Vault Entry
[📷 suggested: photo of the twins with a Dizzy character cut-out]
Overview
Philip and Andrew Oliver began programming on a borrowed ZX81 in 1982. By mid-decade they were shipping games like Super Robin Hood through Codemasters and creating the egg-shaped hero Dizzy, whose adventures topped budget charts across Europe.
Fast facts
- Debut: Super Robin Hood (1986) on the Spectrum; ported widely.
- Franchise: Ten mainline Dizzy games plus spin-offs across Spectrum, C64, Amstrad, and NES.
- Workflow: The twins divided tasks—one focused on graphics and level design, the other on code—while sharing design duties.
Lesson connections
- Block 3’s state management mirrors Dizzy’s item puzzles and inventory juggling.
- Block 5’s scrolling and physics lessons reference Codemasters’ budget hit factories.
- Transition course interviews (forthcoming) draw on the twins’ move into professional studio leadership.
Influence
The twins demonstrated that sustained franchises could come from bedroom beginnings. Their budget-priced hits kept the UK market thriving even as 16-bit systems arrived, and their later studio Blitz Games kept that spirit alive into the 2000s.