Zenobi Software
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Information

In the Beginning ..

Spectrum

Formed back in the mists of time, Zenobi Software has been a mainstay in the production of the  'homegrown' adventure-game. Over the years the company grew from being a simple 'back-bedroom' outfit to being one of the biggest publishers of adventure-games around. With a vast selection of titles and more authors - than you would care to shake a pointed-stick at - on their books, they produced a steady supply of new games for the adventurers of this world to get to grips with.
 
Since starting up in 1984, Zenobi Software have traded on a full-time basis and it is only in the past few years that they actually stopped producing 'new' titles - preferring instead to introduce their back-catalogue to the upcoming generation(s) via the medium of 'Spectrum emulation'.
 
Over this period they received many accolades and awards (both on a personal and third-party standing) - the certificates pictured below are such examples - and they were highly regarded amongst the adventuring fraternity. Even to this day some adventurers consider a 'Zenobi' game to be amongst the best they have ever played and the mere fact that a game bore the Zenobi logo was a good enough reason to part with their hard-earned gold in order to purchase it.

To view - just 'click' on either picture to make them larger ..

Award Winners ..

Jack

Steve

 
 
The 'Firm'

The vast majority of the work involved in the running of the Zenobi empire was undertaken by yours truly (JW) but some of the other tasks (such as production of 'loading-screens' and the coding of the 'tape-loading-system' for the likes of 'From Out Of A Dark Night Sky' etc) were dealt with 'out-of-house' by more gifted people .. thanks to Sean, Shaun, Kez and Graham (you know what bit you did and how much I appreciated it all).
 
However the greatest unsung hero just has to be Ann .. without her unflagging support (and financial genius) none of it would ever have come to fruition. She allowed me to live out my dreams and for that I will always be grateful.

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The Thinking Behind It All

Initially Zenobi Software was simply a means to get me off the dole and back into earning a crust or two, but once the productive side of things was in full swing and the urge to 'write' had taken hold I was unable to turn my back on any of it. I quickly realised that relying on the games I was personally writing to generate enough cash to keep me in the style I was accustomed to was not going to work, so I then took the decision to publish the works of other authors .. easier said than done. I scoured the pages of the computer magazines of the day in order to find out just 'who' was writing 'what' and then took it upon myself to offer said authors a deal. Eventually, once word got around, the authors would approach me first and ask if I would like to publish their games .. Zenobi Software had arrived!!
 
From there on in it was simply just a case of 'playesting' every game that was submitted to me (and there were 1000s of them! - just ask Terry Taylor) before selecting the best of the bunch and putting them out on the Zenobi label.
 
Sadly the old Spectrum eventually turned its toes up and the authors who were willing to write for the new 16 bit machines grew thinner and thinner on the ground, so it was time to call a halt to the production of 'new' games and bid farewell to some old friends.
 
But it is hard to throw away nearly 15 years hard labour, so the legendary 'ZENOBI CD' was born. Originally only available to customers who had already purchased more than 100 games, it eventually went on the open market to all and sundry. It is still available even to this day.

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The First Adventure I Ever Played

Over the years numerous enquiries have been received regarding which adventure-game was the FIRST one I ever played .. so in order to set the record straight, I am not only going to tell you but I am also going to give you the opportunity to play it for yourself .. albeit with the aid of a 'ZX81' emulator.
 
The game in question was 'The Black Crystal' (written & produced by Carnell Software). Here it is in 'emulation form ....
 
 

BlackCrystal(SingleSided).p.zip
zx81.zip
BlackCrystal(SingleSided)_Front.jpg

Just for the record I have also included a scan of the original cover ...

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ZENOBI SOFTWARE ADVENTURE-GAMES
 
Author,Game
 
 A.Woods/P.Page,Stalker (128k only)
 Alan Davis,House On The Tor
 Alan Devey,Dungeons Of Maldread
 Alan Devey,Teenage Emergency
 Alex Williams,Boyd File
 Clive Wilson,Venom
 Clive Wilson,The Darkest Road
 Clive Wilson,See-Kaa Of Assiah
 Clive Wilson,The Time Of Dread
 Clive Wilson,Kobyashi Ag'Kwo
 Clive Wilson,The Unborn One
 Clive Wilson,ZZZZ
 Clive Wilson,The Little Wandering Guru
 Clive Wilson,Kobyashi Naru
 Clive Wilson,Nightwing
 Clive Wilson,The Shard of Inovar
 Clive Wilson,Demigod
 Clive Wilson,The Tears Of The Moon
 Craig Davies,Murder Hunt
 Craig Davies,Quest For The Holy Something
 Craig Davies,Murder Hunt 2
 Dave Hawkins,Stranded (48k and 128k)
 Dennis Francombe,The Song of Taliesin
 Dennis Francombe,The Golden Sword Of Bhakhor
 Dennis Francombe,The Fisher King
 Dennis Francombe,Perseus
 Dennis Francombe,Diarmid
 Dennis Francombe,Hob's Hoard
 Dented Designs,Game Without A Name
 Diane Rice,The Black Tower
 Diane Rice,The Twelve Days Of Christmas
 Diane Rice,Serpentine Tale
 Edwina Brown,Hide and Seek
 Edwina Brown,Feline Fancy
 Fergus McNeill,Bored Of The Rings
 Fergus McNeill,The Boggit
 Fergus McNeill,Robin Of Sherlock
 Fergus McNeill,The Big Sleaze
 Fergus McNeill,Sherwood Forest
 Fergus McNeill,The Dragonstar Trilogy
 Fergus McNeill,Quest For The Holy Joystick
 Fergus McNeill,Return Of The Joystick
 8th Day Software,Four Minutes To Midnight
 8th Day Software,Cuddles
 8th Day Software,Quann Tulla
 8th Day Software,Ice Station Zero
 8th Day Software,In Search Of Angels
 8th Day Software,Faerie
 8th Day Software,H.R.H.
 8th Day Software,Earthshock
 8th Day Software,A Harvesting Moon
 8th Day Software,Ronnie Goes To Hollywood
 8th Day Software,Weaver Of Her Dreams
 St.Brides,The Secret Of St.Brides
 St.Brides,The Snow Queen
 St.Brides,The Very Big Cave Adventure
 St.Brides,Bugsy
 St.Brides,Jack The Ripper
 St.Brides,The White Feather Cloak
 St.Brides,Silverwolf
 St.Brides,The Dogboy
 Precision Software,The Extricator
 Precision Software,The Energem Enigma
 Walter Pooley,Desert Island
 Walter Pooley,Castle Adventure
 Walter Pooley,Mansion Quest
 Walter Pooley,Mission X
 Pegasus Developments,The Hermitage
 Gareth Pitchford,Man About The House
 Gareth Pitchford,Search For The Nether Regions
 Gareth Pitchford,Microfair Madness (128k only)
 Gareth Pitchford,P.C.W.
 Gareth Pitchford,The Lone Electron
 Gareth Pitchford,Get Me To The Church On Time
 Gareth Pitchford,Quest For The Holy Snail
 Gareth Pitchford,First Past The Post
 Garry Cappuccini,Crack City
 Geoff Lynas,April 7th
 George Hoyle,Balrog's DayOut
 George Hoyle,The Emerald Elf
 George Hoyle,Fistful Of Necronomicons
 George Hoyle,Brian The Novice Barbarian
 George Hoyle,The Trouble With Trolls
 George Hoyle,Seaside Sorcery
 Ian Eveleigh,The Lamberley Mystery
 Ian Osborne,Sam's Unexcellent Adventure
 Ian S.Brown,Bog Of Brit
 Ian S.Brown,The Menagerie
 J.Scott/S.Boyd,For Pete's Sake
 J.Scott/S.Boyd,Lycanthropy
 J.Scott/S.Boyd,Red Alert
 J.Scott/S.Boyd,Escape From Hodgkins' Manor
 J.Scott/S.Boyd,Limelight
 J.Scott/S.Boyd,The Beginning Of The End
 J.Scott/S.Boyd,Labour Pains
 J.Scott/S.Boyd,The End Is Nigh
 J.Scott/S.Boyd,Why Is The World Round Anyway?
 J.Scott/S.Boyd,Toddler Trouble
 J.Scott/S.Boyd,Mutiny - The Final Chapter (128k only)
 J.Scott/S.Boyd,Mutiny - Episode One (128k only)
 J.Scott/S.Boyd,Loose Ends
 J.Scott/S.Boyd,All In A Day's Work
 J.Scott/S.Boyd,Murder Mystery Weekend
 Tartan Tam,The Gordello Incident (parts 1&2)
 Tartan Tam,Double Agent
 Jack Lockerby,The Enchanted Cottage
 Jack Lockerby,Davy Jones' Locker
 Jack Lockerby,Murder-He said  (128k only)
 Jack Lockerby,The Domes Of Sha
 Jack Lockerby,Theme Park UK
 Jack Lockerby,The House
 Jack Lockerby,Kidnapped
 Jack Lockerby,Norman's Lament
 Jack Lockerby,Dragon's Quest
 Jack Lockerby,Civil Service II
 Jack Lockerby,The Escaping Habit
 Jack Lockerby,Theme Park USA
 Jack Lockerby,39 Steps (128k only)
 Jack Lockerby,The Dark Tower
 Jack Lockerby,The Ellisnore Diamond
 Jack Lockerby,Treasure Island
 Jack Lockerby,The Mines Of Lithiad
 Jack Lockerby,Civil Service
 Jack Lockerby,The Miser
 Jack Lockerby,Zen
 Jack Lockerby,The Wizard Of Oz
 Jack Lockerby,The Citadel
 Jack Lockerby,Bounty Hunter
 Jack Lockerby,The Cup
 Jack Lockerby,The Hammer Of Grimmold
 Jack Lockerby,Into The Mystic
 Jack Lockerby,Lifeboat
 Jack Lockerby,Matchmaker
 Jack Lockerby,Mutant
 Jack Lockerby,Realm Of Darkness
 Jack Lockerby,Witch Hunt
 Jack Lockerby,Jack and The Beanstalk
 Jack Lockerby,The Islands of Sinbad
 Jack Lockerby,The Challenge
 Jack Lockerby,Jade Necklace
 James Taylor,Cpl.Stone
 Jamie Murphy,The Khangrin Plans (128k only)
 Jamie Murphy,The Pendant Of Logryn (128k only)
 Jamie Murphy,Leopold The Minstrel (128k only)
 Jamie Murphy,The Bardic Rite (128k only)
 Jamie Murphy,The Final Chorus (128k only)
 Jason McHale,Deek's Deeds
 Jason McHale,Urban
 Jeremy Piper,The Apprentice (128k only)
 June Rowe/P.Cardin,Jester's Jaunt
 Kane Conway,Lost Twilight (128k only)
 Karen Tyers,Ten Green Bottles
 Karen Tyers,The Curse of Nimue
 Karen Tyers,Rhyme Crime (128k only)
 Karl Bunyan,Dungeon Romp
 Karl Bunyan,The Tales Of Mathematica
 Karl Bunyan,The Mapper
 Keith Burnard,The Golden Locket
 Keith Burnard,Radiomania
 Keith Burnard,The Crystals of Kings
 Kez Gray,The Krazy Kartoonist Kaper (128k only)
 Laurence Creighton,The Lost Temple
 Laurence Creighton,Lost In Time
 Laurence Creighton,The Curse of Calutha
 Laurence Creighton,There Is A Bomb Under Parliament
 Laurence Creighton,Laskar's Crystal
 Laurence Creighton,The Bermuda Triangle
 Laurence Creighton,Beyond Eldorado
 Laurence Creighton,The Mummy's Crypt
 Laurence Creighton,Eclipse
 Laurence Creighton,Marooned
 Laurence Creighton,Behold Atlantis
 Laurence Creighton,The Treasure Of Santa Maria
 Laurence Creighton,Flameout
 Laurence Creighton,Impact
 Laurence Creighton,The Legacy
 Laurence Creighton,The Well Of Zol
 Laurence Creighton,The Golden Pyramid
 Laurence Creighton,Meltdown
 Laurence Creighton,Laskar's Return
 Laurence Creighton,The Fire Ruby
 Les Floyd,The Pawns of War
 Les Floyd,The Infiltrator
 Linda Doughty (Wright),The Beast (128k only)
 Linda Doughty (Wright),Agatha's Folly
 Linda Doughty (Wright),The Jade Stone
 Linda Doughty (Wright),Cloud 99 (48k and 128k)
 Macsoft,The Amulet Of Darath
 Mark Cantrell,Diablo (48k and 128k)
 Mark Cantrell,Gods Of War (48k and 128K)
 Mark Cantrell,Jester Quest (48k and 128k)
 Mark Cantrell,Project Nova
 Mark Walker,The Oppressed Land
 Mike Jessop,The Slaughter Caves
 Palmer P.Eldritch,A Legacy For Alaric
 Palmer P.Eldritch,The Magic Isle
 Patrick Walsh,The Case Of The Beheaded Smuggler
 S.Boyd,Knight Life (128k only)
 Scott Johnson,Lightmare - The Village Of Delvhorn
 Sean Vennard,Wizard Quest
 Sigmasoft,Elfindor
 Square Peg,Aurascope (128k only)
 Steve Clay,The Final Demand
 Steve Clay,Tax Returns
 Steve Clay,The Taxman Cometh
 Sue Medley,The Staff of Power
 Traveller In Black,The Violator Of Voodoo
 Traveller In Black,Aztec Assault
 Traveller In Black,Phoenix
 Traveller In Black,Celtic Carnage
 The Balrog,An Everyday Tale Of A Seeker Of Gold
 The Balrog,The Secret Of Little Hodcome
 The Balrog,From Out Of A Dark Night Sky
 The Balrog,Bulbo And The Lizard-King
 The Balrog,Fuddo And Slam
 The Balrog,Retarded Creatures And Caverns
 The Balrog,Behind Closed Doors
 The Balrog,Behind Closed Doors 2
 The Balrog,Behind Closed Doors 3 - Revenge Of The Ants
 The Balrog,Balrog And The Cat
 The Balrog,A Stroll In The Bleak Forest
 The Balrog,One Of Those Days
 The Balrog,The Elfin Wars
 The Balrog,The Goblin Gazzette
 The Balrog,The Goblin Gazzette II
 Essential Myth,Dr.Jekyll And Mr.Hyde (48k and 128k)
 Terry Taylor,The Labours Of Hercules
 Philip Richmond,Number Six In The Village
 S.McClure/I.Smith,Alien Research Centre
 S.McClure/I.Smith,The Hit
 Mike Gerrard,One Of Our Wombats Is Missing
 Scott Denyer,Arnold The Adventurer
 Scott Denyer,Arnold The Adventurer II
 Scott Denyer,Arnold The Adventurer III
 Delbert Hamster,Raymond Pringle's Quest For Pickled Cabbage
 Delbert Hamster,Starflaws
 Delbert Hamster,Snow Joke
 Delbert Hamster,Larry The Lemming's Urge For Extinction
 Delbert Hamster,Desmond and Gertrude
 Delbert Hamster,Aunt Velma Is Coming To Tea
 Delbert Hamster,Brian The Dishonest Politician

If you fancy playing any of the above then you could do one of a couple of things .. either buy the CD/DVD (and make an old man very happy), e-mail me and blag the title of your choice or simply go to the last page of this little web-site (Cockroach Corner) and download whatever is available from there  - you see, being as how you lot are not buying the stuff in droves , like you used to do , I have been offering a weekly 'FREE' game for quite a while now. All you have to do is download whichever title is presently available .. a different one is added EVERY week .. go on, what have you got to lose ????

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Retrogamer 35

Had a few moans regarding the "inavailabilty" of issue 35 of the 'Retrogamer' magazine .. nothing to do with me, sorry!  Seems that  one or two of you wanted to cast a critical eye over the interview (with 'yours truly' ) that they printed in that particular issue. Anyway being the old softie that I am here is the 'original' (fully uncensored) first draft of it .. hope you enjoy ....
 
1. Why did you decide on setting up a software company?
For a couple of reasons actually ..
a)I was unemployed at the time and needed some way or earning a living.
b)I had played a few adventure games at this time and thought I could write something similar (if not better).
c)It seemed the ideal way in which to fulfill both requirements.
d)The whole idea just cropped up in the middle of a "job-seeker's" interview and when I said "I want to start a Software Company" the look on the interviewer's face was one to behold. After that I just had to form "Zenobi Software" - if only to satisfy my own curiousity.

2. Why adventure games?
a)I have always been a 'story-teller' and that seemed the ideal way to get the stories out of my head and into the public view.
b)Also I had played a few and liked what I had played, so it was only natural that I went along that path.
c)I had no 'programming' experience and therefore I was totally unable to 'code' my own games. However there were 'writing utilities' out there that enabled anybody to come up with a 'finished product' and the best of them catered for 'adventure games'.

3. What was the first game you created, how did you come up with the story,
how did you sell it (where advertised etc) and how well received was it? Did
it sell well?
a)The idea for the game came from a joint affair between myself and a guy called Richard Hewison. He designed the first five locations and I just took it from there. The rest of the game was made up as I went along (much in the manner of all the games I ever wrote).
b)The game was advertised in the various 'fanzines' of the time (Adventure Probe, Spellbreaker, etc) and review copies were sent out to the major magazines (Popular Computing Weekly, Sinclair User, Crash etc). Advertising leaflets were also sent out to a huge number of individuals, whose names I had come across during my 'help-line' days.
c)It was well received, both in the 'press' and by the public and sold well.

4. How did you approach the writing of an adventure game? Please take me
through the manner in which you took your ideas and advanced them to the
finished products.
a)Initially it was just a case of coming up with a nice title and then working from there. I used to draw a map of the proposed game and list the respective items in the game. I then came up with a batch of major 'puzzles' to solve and finally tried to link everything into the finished article. This worked well for me in the beginning but eventually it became a case of find a 'title' sit down and write it as I went along. Many times I had no idea where the plot was going next or whether anything would work or not. So I spent more time 'playtesting' the games than I actually did writing them. Once I had reached what I felt was a suitable ending I would replay the game from the beginning to see if it was 'solvable'. If it was then I would replay it and do my best to 'trip it up'. Finally I would send it out to somebody whose opinion I held in high esteem and ask them to  give it a go. If all went well I would draw a loading screen (or ask Sean, Kez or Shaun to do one), sort out a 'loader' (generally courtesy of Graham C.) and then compile a 'master-tape'. All future coies of the game would be produced from this master.
 
5. Of which game are you most proud and why?
a)Each and every single one of them .. otherwise I would never have released them to the general public. I would never release anything I was not happy with and would not ask anybody to hand over their cash for something that I would not have done so myself.
b)If I was to single out a game that I had written personally then I guess it would have to be 'Behind Closed Doors'. Originally written as a 'filler' for 'side B' of a major release it was a complete departure from the 'norm' because it all took place in just 'one location'. It was also written in well less than a week (though the infamous "written in one day" tag is more of an urban myth than true fact).
c)One game that did cause my head to swell a touch was 'Retarded Craetures & Caverns' but only because it was awarded the coveted 'YS Megagame' accolade.

6. At what stage did you decide to publish other people's games? What was
your first submission, how did you rate it?
Eventually it became obvious that income from my 'own' games was not enough to finance Zenobi. There was too 'long' a gap between releases. So I decided to import other games and sell them under the Zenobi label. That way I would have a more regular income. So I read through the lastest magazines and checked out the various reviews of independent releases. I selected one or two of them and approached their authors accordingly. Scott Johnston's 'Lighmare:Village of Delvhorn' was the end result. Scott later went on to greater things - check it out for yourself.

7. What sort of relationship did you have with magazines in the 1980s and
1990s?
A very good relationship with everyone that I deemed to make contact with. Over the years I had run various 'helplines' and 'columns' in the likes of 'Soothsayer, Spellbreaker, Probe and Red Herring (to name but a few) and I was also in contact with the likes of Sinclair User, Crash, C&VG and ZX Monthly. With the 'nationals' I sent them as many 'tips & hints' for other adventures as I could (I still liked to play the odd adventure - when time permitted), as well as review copies of all Zenobi releases

8. What did you look for in a good adventure game?
a)A well-written game that was 100% solvable (believe me there were a few major games that never allowed the player to complete them and that is inexcusable).
b)Reasonable screen presentation.
c)An interesting and involving 'plot'.

9. How did you view graphics in text-adventures?
a)Very infrequently - that is why they called them 'text-adventures'.
b)Never thought they were that necessary as a decent writer can 'paint' a good enough picture with the use of words.
c)They tended to get in the way of the words.
d)Nice enough when they were well done .. e.g. 'Dr.Jekyll & Mr.Hyde' or 'Diablo'.
e)The only graphics I ever needed were to be found on the 'loading-screen$'.

10. What do you think of more recent adventure games like Broken Sword which
still have the puzzle elements but in 3D and with real-time visuals?
a)Nice 'eye-candy' but it is a bit like comparing a book to a video .. they are totally different things (even if they are relating the same tale).
b)In their own rights they are very good games, well written etc but they are not for me.

11. You published games for the Atari ST. Why did you decide to enter this
market?
Sinmply because that was the next machine I purchased. I never bought a C64 or a CPC (too much like the Speccy and not a big enough step forward technology-wise) I bought an ST and thought it was time to move on to that platform. I did the self-same thing when I bought an Amiga and a PC. Though in their case I was unable to write for them so I chose to follow the 'emulation' route instead.

12. Why did you not publish for the C64, CPC etc?
a)I felt that the market was not for me. It was already covered by other software houses and I saw no need to elbow my way in.
b)Never bought one of those machines and without one I had no way of programming for them.
c)I did a bit for the Sam Coupe but that was through Dave Whitmore. He converted various titles and published them (on licence from Zenobi).

13. How old were you when you started Zenobi?
The ripe old age of 35 .. I am now two months short of my 60th birthday .. enough said!

14. Did your wife help out?
a)My Ann helped out by just being my Ann. She hates computers (and all that they stand for) with a passion and has never even played one of MY games. She has her own business and it has nothing to do with computers. However she was the one who spent her own 'lunch-hours' duplicating 'leaflets', 'help-sheets', 'adverts' etc.
b)More importantly she helped by NEVER questioning any decision I made - no matter how it affected her and the kids. I was left to do whatever I felt was necessary to keep Zenobi up and running, and Ann stood by me for all of it. Just what more help could you ask for ?

15. How did you operate your company? You mention that you handed out cash
up front. Why was this?
a)All 'playtesting', 'duplication', 'advertising' and 'distribution' was handled and paid for by yours truly. None of the authors ever had to put their hand in their pockets for anything.
b)Initially all releases received an 'advance' payment in receipt of the first 500 copies of their game that was sold. Over the years as sales dropped, this advance was reduced but nonetheless EVERY game released received an 'advance' payment.
c)All further sales were then paid for at an agreed rate per copy (varying between 30p to 70p dependent on the game etc). These payments were paid out on a monthly basis and sent out at the start of each month.
d)All the above payments were agreed via a signed contract prior to the game being released and copies of this contract were kept by all parties concerned.
e)The reason I did things this way was because I had alway felt that the authors of this world had been abused in the past (a couple of of personal experiences when I first started out highlighted this to me) so I tried to ensure that they (the authors) received the best possible deal at all times.

16. Which authors/programmers do you look back on fondly and are you still
in touch with them?
a)On the graphics side I have very fond memories of Sean Doran, Shaun McClure and Kez Gray and am still in touch the latter two. Between them all they produced some excellent 'loading-screen$'.
b)I was always very fond of the work of Jack Lockerby, Laurence Creighton, Diane Rice, Clive Wilson, Jon Scott, Steve Clay, Jamie Murphy .. the list is endless .. and I still exchange the odd e-mail with some of them.
c)We were a 'family' but like the most families we all grow-up, move on and lose contact. However that does not mean that we forget .. we don't!

17. Would you ever consider releasing a new adventure game?
a)Not unless I can go back in time and start all over again. the fingers are too arthritic for all the typing and the brain has long since lost its sharpness.
B)Every single morning I wake up .. but then I have my tea/toast and settle for what lies ahead.

18. Are their any anecdotes etc that you would like to share? What were your
high and low points of running Zenobi?
a)The 'highs' were reading each and every review.
b)The 'lows' were reading the bank statement at the end of the month and realising I still had a long way to go before 'solvency'.
 
A Short Tale:
There have been many visitors to no.26, most of them unannounced and quite out of the blue but each and every one of them has been invited in and offered a cup of tea and a chocolate biscuit .. when the bank statement was in the 'black'. However one day there was a knock at the door and I opened it to be greeted by a very smartly-dressed man with some very shiny shoes (more on those later).
"Zenobi Software," he enquired softly.
"Yes" I replied, "Do come in."
"Is this yours ?" he asked, thrusting a couple of sheets of green paper in my direction.
I grabbed the papers and scanned them quickly. "Yep, that is one of my price-lists" I smiled.
"Do you have any copies of 'Deep Waters' left ? he smirked.
"Certainly" I said, "I am just parcelling up 50 copies now. They are off to Dundee this afternoon. Some guy who runs a computer shop has just ordered them. If you had come two minutes earlier I could have showed you one."
"Does that contain both volume 1 and volume 2 ?" he asked, pointing at the cardboard-box lying on the kitchen table.
"Sure does," I replied, "Though for some unknown reason Volume 2 sells better than Volume 1".
"People's tastes" he grinned.
Reaching behind me I picked up the lone cassette lying on the table and handed it to him. "Here, have this on me. Sorry it only Volume 1." I grunted.
"Thanks, I might be in touch for Volume 2 later" he said. At this point he turned on his heels and headed for the door.
"Going are you?" I asked.
"Yes, long trip back to Birmingham" he sighed, and then walked out the door and up the garden path.
As he did so I glanced down, my eyes attracted by his shiny shoes. Suddenly the realisation hit me - I remembered where I had seen them before - they were regulation Police issue (don't ask me how I know .. that is another story).
The gent ambled through the gate and was never seen again.

The point to all of this is that I was later to learn that he was from the Birmingham Vice Squad and had been visiting in connection with the distribution of pornography. Seemingly he had been sent an anonymous tip-off (and a copy of my latest price-list). It seems that they (the vice-squad) thought that my compilations of Jack Lockerby adventure-games (Deep Waters 1&2) were actually to do with something referred to in certain circles as 'water-sports' .. though why anybody would want to be p*ssed on is beyond even my fertile imagination!!!

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Zenobi Software * 26 Spotland Tops * Cutgate * Rochdale * Lancashire * OL12 7NX