Jetpac
Rebuild your rocket and fend off aliens in space.
Jetpac, a platform game from Ultimate Play the Game (later Rare), debuted on the ZX Spectrum and VIC-20 in 1983. As the studio's first release, it follows Jetman rebuilding his rocket while fending off aliens. Critics praised its graphics and gameplay, earning it the 1983 Golden Joystick Award for Game of the Year.
Quick Facts
- Developer
- Ultimate Play the Game
- Programmer
- Chris Stamper
- Artist
- Tim Stamper
- Platforms
- ZX Spectrum
- VIC-20
- BBC Micro
- Genre
- Platform
- Modes
- Single-player
Facts from the source article.
Gameplay
The game world scrolls horizontally with wraparound and contains three platforms. Jetman must collect scattered rocket pieces, assemble the rocket, then fuel it for takeoff while defending against aliens and collecting falling resources for bonus points. After the first level the rocket stays assembled and only needs refuelling, but every four levels the rocket resets, granting an extra life, and a new model must be built. Each new rocket bears a higher number, though gameplay remains the same. Enemies change form every level, cycling back after eight, each with a distinct movement pattern.
Development
Ultimate Play the Game was founded by brothers Tim and Chris Stamper and Tim's wife Carol in Ashby-de-la-Zouch in 1982. The company was secretive about its operations and upcoming projects, working in separate teams for development and other aspects like sound or graphics. While developing Jetpac, the Stampers studied the Japanese gaming market and began practicing for the Famicom, predicting the ZX Spectrum's limited lifespan. Jetpac was one of the few Spectrum games available in ROM format for the Interface 2, enabling near-instant loading, and it could run on the 16K Spectrum.
Reception
Jetpac sold over 300,000 copies and generated £1 million in revenue, giving the Stampers a foothold in the early video game market. Crash praised the graphics and presentation as of the highest standard, finding few faults. CVG called the presentation superb and the gameplay addictive. In a retrospective review, Chris Wilkins of Eurogamer noted the advanced graphics and sound for the time, but credited the simple gameplay for a faultless experience. ZX Computing praised its playability and replay value. The game topped the first Spectrum sales chart published by CVG. It ranked 73rd in Your Sinclair Readers' Top 100 Games of All Time in 1993 and was voted 14th best game by Retro Gamer readers for a special Your Sinclair tribute issue. It won Game of the Year at the 1983 Golden Joystick Awards.
Legacy
Jetpac was parodied in a long-running Crash comic strip called Lunar Jetman, designed by John Richardson, which ran from July 1984 to October 1991. The strip required manual photomechanical processing and was fully colourised in the late 1980s. Two sequels followed: Lunar Jetman (1983) and Solar Jetman (1990), the latter released for the NES by Nintendo; a Commodore 64 version was finished but never released due to disappointing NES sales. Jetpac appears as an unlockable minigame in Donkey Kong 64, accessible in Cranky Kong's laboratory after obtaining 15 Banana Medals; beating Cranky's high score yields the Rareware Coin needed to complete the game. It was retained on the Wii U Virtual Console re-release in April 2015 and the Nintendo Classics re-release in June 2026, despite Microsoft owning Rare since 2002. An enhanced remake, Jetpac Refuelled, launched on Xbox Live Arcade in March 2007. The 2015 compilation Rare Replay includes Jetpac, its two sequels, and the remake, making the Jetman series the most represented in the collection.
Frequently Asked Questions
What platforms is Jetpac available on?
Jetpac was released for ZX Spectrum, VIC-20 and BBC Micro.
Is Jetpac single-player or multiplayer?
Jetpac offers single-player play.
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