Archer MacLean is a British computer games programmer. His best known titles are Dropzone, International Karate and its sequel, IK+, which he developed for the Commodore 64 but were ported to other systems. He is also known for his series of snooker and pool games, which commenced with Jimmy White's Whirlwind Snooker in 1991. Touches of humour are a running theme in his games. IK+ has a secret mode in which the players' trousers fall down as well as several hidden effects activated by typing four letter swear words. Whirlwind Snooker features effects when no shot is played for a while, including flies buzzing around the screen and 'Made In England' signs emerging from the balls. In a recent survey, his favourite home computer music was IK+ and International Karate. Maclean's most recent title is Archer Maclean's Mercury completed in 2005, before he left the studio for unknown reasons. The follow up versions were Mercury Meltdown for the PlayStation Portable, Mercury Meltdown Remix for the PS2, and Mercury Meltdown Revolution for the Wii. His current activities in games development are unknown, after having left Awesome — the studio he helped found and establish — in July of 2005.[1] The reasons for his departure have never been made public and he has seemingly not granted any interviews since. Maclean currently writes a monthly column for Retro Gamer magazine.
Trivia
- Is a collector of vintage arcade cabinets
- Is a collector of vintage digital watches
References
- ^ "Archer Maclean resigns from Awesome Studios" article from games-industry.biz
