We can probably all call out some of the big hitters in the world of compilations. Ocean, US Gold and Elite were all hot on the multipack and companies like Beau-Jolly built there whole business model around them. But there are also some surprises in the top 10 list of most prolific ZX Spectrum compilation publishers…
#10 : Prism Leisure
In 10th place we have Prism Leisure (sometimes also known as Paxman Promotions), who released sixteen compilations between 1985 and 1990, most notably the 4 (and 6) Great Games on One Tape series. The titles were often budget or lower quality, but Pack of Aces containing International Karate, Who Dares Wins II, NEXUS and Boulderdash is a highpoint. As is The Thriller Pack (also released as A View to a Kill Pack), which had six games including the aforementioned Bond licence, Codename MAT II and the hilariously bad Friday the 13th.
#9 : The Guild Adventure Software
Next up we have adventure game specialists The Guild. Mainly focussing on converting existing adventure games for other systems, The Guild released nineteen compilations during 1986-93. Many of the games were written with the popular adventure game writing software of day such as The Quill and Professional Adventure Game Writer. The early releases were self published efforts by company founder Tony Collins.
#8 : Elite Systems
In 8th we have Elite. Masters of Spectrum arcade conversions, Elite had a great back catalogue to exploit and they certainly did, with twenty-one compilations (when we include their Hit-Pak and Encore labels) released over the seven years from 1985. Though we have knocked them down to 20 for the purposes of this table as Best of Elite Vol. 1 and 4 in 1 are essentially the same compilation in different packaging. With hits like Bomb Jack, Commando, Frank Bruno’s Boxing and Paperboy, the two Best of Elite packages are well worth a look.
#7 : Beau-Jolly
Named due to the owners love of wine, Beau-Jolly weren’t the first company to release compilations, but they were the first to ONLY release compilations. Taking inspiration from their music publishing roots they released twenty-one different packs from ’84 to ’91. These included the Value Pack, which was released in different 16k and 48k versions using liquidated stock bought following the collapse of Imagine Software. Their 10 Computer Hits series was hugely popular and spanned five releases.
#6 : Gremlin Graphics Software
Gremlin are another company who embraced the compilation scene with aplomb. Raiding their own back catalogue and also licencing games from other publishers, Gremlin released a number of great game collections such as the two 4 Crash Smashes sets and the Kidsplay: The Back Pack Compilation that raised money for the NSPCC and RSSPCC charities. Gremlin even released a twin pack including Monty on the Run for the rather obscure 3.5″ Opus Discovery disk drive!
#5 : Code Masters
Budget specialists Codemasters, kickstarted their prolific run of 26 compilations with the release of 4 Soccer Simulators in 1988. But they are probably better known for their Quattro series of four packs, releasing fifteen versions in just three years! Two Dizzy collections also made an appearance, as did The CD Games Pack, a bundle of 30 games on compact disc that included a special cable that allowed you to load directly into the Spectrum from any CD drive.
#4 : Alternative Software
A surprise at number four is Alternative. Another company known for their budget releases, half of Alternative’s thirty-four compilations where from their 4 Most range the included a quartet of titles for between £2.99 and £3.99. They also release four Triple Decker three packs. They did branch out into full price releases on occasion, The Kids Pack of children’s TV related games retailed at £12.99 (though the sequel was much cheaper at £6.99) and the twenty game Ginormous Collection was a whopping £14.99.
#3 : Ocean Software
Ocean were big business in the world of arcade and movie licences, so compilations were not surprisingly a huge part of their strategy. Across their Ocean, Imagine and The Hit Squad labels, thirty six compilations were released, starting with They Sold A Million in 1985. You can read more about that bold claim in our article Did they really sell a million? Other highlights are The Magnificent Seven (which included mega hits like Head Over Heels, The Great Escape and Yie Ar Kung Fu) and Taito Coin Op Hits, which many proclaim as the greatest 8bit compilation of them all!
#2 : U.S. Gold
With 47 separate releases, US Gold are by far the most prolific of the major publishers. Starting in 1985 with the confusingly named Arcade Hall of Fame (as none of the games originated in the arcade), series like The Gold Collection, Solid Gold, Master Games and World Beaters cemented their name as one of Britain’s biggest compilation makers. The game quality wasn’t always great, but in our review of Arcade Force Four we were very impressed and awarded the package 78.5%.
and the winner is…
#1 : Zenobi Software
Number one was a big surprise. Underground adventure game publisher Zenobi released exactly fifty multigame pack over its ten year run! Started by John Wilson in 1986, the company produced and published well over 200 adventure games for the Spectrum which it sold via mail order. Whilst most went under the radar of the average gamer (i.e. me), more well known titles such as the Tolkien spoofs Bored of the Rings and its sequel The Boggit appeared on the label as special twin pack. Much like The Guild, Zenobi was originally set up to self publish John Wilson’s own games (of which there are many!). John sadly died in 2021, but you can read about his life as an adventurer on the 8bitAG website.
