Dizzy – The Ultimate Cartoon Adventure

1987 · Platform · ZX Spectrum / Multiple

Overview

Dizzy (1987) is the Oliver Twins' first Dizzy game for Codemasters, in which the somersaulting egg gathers four ingredients for a potion to defeat the wizard Zaks.

Deep Dive

Dizzy searches the fairy-tale land of Katmandu for four items to put in a cauldron and brew a potion that will defeat the evil wizard Zaks. He can carry only one item at a time, many hazards kill on contact, and he starts with just three lives, which makes the game hard. It relies less on inventory puzzles than the later games in the series.

Developer Story

The Oliver Twins wrote the game, keeping the character simple because their Panda Sprites software distorted complex rotating sprites. Codemasters released it in 1987 for the ZX Spectrum, Commodore 64 and Amstrad CPC, starting the Dizzy series.

Did You Know?

His name comes from the somersaults he does when he jumps.
He was first conceived as a face with hands and feet; the egg came about after fans assumed he was one.
Eurogamer included it in its 2017 list of 10 games that defined the ZX Spectrum.