While kids in the 80s would concoct all manner of excuses why their homework was late, teachers were almost certainly aware that the real culprit behind the laxness was Chuckie Egg or Jet Set Willy. For me, my own education killer was Boulder Dash, or Repton, as it was known on the Acorn Electron, which I owned at the time (only the posh kids in our town got Commodore 64s).
For the benefit of those who spent their childhoods doing schoolwork, the object of the game was to steer your little critter around a labyrinth full of rocks, collecting diamonds and other booty along the way, while fighting off hoards of nasty beasties. Whether you’re a fan of the original or a newcomer to the game, the highly addictive Boulder Dash provides a faithful recreation of the game that is one of the very few computer games ever to be ported from home computers to arcades (as opposed to the other way around). Be warned though, you may have to start plundering your little book of excuses for not turning up to work again.
