The Thompson Twins Adventure
The Thompson Twins were a popular 80s music pop trio who took their name from
the Tintin comic book. In issue 36 of Computer & Video Games magazine dated
10/84, there was attached to the cover, a free flexi-disc which contained a
message from the group plus this adventure game program imprinted in the
grooves. Commodore 64 owners had to mail-in an order to receive their free
flexi-disc. You could load the program into the Spectrum by connecting a lead
from the headphone socket of your record player to the EAR input on the
computer. Otherwise, you could tape the disc’s contents to a cassette player
and load the cassette into the computer (this was the only way for the
Commodore 64). The story is related to their hit single “Doctor! Doctor!” and
begins with the Thompson Twins on a beach and then a cave. Typical of text
adventures, you enter directional commands: north, south, east, west as well
as in, out, up, down. Other commands such as look, take, read, dig, and inv
(to see what items you are holding in your inventory) are useful. You must
find any items along the way and use them where appropriate. As part of the
promotion, whoever could get through the adventure and find the secret of the
Doctor’s potion by November 16, had a chance to win a meeting backstage with
the group at one of their concerts and other prizes. Due to delays in
producing the Commodore 64 flexi-discs, the deadline was extended to December
31 for those computer owners.
The Thompson Twins Adventure