Spectrum computer game (also converted to other platforms), the official follow-up to Manic Miner. A platform arcade-style game, it features a slightly re-drawn version of Miner Willy, now wearing a top hat instead of his
flat cap, engaged in similar
capers in the massive mansion he has bought with the plunder from his first adventure.
The idea of the story is that Maria
the housekeeper won't let Willy go to bed until he's collected all the rubbish left over from a late-night party with his
Jet Set mates. There's a huge number of items to collect, and, although Willy has more lives than in the first game and can move freely from room to room, the game is decidedly difficult unless played under
emulation with various cheat functions (e.g. saving the game). To make matters worse, it has a couple of bugs - most notably the infamous Attic bug.
Like many early Spectrum games, the graphics and gameplay are decidedly simple (Willy has only three control buttons - left, right and jump), and yet is very addictive and time-consuming and can be highly enjoyable if you aren't completely screwed by it. The combinations of floors, items and monsters which can be designed into a game of this kind
belie the simplicity of the basic idea.
Now available from many
abandonware sites,
JSW has, like its
forerunner, also been subject to many fan tributes, including a PC remake and a number of reconfigured versions of the Spectrum game which can be downloaded online (such as "Willy to the Rescue", "Bulgarian Requiem", "Jet Set Willy in Space", "Utility Cubicles", "
Willy's Holiday", "Willy's Afterlife" and many others). These are made with a programme editor which is also available.
There was also an official Jet Set Willy 2 made for the Spectrum, which is the same game but with added rooms, more items and the bugs fixed.
