Urban Upstart is a 1983 text adventure video game. It was programmed by Pete Cooke

Pete Cooke

Pete Cooke is a famous British computer games programmer, best known for his work published in the 1980s for the 8-bit home computers, especially the ZX Spectrum....

 and published by Richard Shepherd Software

Richard Shepherd Software

Richard Shepherd Software was a software house active between 1982 and 1984. The company was known for releasing text adventure games, most notably Urban Upstart. These were programmed by Richard Shepherd himself and Pete Cooke. Richard Shepherd's finance utility, Cash Controller, was the first...

 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...

 and Commodore 64

Commodore 64

The Commodore 64 is an 8-bit home computer introduced by Commodore International in January 1982.Volume production started in the spring of 1982, with machines being released on to the market in August at a price of US$595...

.

Plot

Urban Upstart is set in the fictional British town of Scarthorpe. Scarthorpe is a particularly grim town, with a high crime and unemployment rate. The protagonist begins in their house at three o'clock in the morning, with the objective of escaping from Scarthorpe.

History

Unlike Richard Shepherd Software's previous adventure, Invincible Island, Urban Upstart did not come supplied with a separate "help program". This was intended to take the pressure off the company with regards to giving hints, but only caused customer confusion. With Urban Upstart, Shepherd instead supplied help sheets to customers who wrote in asking for information.

Despite mixed reviews, Urban Upstart consistently sold well and is considered to be a fondly remembered adventure.

Gameplay

Urban Upstart is a text adventure in which the player types actions in verb-noun format. The upper half of the screen displays an illustration of the current location.

Typing in expletives results in the protagonist being arrested on obscenity charges and sent to a gaol.

Critical reception

Urban Upstart received mixed criticism. C&VG found the scenario to be original, but was fustrated with the implementation. Some obvious nouns were not recognized (for example, "SHOP" outside a chip shop) and the illustrations took too long to draw, with no option of turning them off. The maze-like hospital and gaol locations were also seen as frustrating. Your Spectrum highlighted the game's graphics and recommended it as a good, entertaining adventure. CRASH

CRASH (magazine)

Crash was a magazine dedicated to the ZX Spectrum home computer. It was published from 1984 to 1991 by Newsfield Publications Ltd until their liquidation, and then until 1992 by Europress.-Development:...

 magazine awarded 64%, finding the story to be a nice change from the usual fantasy setting, highlighting a large vocabulary and detailed (but slow) graphics. In contrast, Micro Adventurer found the vocabulary to be limited, with some occasionally confusing graphics, but recommended the game to those who can appreciate bleak humour. 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...

awarded 8 out of 10, finding the portrayal of Scarthorpe to be inventive and convincing.