Hewson Consultants
Encyclopedia
Hewson Consultants were one of the smaller software companies which produced games
for home computer
s in the mid 1980s. They had a reputation for high quality games which continually pushed the boundaries of what the computers were capable of and can be compared favourably with other ground-breaking software houses like Ultimate Play the Game
and Beyond
. Fourteen of their games were awarded "Megagame" by Your Sinclair
.
Hewson was founded by Andrew Hewson in the early 1980s. He became interested in computers while working at the British Museum
when their first machine arrived. After learning to program
, Andrew wrote a programming guide book entitled Hints and Tips for the ZX Spectrum
. Following the publication, bedroom coders began to send Andrew the games they had programmed on cassette tape, giving Andrew the idea to publish the games. Hewson Consultants was born, and initially released games via mail order advertisements in computing magazines. Andrew was also a columnist in Sinclair User
magazine throughout the 1980s.
Andrew and other members of the Hewson management team went on to form 21st Century Entertainment after Hewson shut down in the early 1990s, releasing several chart topping games such as Pinball Dreams
, Pinball Fantasies
and Pinball Illusions
. Andrew was also the founder of ELSPA (European Leisure Software Publishers Association) which continues to be the European regulating body for the video games industry.
Although Hewson Consultants closed in 1991, their games are still covered in the retro gaming press, and many of their hit titles including Uridium
, Paradroid
, Nebulus
and Cybernoid
, have recently launched on Nintendo
's Virtual Console
game download service. Pinball Dreams
and Pinball Fantasies
have also now been released as iPhone apps.
They were heavily involved with the design team Graftgold
who produced many of their titles.
Computer Games
"Computer Games" is a single by New Zealand group, Mi-Sex released in 1979 in Australia and New Zealand and in 1981 throughout Europe. It was the single that launched the band, and was hugely popular, particularly in Australia and New Zealand...
for home computer
Home computer
Home computers were a class of microcomputers entering the market in 1977, and becoming increasingly common during the 1980s. They were marketed to consumers as affordable and accessible computers that, for the first time, were intended for the use of a single nontechnical user...
s in the mid 1980s. They had a reputation for high quality games which continually pushed the boundaries of what the computers were capable of and can be compared favourably with other ground-breaking software houses like Ultimate Play the Game
Ultimate Play the Game
Ultimate Play The Game was a critically acclaimed video game developer of the early home computer era. "Ultimate Play The Game" was the trading name of Ashby Computers & Graphics Ltd. , a software company founded in 1982 by two ex-arcade game developers Tim and Chris Stamper...
and Beyond
Beyond Software
Beyond Software was a video game publisher in the UK in the 1980s. It was set up by the EMAP publishing group in 1983 and published numerous titles on the Commodore 64, Dragon 32, ZX Spectrum and Amstrad CPC, but met with very little success until the release of Mike Singleton's Lords of Midnight...
. Fourteen of their games were awarded "Megagame" by Your Sinclair
Your Sinclair
Your Sinclair or YS as it was commonly abbreviated, was a British computer magazine for the Sinclair range of computers, mainly the ZX Spectrum.-History:...
.
Hewson was founded by Andrew Hewson in the early 1980s. He became interested in computers while working at the British Museum
British Museum
The British Museum is a museum of human history and culture in London. Its collections, which number more than seven million objects, are amongst the largest and most comprehensive in the world and originate from all continents, illustrating and documenting the story of human culture from its...
when their first machine arrived. After learning to program
Computer programming
Computer programming is the process of designing, writing, testing, debugging, and maintaining the source code of computer programs. This source code is written in one or more programming languages. The purpose of programming is to create a program that performs specific operations or exhibits a...
, Andrew wrote a programming guide book entitled Hints and Tips for the ZX Spectrum
ZX Spectrum
The ZX Spectrum is an 8-bit personal home computer released in the United Kingdom in 1982 by Sinclair Research Ltd...
. Following the publication, bedroom coders began to send Andrew the games they had programmed on cassette tape, giving Andrew the idea to publish the games. Hewson Consultants was born, and initially released games via mail order advertisements in computing magazines. Andrew was also a columnist in Sinclair User
Sinclair User
Sinclair User, often abbreviated SU, was a magazine dedicated to the Sinclair Research range of home computers, most specifically the ZX Spectrum...
magazine throughout the 1980s.
Andrew and other members of the Hewson management team went on to form 21st Century Entertainment after Hewson shut down in the early 1990s, releasing several chart topping games such as Pinball Dreams
Pinball Dreams
Pinball Dreams is a Commodore Amiga game from 1992 developed by Digital Illusions CE.It spawned several sequels, Pinball Fantasies, Pinball Dreams 2, Pinball Illusions, Pinball Mania, Pinball World...
, Pinball Fantasies
Pinball Fantasies
Pinball Fantasies is an Amiga pinball game developed by Digital Illusions CE in late 1992, as a sequel to Pinball Dreams. A further sequel was released in 1995 called Pinball Illusions.- Tables :...
and Pinball Illusions
Pinball Illusions
Pinball Illusions is an Commodore Amiga and MS-DOS computer game from 1995 developed by Digital Illusions CE, as a sequel of Pinball Fantasies and Pinball Dreams. The original Amiga release featured three tables - the PC CD version added a fourth, 'The Vikings'...
. Andrew was also the founder of ELSPA (European Leisure Software Publishers Association) which continues to be the European regulating body for the video games industry.
Although Hewson Consultants closed in 1991, their games are still covered in the retro gaming press, and many of their hit titles including Uridium
Uridium
Uridium is a science fiction side-scrolling shoot 'em up for the Commodore 64 . It consists of fifteen levels, each named after a metal element, with the last level being called Uridium...
, Paradroid
Paradroid
Paradroid is a Commodore 64 computer game written by Andrew Braybrook and published by Hewson Consultants in 1985. It was also remade as Paradroid 90 for the Amiga and Atari ST home computers and as Paradroid 2000 for the Acorn Archimedes. There exist several fan-made remakes for modern PCs...
, Nebulus
Nebulus (computer game)
Nebulus is a computer game created by John M. Phillips and published by Hewson Consultants in the late 1980s for various home computer systems...
and Cybernoid
Cybernoid
Cybernoid: The Fighting Machine is a shoot 'em up developed and published in 1987 by Hewson Consultants for the ZX Spectrum, and was then ported to the Amstrad CPC, Atari ST, Commodore 64, NES, and Amiga. It was programmed by Raffaele Cecco...
, have recently launched on Nintendo
Nintendo
is a multinational corporation located in Kyoto, Japan. Founded on September 23, 1889 by Fusajiro Yamauchi, it produced handmade hanafuda cards. By 1963, the company had tried several small niche businesses, such as a cab company and a love hotel....
's Virtual Console
Virtual console
A virtual console – also known as a virtual terminal – is a conceptual combination of the keyboard and display for a computer user interface. It is a feature of some operating systems such as UnixWare, Linux, and BSD, in which the system console of the computer can be used to switch between...
game download service. Pinball Dreams
Pinball Dreams
Pinball Dreams is a Commodore Amiga game from 1992 developed by Digital Illusions CE.It spawned several sequels, Pinball Fantasies, Pinball Dreams 2, Pinball Illusions, Pinball Mania, Pinball World...
and Pinball Fantasies
Pinball Fantasies
Pinball Fantasies is an Amiga pinball game developed by Digital Illusions CE in late 1992, as a sequel to Pinball Dreams. A further sequel was released in 1995 called Pinball Illusions.- Tables :...
have also now been released as iPhone apps.
They were heavily involved with the design team Graftgold
Graftgold
Graftgold was an independent computer game developer that came to prominence in the 1980s, producing numerous computer games on a variety of 8-bit, 16-bit and 32-bit platforms.-The Hewson era:...
who produced many of their titles.
Releases
- Space Intruders - 1981 - Space Invaders clone for the ZX81
- Quest Adventure - 1983
- 3D Space-Wars - 1983
- 3D Seiddab Attack - 1984
- 3D Lunattack - 1984 - Reviewed in Crash issue 4 - 90%
- AvalonAvalon The 3D Adventure MovieAvalon The 3D Adventure Movie is a computer game released for the ZX Spectrum by Hewson Consultants in 1984. An arcade adventure, the game involved controlling Maroc the mage in his quest to destroy Avelach, Lord of Chaos. An unusual feature of the game was the fact that the player's character...
- 1984 - Reviewed in Crash issue 10 - 91% - Technician TedTechnician TedTechnician Ted, also known as The Chip Factory: Featuring Technician Ted, is a platform computer game for the Amstrad CPC and ZX Spectrum home computers that was published in 1984 by Hewson Consultants....
- 1984 - Reviewed in Crash issue 13 - 96% - Dragontorc - 1985
- Astro Clone - 1985
- ParadroidParadroidParadroid is a Commodore 64 computer game written by Andrew Braybrook and published by Hewson Consultants in 1985. It was also remade as Paradroid 90 for the Amiga and Atari ST home computers and as Paradroid 2000 for the Acorn Archimedes. There exist several fan-made remakes for modern PCs...
- 1985 - Gribbly's Day OutGribbly's Day OutGribbly's Day Out is a Commodore 64 game by Andrew Braybrook, released by Hewson in 1985. The game is set on the planet Blabgor and centred on the exploits of Gribbly Grobbly and his attempts to rescue errant 'gribblets' from the landscape and return them to safety.-The heroes:Blabgorians possess...
- 1985 - Firelord - 1986
- PyracursePyracursePyracurse is an isometric 3D arcade adventure game released by Hewson in for the Sinclair Spectrum.- Plot :The archeologist Sir Pericles Pemberton-Smythe has disappeared while exploring the mysterious ruins of an ancient city in the forests of South America...
- 1986 - QuazatronQuazatronQuazatron is an action video game genre released in 1986 by Graftgold Ltd. It was designed by Steve Turner for the ZX Spectrum.-History:Quazatron was a Spectrum version of Paradroid, which was written by Graftgold partner Andrew Braybrook in 1985...
- 1986 - Southern BelleSouthern Belle (game)Southern Belle is a train simulation video game published by Hewson Consultants in 1985. Southern Belle was unique at the time of release in that it was the first 3D steam train simulator available for home computers...
- 1986 - UridiumUridiumUridium is a science fiction side-scrolling shoot 'em up for the Commodore 64 . It consists of fifteen levels, each named after a metal element, with the last level being called Uridium...
- 1986 - CybernoidCybernoidCybernoid: The Fighting Machine is a shoot 'em up developed and published in 1987 by Hewson Consultants for the ZX Spectrum, and was then ported to the Amstrad CPC, Atari ST, Commodore 64, NES, and Amiga. It was programmed by Raffaele Cecco...
- 1987 - ExolonExolonExolon is a run and gun game programmed by Raffaele Cecco and published by Hewson in 1987 for the Sinclair ZX Spectrum, Commodore 64 and Amstrad CPC 8-bit computers. It was later converted to Enterprise 128 and to the 16-bit Amiga and Atari ST platforms....
- 1987 - ZynapsZynapsZynaps is a side-scrolling shoot 'em up computer game published by Hewson Consultants for the ZX Spectrum, Amstrad CPC and Commodore 64 in 1987 and for the Atari ST in 1988 and the Amiga....
- 1987 - Impossaball - 1987
- NebulusNebulus (computer game)Nebulus is a computer game created by John M. Phillips and published by Hewson Consultants in the late 1980s for various home computer systems...
- 1987 - RanaramaRanaramaRanarama is a top-down Gauntlet like action game developed by Graftgold in 1987 and published by Hewson Consultants. It was released for the Amstrad CPC, Atari ST, Commodore 64 and ZX Spectrum home computers. In 2004 it was featured as one of the games on the C64 Direct-to-TV...
- 1987 - Cybernoid II: The RevengeCybernoid II: The RevengeCybernoid II: The Revenge is a shoot 'em up released by Hewson Consultants in 1988 for the Amstrad CPC, Commodore 64 and ZX Spectrum home computers. It was subsequently also released for the Atari ST and Amiga. It is the sequel to Cybernoid.-Overview:...
- 1988 - Marauder - 1988
- StormlordStormlordStormlord is a game developed by Hewson Consultants in 1989 for the ZX Spectrum, Commodore 64, Amiga, Atari ST, Amstrad CPC and DOS-based computers...
- 1989 - OnslaughtOnslaught (video game)Onslaught is a video game that was released by Hewson in 1989 for the Amiga and subsequently ported to the Atari ST, PC and Sega Mega Drive....
- 1989