Rock Star Ate My Hamster

Rock Star Ate My Hamster is a management strategy computer game developed by Codemasters in 1988 and originally released on their full-price Gold label for the Amstrad CPC, ZX Spectrum, Commodore 64, Amiga and Atari ST. The game was written by Colin Jones, later to become known as author/publisher Colin Bradshaw-Jones.

Rock Star Ate My Hamster
Developer(s)Colin Jones
Publisher(s)Codemasters
Designer(s)Chris Graham[1]
Composer(s)Allister Brimble (Atari ST)
Platform(s)ZX Spectrum, Commodore 64, Amstrad CPC, Amiga, Atari ST
Release
Genre(s)Strategy, music management
Mode(s)Single-player

The name of the game was inspired by a 1986 Sun newspaper headline - 'Freddie Starr ate my hamster'.

Synopsis

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Desperate to get out of the circus theatrics business, Cecil Pitt and his sidekick, Clive, turn to the world of Rock music Management with the help of a £50,000 inheritance.

Objective

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To win the game, one must select a band, record an album and earn 4 gold discs within the space of a year. If the player fails to meet this target, goes bankrupt or has no musicians left, the game is over.

Gameplay

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The game is almost entirely menu-driven with options that allow the player to decide what the band does next.

The player's first task as manager is to pick musicians for the band, and then decide whether they should buy them brand-new equipment, second-hand equipment or get some dodgy gear off the back of a lorry.

 
ZX Spectrum screenshot

Once in the main game, the options presented are as follows:

  • Practice - the players lock the band away for up to 5 days so they can practice. The music of the band is also presented, gradually increasing from atonal noise to actual music (songs are generated on the fly by the software).
  • Gig - the players go on tour and is the primary source of moneymaking in the game.
  • Publicity - the players organise a publicity stunt that can make the band more famous, but can also trigger events that kill a band member.
  • Gifts - the players have to buy some gifts for the band to keep them sweet, otherwise they will make some rather costly ultimatums.
  • Record - once the band gets a recording contract, this option appears and allows them to record an album.
  • Release - once the album's recorded, this option releases it along with any singles.

Along the way, the player also has to decide:

  • Whether or not to play a charity gig. Some of the charities that contact the band are real and others fake. The band could end up with negative publicity if they ignore a genuine charity or get duped by a bogus one.
  • Whether or not to accept a sponsorship deal.
  • To shoot a music video and who will direct it, the location and the theme of this project. The player has the options to select from a range of choices, each with a cost value, such as an expensive directors and locations or less costly ones. As with the parodical nature of the game director names lampoon real-life directors. A selection choice of a high level (most expensive) director is named Steven Cheeseburger (a parody of Steven Spielberg). There are many others fitting with the theme of recognizable but legally distinct names.
  • Which recording contract is best for the player's band.
  • What to do if a little organisation in Korea is bootlegging his or her records. Players have to decide if they should do nothing, sue them, buy them out or "send in the boys".

Releasing an album or single makes them eligible for the charts. A Top 10 Singles & Albums charts (depending on what players have released) gets displayed on screen every Sunday. The other bands in the Top 10 are also parodies of other rock bands.

Musicians

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At the outset, the player can choose to hire up to four musicians to make up the band. The musicians are parodies of contemporary pop music stars. Their weekly wage depends on their abilities and their fame, ranging from £30,000 for "Bill Collins" down to just £50 for "Sidney Sparkle".

'80s Pop Stars

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Game character Real name In-game fee
Wacky Jacko Michael Jackson 18000
Michael Gorge George Michael 15000
Bimbo Baggins Kylie Minogue 8000
Crispy Rind Chrissie Hynde 950
Rick Ghastley Rick Astley 700
Dorrissey Morrissey 900
Maradonna Madonna 17000
Jason Doner-Kebab Jason Donovan 8000
Gracey Chapperson Tracy Chapman 870
Scratch 'n' Sniffa Salt-n-Pepa 1000
Midge Sewer Midge Ure 80
Sado Sade 11000
Snoozy Sue Siouxsie Sioux 870
By George Boy George 500
Mince Prince 18000

Legends

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Game character Real name In-game fee
Bill Collins Phil Collins 30000
Elvin Dwight Elton John 20000
Iggy Carrust David Bowie 10000
Peter Gobsmacked Peter Gabriel 9500
Annie Smallpox Annie Lennox 2000
Bryan Nylon Bryan Ferry 13400
Rotton Johnny Johnny Rotten 5000
Stiff Pilchards Cliff Richard 920
Dingo Strapp Ringo Starr 400
Harry Human Gary Numan 600
Rupert Beetle Paul McCartney 26000
John-Michael Jarrs Jean Michel Jarre 25000
Dick Knackered Mick Jagger 21000
Derek Claptout Eric Clapton 26500
Tina Turnoff Tina Turner 15000
Meathead Meat Loaf 7500
Bruce Stringbean Bruce Springsteen 9000
String Sting 900
Frank Zipper Frank Zappa 250
Eddy Quicksilver Freddie Mercury 9000
Sneezy Wonderful Stevie Wonder 8000
Bonehead Bono 9000
Kate Bushed Kate Bush 8500
Harley Wotts Charlie Watts 9000
Freddy Grunt Eddy Grant 7000
Witless Houston Whitney Houston 12750
Harvey Headband Mark Knopfler 7490
Cod Fish 8000
Jane Jet Joan Jett 680

Rockers

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Game character Real name In-game fee
Sidney Sparkle Gary Glitter 50
Rodney Holder Noddy Holder 450
Ted Newsagent Ted Nugent 600
Dozy Trowell Cozy Powell 3000
Izzy Azbeen Ozzy Osbourne 3000
Titchy Blackhead Ritchie Blackmore 700
Alison Nightmare Alice Cooper 200
Lumme Lemmy 400

Controversy

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The game is heavy on parody on existing people and names, which wasn't well-received across the board: according to Jones, "an irate parent had taken objection to one of the jokes in the spoof newspaper included in the box and WHSmith pulled the game from their shelves".[1]

Notes and references

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All the information above was taken from either the actual gameplay, the game manual and/or packaging.

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