Heroquest

At certain points in the year you get a flurry of new product announcements. These usually coincide with trade shows or at conventions. But one other date often see’s a deluge of new goodies to whet the appetite… April 1st.

The Last Starfighter (Universal Pictures, 1984) is a meritocratic, sci-fi-opera western featuring an arcade game in a mundane trailer park - or in my ten year old mind - a chip-shop in Redditch. Unbeknownst to the deep-fryers, the most skilled players were secretly being recruited as pilots for an interstellar war. The ultimate fantasy for everyone who was trapped in the hopeless mundanity of the 8-bit working class: your gaming skills might mean something, someone is watching and you're special. The high-score was a key that could unlock a gateway to another life entirely.