we were never
meant tosee,”he explains.

THELOSTCRUSADES

When Gasking seeks tolocatean
unreleased game,hehas no real
idea what it will be like.
“Are we missing out on something
special, or were we perhaps spared from
something terrible?,”heasks.
Part ofthe funistryingtofindout,
and that enjoyment is mixed with the
motivation ofseeking tounearth and
preserve the hard work ofdevelopers,
knowing that important stories and lessons
from past failures can also be revealed.
“The article inCommodore Forcehad
only merely scratched the surface,and I
realised there were many more games out
there,”he tellsComputer Shopper.
Yettracking titles down has often proven
tobe agame in itself.
“The task certainly has an element of
Indiana Jones to it,”Gasking says.
“There are many dead ends and further
question marks that crop up when you
start to dig deep.It
all requires alot of
perseverance and it
often needs you to
think outside the
box to getastarting
point to work on.
Sometimes I’ll be
frustrated fordays

and then suddenly something clicks and I’ll

make aconnection.”

Among the initial games to be discovered

by Gasking were US Gold’s Gauntlet 3and

The Great Giana Sisters by Rainbow Arts,

the latter having fallen preytoNintendo’s

lawyers forits stark resemblance to Super

Mario Bros. These had been leaked on to

the cracking scene,which made the task

easier,but most games –including Hi-Tec’s

once long-lost Daffy Duck and afull

Commodore 64 version of Solar Jetman –

have required amorecomplex approach.

So how doeshedoit? Well, at first –

before the web became established –

Gasking’s noble duty relied on phone calls

and letters to friends and contacts within

the Commodore 64 scene.

⬅Frank Gasking

describes his mission

as having “an element

of Indiana Jones to it”

⬆Among themany titlesfeaturedon theGames That Weren’twebsiteisUSGold’sGauntlet 3,

which was one of thefirstgames Gasking discovered

➡Youcandiscoverandreadin-depth
reportsaboutahostofunreleasedgames
ontheGamesThatWeren’twebsite
(www.gamesthatwerent.com)