Sorry, Is It Past My Bedtime ?
                            or
                              What did you do in the War, Daddie?

              An article from J.G. Johnston

Dear Diary,

Today is the 25th. of March 1998, my 64th birthday. Sitting at my
computer I found myself reminiscing about the past years of
computer adventuring that I have enjoyed. Maybe I should say
Interactive Fiction, which seems to be the correct 'buzz word'.

Sitting among discs, tapes, mags, books, lists, solutions etc., my
mind moved off at a tangent, to a film I saw as a child. It was
during the 1939/45 war and was intended to inspire patriotic
feelings. I don't know if it did in others but I must confess that
I was patiently waiting for the 'Hopalong Cassidy' serial which
followed.

The film was showing a battle scene and the impact was produced by
the makers using a small drummer boy as the focus. The battle was
going all wrong for the 'Goodies' and the soldiers were ready to
give up the fight when the young drummer was struck by the
regimental standard falling from the dying standard bearer.  The
young lad had been crying with fear and didn't know what to do,
other than run and hide. After the standard struck him as it fell
to the ground, he knew what to do. Seizing the standard, he raised
it upright and boldly marched towards the enemy. The camera moved
to close up of the small fists clenched tightly to the standard
and the dirty tear streaked face showing all the determination and
confidence that can only come from being 'in the right'

The reason my mind had jumped so, was because I was reading the
March 89 copy of Mike Brailsford's Spellbreaker. In fact, I was
reading his thank you list. I give it verbatim and exactly as
written!  Sue Medley, Alf Baldwin, Tracy Tattum, Lorna Paterson,
Brian Pell, Barbara Gibb, John Brailsford, John Barnsley, Janice
Charnley, Joan Pancott, The Wayfarer, Allan Phillips, Linda

Wright, Simon Johnson, The Innkeeper, Mandy Rodrigues, Doreen
Bardon, Rikki Bowerman.

I will just say that some of these names are still to the fore and
still contributing to our adventure enjoyment. It was not by any
means a 'complete' list of those who contributed and still
contribute to our hobby. Just a thank you note in Mike's first
issue.

Like all people, I was a red hot enthusiast about adventuring and
even co-operated in producing an adventure for Spectrum, Amstrad,
etc., but work and other interests filled my time and I put aside
that hobby for years. When I retired and having had "The PC
Operation", I returned to adventuring (using Emulators mainly).
Without the dedication and determination of people like Sue
SynTax, Barbara (Sandra, Mandy) Probe, Linda Doughty (Wright) on
Cloud 99, The Beast, Lorna (Testing by Appointment to H.M.) and
John Barnsley Detective and Cartographer, etc., there would have
been little for me to come back to.

NOTE.

This is not written as a rallying call for support, always needed,
for those people who do so much for us - unpaid and unthanked (in
some cases). They are just some random sentimental thoughts of an
old adventurer. Not in years, certainly, but considering that the
computer boom started to gain momentum in 1979, it will take to
the millennium before we reach majority age. In that time, so many
changes have taken place - in computers - in printing - in
communication - etc. etc.  Are we not then most fortunate to have
such standard bearers (who never started out to be) of the calibre
we have, in the people I have mentioned and in the great many more
I have not mentioned (Including Private Software Houses, Help
Lines, Adventure buyers, Magazine takers, just all of You who
contribute to our hobby).

J.G.Johnston
25/3/98

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