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Bug-Byte

History

Bug-Byte's Spectral Invaders and Spacewarp were the first commercial ZX Spectrum and BBC games, and Spectral Invaders was the first number one Spectrum game in the first ever chart, published by Popular Computing Weekly in late 1982. By this time, programmer David Lawson had already founded another Liverpool-based software house: Imagine. A number one on the ZX81 chart came just two weeks 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 fourth 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

20483
Cover(s)Vic Panic

BUG-BYTE

10539
Cover(s)Nick Faldo Plays the Open

ARGUS PRESS / BUG-BYTE

00701
Cover(s)Alien

ARGUS PRESS / BUG-BYTE

10778
Cover(s)Rapscallion

BUG-BYTE

00829
Cover(s)Spectral Invaders

BUG-BYTE

00863
Cover(s)Twin Kingdom Valley

BUG-BYTE

00940
Cover(s)Cosmiads

BUG-BYTE

001003
Cover(s)Star Trader

BUG-BYTE

001050
Cover(s)Yabba Dabba Doo!

GRANDSLAM / BUG-BYTE

< 1 01085
Cover(s)Tennis

ARGUS PRESS / BUG-BYTE

001160
Cover(s)Vic Asteroids

BUG-BYTE

001162
Cover(s)Mazogs

BUG-BYTE

001282
Cover(s)Jack Attac

ARGUS PRESS / BUG-BYTE

001462
Cover(s)ZX AS Assembler

BUG-BYTE

001467
Cover(s)Spectres

BUG-BYTE

001488
Cover(s)Cricket

ARGUS PRESS / BUG-BYTE

001516
Cover(s)Star Force Seven

ARGUS PRESS / BUG-BYTE

001618
Cover(s)ZXDB Disassembler

BUG-BYTE

001636
Cover(s)Automan

BUG-BYTE

< 1 01657
Cover(s)Oblivion

BUG-BYTE

001713
Cover(s)Turmoil

BUG-BYTE

001810
Cover(s)Kung-Fu

BUG-BYTE

001811
Cover(s)Glider Rider

GRANDSLAM / BUG-BYTE

001859
Cover(s)Cloak of Death

ARGUS PRESS / BUG-BYTE

001991
Cover(s)Savage Pond

ARGUS PRESS / BUG-BYTE

002011
Cover(s)Monkey Nuts

GRANDSLAM / BUG-BYTE

002019
Cover(s)Journey to the Centre of the Earth

ARGUS PRESS / BUG-BYTE

002030
Cover(s)Invaders

BUG-BYTE

002051
Cover(s)ZXTK Toolkit

BUG-BYTE

002069
Cover(s)Golf

BUG-BYTE

002217
Cover(s)Chess

BUG-BYTE

002221
Cover(s)Chess

BUG-BYTE

002252
Cover(s)Leaper

ARGUS PRESS / BUG-BYTE

002276
Cover(s)Spacewarp

BUG-BYTE

002279
Cover(s)Fruit Machine

BUG-BYTE

002281
Cover(s)Adventure

BUG-BYTE

002304
Cover(s)Sea Lord

BUG-BYTE

002355
Cover(s)Galaxy Wars

BUG-BYTE

002364
Cover(s)The Birds and the Bees

BUG-BYTE

002371
Cover(s)Antics

BUG-BYTE

002419
Cover(s)The Computer Cook Book

BUG-BYTE

002426
Cover(s)Twin Kingdom Valley

ARGUS PRESS / BUG-BYTE

002520