Jonathan Smith (games programmer)
Encyclopedia
Jonathan "Joffa" M. Smith (1 February 1967 – 26 June 2010) was a British
games programmer, best known for his titles for the ZX Spectrum
. His games were notable for containing a large number of sprites
and parallax scrolling
, features which were largely unknown on the Spectrum at the time.
His most notable games include Cobra, (which was a license extremely loosely based on a Sylvester Stallone film) one of the first Spectrum games to exhibit full-colour parallax scrolling and his critically acclaimed conversion of the arcade game Green Beret. A notable "trademark" of Smith's was his habit of writing his name (with "Jonathan" and "Smith" spelled various ways) as a mirror-image in his games.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
games programmer, best known for his titles 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...
. His games were notable for containing a large number of sprites
Sprite (computer graphics)
In computer graphics, a sprite is a two-dimensional image or animation that is integrated into a larger scene...
and parallax scrolling
Parallax scrolling
Parallax scrolling is a special scrolling technique in computer graphics, popularized in the 1982 arcade game Moon Patrol. In this pseudo-3D technique, background images move by the camera slower than foreground images, creating an illusion of depth in a 2D video game and adding to the immersion...
, features which were largely unknown on the Spectrum at the time.
His most notable games include Cobra, (which was a license extremely loosely based on a Sylvester Stallone film) one of the first Spectrum games to exhibit full-colour parallax scrolling and his critically acclaimed conversion of the arcade game Green Beret. A notable "trademark" of Smith's was his habit of writing his name (with "Jonathan" and "Smith" spelled various ways) as a mirror-image in his games.
Notable releases
| Title | Developer | Publisher | Year | Platform |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Airlock Airlock An airlock is a device which permits the passage of people and objects between a pressure vessel and its surroundings while minimizing the change of pressure in the vessel and loss of air from it... |
Rage Software Rage Software Rage Software or Rage Games was a British video game developer. Formed in Liverpool in 1992, its games were marked by an emphasis on graphical effects with arcade gameplay.... |
Orange Multimedia | 2000 | WAP Wireless Application Protocol Wireless Application Protocol is a technical standard for accessing information over a mobile wireless network.A WAP browser is a web browser for mobile devices such as mobile phones that uses the protocol.Before the introduction of WAP, mobile service providers had limited opportunities to offer... |
| All Star Baseball 2004 | Acclaim Studios Manchester | Acclaim Entertainment Acclaim Entertainment Acclaim Entertainment was an American video game developer and publisher. It developed, published, marketed and distributed interactive entertainment software for a variety of hardware platforms, including Sega's Mega Drive/Genesis, Saturn, Dreamcast, and Game Gear, Nintendo's NES, SNES, Nintendo... |
2004 | Game Boy Advance Game Boy Advance The is a 32-bit handheld video game console developed, manufactured, and marketed by Nintendo. It is the successor to the Game Boy Color. It was released in Japan on March 21, 2001; in North America on June 11, 2001; in Australia and Europe on June 22, 2001; and in the People's Republic of China... |
| Apprentise aka Fluffy | Software Creations Software Creations Software Creations can refer to one of two companies:* Software Creations , an Internet development consulting firm specializing in electronic publishing, web-based database and applications development... |
unfinished and unpublished | 2001 | Game Boy Advance Game Boy Advance The is a 32-bit handheld video game console developed, manufactured, and marketed by Nintendo. It is the successor to the Game Boy Color. It was released in Japan on March 21, 2001; in North America on June 11, 2001; in Australia and Europe on June 22, 2001; and in the People's Republic of China... |
| Batman: The Caped Crusader Batman: The Caped Crusader Batman; The Caped Crusader is an action adventure game developed by Special FX Software and published by Ocean Software for the 8-bit home computers such as the ZX Spectrum and Commodore 64 and by Data East for other platforms such as the Apple II, Commodore Amiga and PC in 1988.-Summary:It was an... |
Special FX Software | Ocean Software Ltd Ocean Software The British company Ocean Software was one of the biggest European video game developers/publishers of the 1980s and 90s... |
1988 | 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... |
| Cluster Bluster | SNES | |||
| Cobra | Ocean Software Ltd Ocean Software The British company Ocean Software was one of the biggest European video game developers/publishers of the 1980s and 90s... |
Ocean Software Ltd Ocean Software The British company Ocean Software was one of the biggest European video game developers/publishers of the 1980s and 90s... |
1986 | 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... |
| Daley Thompson's Supertest | Ocean Software Ltd Ocean Software The British company Ocean Software was one of the biggest European video game developers/publishers of the 1980s and 90s... |
Ocean Software Ltd Ocean Software The British company Ocean Software was one of the biggest European video game developers/publishers of the 1980s and 90s... |
1985 | 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... |
| Firefly | Special FX Software | Ocean Software Ltd Ocean Software The British company Ocean Software was one of the biggest European video game developers/publishers of the 1980s and 90s... |
1988 | 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... |
| Green Beret | Imagine Software Ltd Imagine Software Imagine Software was a British video games developer based in Liverpool which existed briefly in the early 1980s, initially producing software for the ZX Spectrum and VIC-20... |
Ocean Software Ltd Ocean Software The British company Ocean Software was one of the biggest European video game developers/publishers of the 1980s and 90s... |
1986 | 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... |
| Hudson Hawk Hudson Hawk Hudson Hawk is a 1991 American action comedy film directed by Michael Lehmann. Bruce Willis stars in the title role and also co-wrote the story. Danny Aiello, Andie MacDowell, James Coburn, David Caruso, Lorraine Toussaint, Frank Stallone, Sandra Bernhard, and Richard E... |
Special FX Software | Ocean Software Ltd Ocean Software The British company Ocean Software was one of the biggest European video game developers/publishers of the 1980s and 90s... |
1991 | Atari ST Atari ST The Atari ST is a home/personal computer that was released by Atari Corporation in 1985 and commercially available from that summer into the early 1990s. The "ST" officially stands for "Sixteen/Thirty-two", which referred to the Motorola 68000's 16-bit external bus and 32-bit internals... |
| Hyper Active | Special FX Software | 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... |
1988 | 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... |
| Hyper Sports Hyper Sports Hyper Sports is a video game published in 1984. It is the sequel to Konami's Track & Field and features seven all-new Olympic events. Like its predecessor, Hyper Sports featured two run buttons and one action button per player.... |
Imagine Software Ltd Imagine Software Imagine Software was a British video games developer based in Liverpool which existed briefly in the early 1980s, initially producing software for the ZX Spectrum and VIC-20... |
Ocean Software Ltd Ocean Software The British company Ocean Software was one of the biggest European video game developers/publishers of the 1980s and 90s... |
1985 | 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... |
| Hysteria | Special FX Software | Software Projects Ltd Software Projects Software Projects was the name of a computer game development company which employed Manic Miner developer Matthew Smith. After leaving Bug-Byte as a freelance developer, Smith was able to take the rights to his recently developed Manic Miner game with him, due to an oversight in his freelance... |
1987 | 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... |
| Ping Pong Konami's Ping Pong Konami's Ping Pong is a sports arcade game created in 1985 by Konami. The game is noted as the first video game to accurately reflect the gameplay of table tennis, as opposed to earlier over-simplifications like Pong... |
Imagine Software Ltd Imagine Software Imagine Software was a British video games developer based in Liverpool which existed briefly in the early 1980s, initially producing software for the ZX Spectrum and VIC-20... |
Ocean Software Ltd Ocean Software The British company Ocean Software was one of the biggest European video game developers/publishers of the 1980s and 90s... |
1986 | 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... |
| Kong Strikes Back! Kong Strikes Back! Kong Strikes Back! is a video game published by Ocean Software in for the Amstrad CPC, Commodore 64 and ZX Spectrum.-Summary:This game is somewhat similar to Donkey Kong in the sense that the player is trying to rescue a damsel in distress. The difference is that Kong controls four vehicles which... |
Ocean Software Ltd Ocean Software The British company Ocean Software was one of the biggest European video game developers/publishers of the 1980s and 90s... |
Ocean Software Ltd Ocean Software The British company Ocean Software was one of the biggest European video game developers/publishers of the 1980s and 90s... |
1984 | 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... |
| Looney Tunes Back In Action | Warthog PLC | Electronic Arts Electronic Arts Electronic Arts, Inc. is a major American developer, marketer, publisher and distributor of video games. Founded and incorporated on May 28, 1982 by Trip Hawkins, the company was a pioneer of the early home computer games industry and was notable for promoting the designers and programmers... |
2003 | Game Boy Advance Game Boy Advance The is a 32-bit handheld video game console developed, manufactured, and marketed by Nintendo. It is the successor to the Game Boy Color. It was released in Japan on March 21, 2001; in North America on June 11, 2001; in Australia and Europe on June 22, 2001; and in the People's Republic of China... |
| Momma, Can I Mow The Law? | Gizmondo Studios | Gizmondo Studios | 2005 | Gizmondo Gizmondo The Gizmondo is a handheld gaming console which was released by Tiger Telematics in March 2005. The electronics design was undertaken by Plextek Limited and the industrial design by Rick Dickinson.... |
| Midnight Resistance Midnight Resistance is a side-scrolling action shooting game produced by Data East for the arcades in . The game was ported by Data East to the Sega Mega Drive in and by Ocean Software to various home computer platforms during the same year... |
Special FX Software | Ocean Software Ltd Ocean Software The British company Ocean Software was one of the biggest European video game developers/publishers of the 1980s and 90s... |
1990 | Atari ST Atari ST The Atari ST is a home/personal computer that was released by Atari Corporation in 1985 and commercially available from that summer into the early 1990s. The "ST" officially stands for "Sixteen/Thirty-two", which referred to the Motorola 68000's 16-bit external bus and 32-bit internals... |
| Mikie Mikie Mikie, known in Japan as , is a arcade game by Konami where the player must guide a student called "Mikie" around the school, classroom, and locker room to collect hearts which make up a letter from his girlfriend Mandy while being chased by various members of the school staff... |
Imagine Software Ltd Imagine Software Imagine Software was a British video games developer based in Liverpool which existed briefly in the early 1980s, initially producing software for the ZX Spectrum and VIC-20... |
Ocean Software Ltd Ocean Software The British company Ocean Software was one of the biggest European video game developers/publishers of the 1980s and 90s... |
1986 | 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... |
| Mr. Do! Mr. Do! Mr. Do! is an arcade game created by Universal in 1982. Remotely similar in gameplay to Namco's popular Dig Dug title, Mr. Do! was also popular and saw release on a variety of home video game consoles and systems. It is the first game in the Mr... |
Special FX Software | Ocean Software Ltd Ocean Software The British company Ocean Software was one of the biggest European video game developers/publishers of the 1980s and 90s... |
1992 | Game Boy Game Boy The , is an 8-bit handheld video game device developed and manufactured by Nintendo. It was released in Japan on , in North America in , and in Europe on... |
| Power Drive | Rage Software Rage Software Rage Software or Rage Games was a British video game developer. Formed in Liverpool in 1992, its games were marked by an emphasis on graphical effects with arcade gameplay.... |
U.S. Gold U.S. Gold U.S. Gold was a British video game publisher and developer from the early 1980s through the mid-1990s, producing numerous titles on a variety of 8-bit, 16-bit and 32-bit platforms.-History:... |
1994 | Sega Genesis |
| Pud Pud Pud Pud Pud Pud in Weird World is a computer game published by Ocean Software in 1984 for the ZX Spectrum. It was written by Jonathan Smith. Smith was paid £1000 for Pud Pud by Ocean Software and was given a job at Ocean as a direct result of the game.-Plot:Pud Pud is trapped in Weird World and needs to... |
Ocean Software Ltd Ocean Software The British company Ocean Software was one of the biggest European video game developers/publishers of the 1980s and 90s... |
Ocean Software Ltd Ocean Software The British company Ocean Software was one of the biggest European video game developers/publishers of the 1980s and 90s... |
1984 | 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... |
| Red Heat Red Heat Red Heat is a 1988 buddy cop film directed by Walter Hill. The film stars Arnold Schwarzenegger, as Moscow narc Ivan Danko, and James Belushi, as Chicago detective Art Ridžić... |
Special FX Software | Ocean Software Ltd Ocean Software The British company Ocean Software was one of the biggest European video game developers/publishers of the 1980s and 90s... |
1989-90 | Amiga Amiga The Amiga is a family of personal computers that was sold by Commodore in the 1980s and 1990s. The first model was launched in 1985 as a high-end home computer and became popular for its graphical, audio and multi-tasking abilities... Atari ST Atari ST The Atari ST is a home/personal computer that was released by Atari Corporation in 1985 and commercially available from that summer into the early 1990s. The "ST" officially stands for "Sixteen/Thirty-two", which referred to the Motorola 68000's 16-bit external bus and 32-bit internals... |
| Recoil Recoil Recoil is the backward momentum of a gun when it is discharged. In technical terms, the recoil caused by the gun exactly balances the forward momentum of the projectile and exhaust gasses, according to Newton's third law... |
Special FX Software | Ocean Software Ltd Ocean Software The British company Ocean Software was one of the biggest European video game developers/publishers of the 1980s and 90s... |
1989 | Atari ST Atari ST The Atari ST is a home/personal computer that was released by Atari Corporation in 1985 and commercially available from that summer into the early 1990s. The "ST" officially stands for "Sixteen/Thirty-two", which referred to the Motorola 68000's 16-bit external bus and 32-bit internals... |
| Retaliot | Video Hazard | Video Hazard | 2009 | MSX MSX MSX was the name of a standardized home computer architecture in the 1980s conceived by Kazuhiko Nishi, then Vice-president at Microsoft Japan and Director at ASCII Corporation... |
| Ripping Friends | Software Creations Software Creations Software Creations can refer to one of two companies:* Software Creations , an Internet development consulting firm specializing in electronic publishing, web-based database and applications development... |
THQ THQ THQ Inc. is an American developer and publisher of video games. Founded in 1989 in the United States, the company develops products for video game consoles, handheld game systems, as well as for personal computers and wireless devices... |
2002 | GBA |
| Saucer Saucer A saucer is a small type of dishware, a plate that is specifically used with and for supporting a cup – a cylindrical cup intended for coffee or a half-sphere teacup for tea. Additionally, the saucer is a distant cousin to the plate. The saucer has a raised centre with a depression sized to fit a... |
Shorten Suite Software | unfinished and unpublished | 2006 | 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... |
| Spider-Man/X-Men: Arcade's Revenge | Software Creations Software Creations Software Creations can refer to one of two companies:* Software Creations , an Internet development consulting firm specializing in electronic publishing, web-based database and applications development... |
Acclaim Entertainment Acclaim Entertainment Acclaim Entertainment was an American video game developer and publisher. It developed, published, marketed and distributed interactive entertainment software for a variety of hardware platforms, including Sega's Mega Drive/Genesis, Saturn, Dreamcast, and Game Gear, Nintendo's NES, SNES, Nintendo... |
1992 | SNES |
| Street Hawk - Subscriber's Edition | Ocean Software Ltd Ocean Software The British company Ocean Software was one of the biggest European video game developers/publishers of the 1980s and 90s... |
Ocean Software Ltd Ocean Software The British company Ocean Software was one of the biggest European video game developers/publishers of the 1980s and 90s... |
1985 | 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... |
| Terra Cresta Terra Cresta is an arcade game that was released by Nichibutsu in 1985.- Overview :Terra Cresta is a vertically scrolling shoot 'em up. The player controls a ship, initially with limited firepower. Numbered pods appear containing further parts of the ship that will increase firepower... |
Imagine Software Ltd Imagine Software Imagine Software was a British video games developer based in Liverpool which existed briefly in the early 1980s, initially producing software for the ZX Spectrum and VIC-20... |
Ocean Software Ltd Ocean Software The British company Ocean Software was one of the biggest European video game developers/publishers of the 1980s and 90s... |
1986 | 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... |
External links
- Joffa Smifff's homepage
- An interview conducted by ZX Specticle
- An interview at The Spectrum Golden Years
- Another interview
- Smith's Homepage (from web archive)
- Obituary on World of SpectrumWorld of SpectrumWorld of Spectrum is a website devoted to cataloging and archiving material for the ZX Spectrum home computer popular in the 1980s, and has been officially endorsed by Amstrad which holds the rights to the ZX Spectrum brand...