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Bug-Byte

History

Bug-Byte's Spectral Invaders was reported to be the first commercial ZX Spectrum game and became the first number one ZX Spectrum game in the first ever chart, published by Popular Computing Weekly in late 1982. By this time, programmer by Lawson had already found another Liverpool-based software house: Imagine. A second number one for the company came just two weeks later on the ZX81 chart with Mazogs by Don Priestley, who became a director of DK'Tronics in early 1983

Manic Miner was Bug-Byte's biggest hit and is the third highest ranked game overall, although programmer Matthew Smith took the game with him to his new company Software Projects in November 1983.

The original Bug-Byte went into administration in 1985, but the name was soon revived for use as a budget label by Argus Press.

Note

The figures for Months in the Top 10 and Months at No. 1 are based on the All Format and Multi Format chart only.
Columns are sortable, sorting by the cover column will sort by chart appearance date.

TitleTop 10No. 1Rank
Cover(s)Manic Miner

BUG-BYTE / SOFTWARE PROJECTS / AMSOFT

1424
Cover(s)American Football

ARGUS PRESS / BUG-BYTE

20480
Cover(s)Vic Panic

BUG-BYTE

10535
Cover(s)Nick Faldo Plays the Open

ARGUS PRESS / BUG-BYTE

00701
Cover(s)Alien

ARGUS PRESS / BUG-BYTE

10777
Cover(s)Rapscallion

BUG-BYTE

00828
Cover(s)Spectral Invaders

BUG-BYTE

00862
Cover(s)Twin Kingdom Valley

BUG-BYTE

00940
Cover(s)Cosmiads

BUG-BYTE

001004
Cover(s)Star Trader

BUG-BYTE

001051
Cover(s)Yabba Dabba Doo!

GRANDSLAM / BUG-BYTE

< 1 01085
Cover(s)Tennis

ARGUS PRESS / BUG-BYTE

001161
Cover(s)Vic Asteroids

BUG-BYTE

001163
Cover(s)Mazogs

BUG-BYTE

001283
Cover(s)Jack Attac

ARGUS PRESS / BUG-BYTE

001460
Cover(s)ZX AS Assembler

BUG-BYTE

001465
Cover(s)Spectres

BUG-BYTE

001486
Cover(s)Cricket

ARGUS PRESS / BUG-BYTE

001514
Cover(s)Star Force Seven

ARGUS PRESS / BUG-BYTE

001617
Cover(s)ZXDB Disassembler

BUG-BYTE

001635
Cover(s)Automan

BUG-BYTE

< 1 01656
Cover(s)Oblivion

BUG-BYTE

001710
Cover(s)Turmoil

BUG-BYTE

001807
Cover(s)Kung-Fu

BUG-BYTE

001808
Cover(s)Glider Rider

GRANDSLAM / BUG-BYTE

001856
Cover(s)Cloak of Death

ARGUS PRESS / BUG-BYTE

001985
Cover(s)Savage Pond

ARGUS PRESS / BUG-BYTE

002003
Cover(s)Monkey Nuts

GRANDSLAM / BUG-BYTE

002013
Cover(s)Journey to the Centre of the Earth

ARGUS PRESS / BUG-BYTE

002024
Cover(s)Invaders

BUG-BYTE

002045
Cover(s)ZXTK Toolkit

BUG-BYTE

002063
Cover(s)Golf

BUG-BYTE

002211
Cover(s)Chess

BUG-BYTE

002215
Cover(s)Chess

BUG-BYTE

002246
Cover(s)Leaper

ARGUS PRESS / BUG-BYTE

002268
Cover(s)Spacewarp

BUG-BYTE

002271
Cover(s)Fruit Machine

BUG-BYTE

002273
Cover(s)Adventure

BUG-BYTE

002296
Cover(s)Sea Lord

BUG-BYTE

002347
Cover(s)Galaxy Wars

BUG-BYTE

002356
Cover(s)The Birds and the Bees

BUG-BYTE

002363
Cover(s)Antics

BUG-BYTE

002411
Cover(s)The Computer Cook Book

BUG-BYTE

002418