Hewson Consultants

Hewson Consultants was a British video-game software company and publishing label active primarily during the 1980s and the beginning of the 1990s. It belonged to the group of independent publishers that helped establish the commercial market for games on home computers such as the ZX81, ZX Spectrum, Commodore 64, Amstrad CPC and Atari 8-bit platforms. Although relatively small compared with the largest British publishers of the period, Hewson developed a strong reputation for selecting and releasing technically accomplished games, many of which emphasized smooth scrolling, fast action, unusual settings or demanding gameplay. The company grew from founder Andrew Hewson's interest in personal computing. While working at the British Museum, Hewson encountered a computer and taught himself programming. He subsequently wrote Hints and Tips for the ZX80, a programming guide that brought him into contact with amateur developers. Aspiring programmers sent him games recorded on cassette tapes, and this correspondence suggested a business opportunity: rather than merely explaining how to program, Hewson could help distribute finished games. Hewson Consultants initially operated through mail-order advertisements in computing magazines, a common route to market for early British home-computer software publishers. The label's early catalogue included ZX81 titles such as Space Intruders, as well as flight, air-traffic-control, space and adventure games. During the middle of the decade it became associated with a more ambitious group of releases, including Avalon, Technician Ted, Dragontorc, Paradroid, Gribbly's Day Out and Firelord. Paradroid, created for the Commodore 64, became one of the company's most celebrated releases and is widely regarded as one of the outstanding games made for that computer. Its distinctive combination of space exploration, combat and the temporary takeover of enemy robots helped distinguish Hewson's catalogue from straightforward arcade imitations. Hewson continued publishing across several formats and genres. The later 1980s brought arcade games, scrolling shooters, platform games, action adventures and science-fiction titles including Uridium, Quazatron, Cybernoid, Exolon, Zynaps, Nebulus, Ranarama, Netherworld and Cybernoid II: The Revenge. The company's games were frequently reviewed favorably in British computer magazines. Your Sinclair ranked Hewson seventh among 109 companies it reviewed, with an average score of 84 percent, and awarded the magazine's Megagame distinction to fourteen Hewson releases. Contemporary reviews also gave particularly high marks to games such as 3D Lunattack, Avalon and Technician Ted. Andrew Hewson also contributed to the period's wider software culture as a columnist for Sinclair User during the 1980s. Hewson Consultants eventually shut down in the early 1990s. Afterward, Andrew Hewson and other members of the management team became involved with 21st Century Entertainment, which published games including Pinball Dreams, Pinball Fantasies and Pinball Illusions. Hewson also founded the European Leisure Software Publishers Association, known as ELSPA, an industry body that later became part of the European video-game trade-association landscape. Hewson Consultants' enduring legacy rests on its role in Britain's formative home-computer era and on a catalogue whose most respected titles remain associated with the creative and technical experimentation of 1980s game development.

Hewson Consultants emerged from the early British home-computer boom. Andrew Hewson first became interested in computing while working at the British Museum, where he encountered one of the institution's early machines. He learned to program and later wrote Hints and Tips for the ZX80, a guide aimed at people experimenting with Sinclair's early computer. The book helped connect him with amateur programmers who sent him games on cassette tapes. Seeing that these creators needed a route to market, Hewson began publishing games under the Hewson Consultants name. The company initially used mail-order advertisements in computing magazines, allowing it to reach owners of machines such as the ZX81 without the distribution infrastructure required by larger software businesses. Its earliest releases included Space Intruders, a ZX81 game derived from the popular space-invader formula, followed by titles such as Pilot, Nightflite, Heathrow Air Traffic Control, Knight Driver, Quest Adventure and 3D Space-Wars. These games established a broad catalogue spanning simulations, action games, space combat and adventure. During 1984 and 1985, Hewson's releases became increasingly ambitious. 3D Lunattack, Avalon, Technician Ted, Dragontorc, Astro Clone, Paradroid and Gribbly's Day Out demonstrated the company's interest in distinctive mechanics and technically demanding presentation. Paradroid became the best-known of these games. Its Commodore 64 design combined real-time space combat with a system in which players could attempt to take control of enemy robots, giving the game a strategic layer unusual for an arcade-oriented release. The catalogue expanded substantially in 1986 and 1987. Firelord, Pyracurse, Quazatron, Southern Belle, Uridium, Cybernoid, Exolon, Zynaps, Impossaball, Nebulus, Ranarama, Evening Star and Anarchy covered a range of action, shooting, platform and fantasy-adventure styles. Several games were designed around fast scrolling or complex on-screen movement, areas in which 8-bit home computers were often judged by specialist magazines. Hewson's reputation benefited from strong critical reception: Your Sinclair placed the company seventh out of 109 publishers it reviewed, recording an average score of 84 percent, and recognized fourteen games as Megagames. Later releases included Netherworld, Cybernoid II: The Revenge, Marauder, Zamzara, Eliminator, Battle Valley, Steel, Stormlord, Astaroth, Onslaught, Deliverance, Insects in Space and Zarathrusta. The company's activity continued into the beginning of the 1990s, but Hewson Consultants ultimately closed during that period. Andrew Hewson also had a public role in the software community through his Sinclair User column and later founded ELSPA, the European Leisure Software Publishers Association. After Hewson Consultants shut down, Andrew Hewson and other members of its management team went on to establish or work through 21st Century Entertainment. That company released the Pinball Dreams, Pinball Fantasies and Pinball Illusions titles, extending the management team's involvement in computer and video-game publishing. Hewson Consultants is therefore remembered both for individual classics—especially Paradroid—and for representing the independent British publishing model that flourished around cassette and disk-based home computers in the 1980s.

• 1987

  Catalogue broadens across genres

  [1]Hewson Consultantsen.wikipedia.org

  Releases such as Exolon, Zynaps, Nebulus, Ranarama and Anarchy extend the company's presence across shooting, platform and adventure formats.

• 1986

  Major action catalogue established

  [1]Hewson Consultantsen.wikipedia.org

  Hewson releases games including Quazatron, Uridium and Cybernoid, reinforcing its reputation for fast, technically demanding action software.

• 1985

  Paradroid released

  [1]Hewson Consultantsen.wikipedia.org

  The Commodore 64 science-fiction action game becomes the label's most celebrated title and a landmark of the platform.

• 1984

  Avalon and Technician Ted expand the catalogue

  [1]Hewson Consultantsen.wikipedia.org

  Hewson publishes two highly regarded releases during a period when its games become more technically and creatively ambitious.

• 1981

  Space Intruders released

  [1]Hewson Consultantsen.wikipedia.org

  The ZX81 title becomes one of the earliest listed releases associated with the Hewson Consultants label.

• Hewson Consultants is established

  [1]Hewson Consultantsen.wikipedia.org

  Andrew Hewson turns contacts with amateur programmers into a mail-order publishing business for home-computer games.

• Company closes

  [1]Hewson Consultantsen.wikipedia.org

  Hewson Consultants shuts down in the early 1990s, after which Andrew Hewson and members of the management team continue in the industry through 21st Century Entertainment.

An independent British publisher focused on high-quality, technically ambitious games for the home-computer market, with particular strength in action, arcade and science-fiction releases.

• Science-fiction action game · 1985

  Paradroid

  A Commodore 64 game combining space combat, exploration and a distinctive robot-control mechanic. Players can attempt to transfer control into hostile machines, giving the action a tactical dimension. Paradroid is widely regarded as one of the strongest games associated with the Commodore 64 and is the best-known title in the Hewson Consultants catalogue.

• Scrolling shooter · 1986

  Uridium

  A fast arcade-style shooter built around high-speed movement over the surfaces of large enemy spacecraft. Its emphasis on smooth scrolling and reflex-driven play reflected Hewson's interest in technically impressive action games for 8-bit home computers.

• Science-fiction action game · 1986

  Quazatron

  A science-fiction action title in which the player navigates futuristic environments and battles robotic opponents. It followed the design lineage associated with Paradroid while presenting the concept in a different setting and format.

• Arcade shooter · 1987

  Cybernoid

  An action shooter released during Hewson's especially productive late-1980s period. The game contributed to the publisher's identity as a source of demanding arcade software and was followed by Cybernoid II: The Revenge.

• Platform action game · 1987

  Nebulus

  A platform-oriented action game known for its unusual cylindrical level presentation. It formed part of Hewson's broader late-1980s catalogue, which combined conventional arcade formats with distinctive visual and technical approaches.

• Action-adventure game · 1984

  Avalon

  An action-adventure release from the company's mid-1980s period. Contemporary coverage rated it highly, and it helped demonstrate that the Hewson label was publishing more than simple arcade conversions or basic genre exercises.

• Platform game · 1984

  Technician Ted

  A platform game that received particularly strong contemporary attention, including a very high review score in Crash magazine. A later expanded edition, Technician Ted: The Megamix, appeared in 1986.

1. 1Hewson Consultantsen.wikipedia.org