Jet Set Willy for ZX Spectrum 48k

Play this Spectrum Classic now on Retrobabble

Once upon a time there was a miner called Willy. He went on a big adventure and came back with lots of treasure. The treasure made him rich so he bought a big mansion and hired a housekeeper called Maria. Then he threw a big party and got completely shitfaced on champagne.

After the party he returns to the master bedroom to crash out, but Maria the fascist housekeeper won't let him in until he has collected up all the empty glasses that the guests have left scattered all over the mansion.

So begins the nightmare that is JET SET WILLY.

A true classic platformer and sequel to Manic Miner, this was the second masterpiece spawned from the mind of the uber-eccentric Matthew Smith. A big, tough game, which, despite it's domestic setting, had a darker and more nightmarish atmosphere than Manic Miner. Perhaps reflecting his own thrust into the world of the wealthy and it's associated difficulties, Smith showed a wicked sense of humour in the game which is played along to a warped melodic miner (sic) version of 'If I were a rich man'.

The Codesheet

And if you thought Manic Miner was hard - this game took platforming hell to a new level (literally). Unusually the game started you off with eight lives, but boy did you need them all. The game was so tough in fact, that the early versions were impossible to complete due to a bug in the code which was fixed in later versions. You had to be some kind of savant to even get close to finishing it without resorting to the infinite lives cheat though and even then it was a pretty big undertaking.

The game also featured one of the earliest anti-piracy mechanisms that I remember with a color code sheet used to get into the game once it had loaded.

I remember spending many, many hours exploring the mansion and discovering its many secrets. There are so many stand out moments and memories : The Banyan tree, Nomen Luni, The Wine Cellar with the creepy monks, climbing up The Mega Tree, falling into The Entrance To Hades and even getting all the way to The Off Licence.

The Map - Crash Magazine 1984

Obviously the game was hugely popular and many maps, guides, cheats and solution soon appeared. Here is one of the best maps of the game which appeared in the wonderful Spectrum magazine 'Crash' in 1984. So print this off, turn on the infinate lives in the emu below and get ready to perform the Quirkafleeg all over again...

Click here to play Jet Set Willy!

Many thanks to JX-Speccy for providing the excellent Spectrum Emulator. http://www.gameszoo.net/jxspeccy/?mn=home