Rock Star Ate My Hamster

Rock Star Ate My Hamster

Developer(s)	Colin Jones
Publisher(s)	Code Masters
Platform(s)	ZX Spectrum, Commodore 64, Amstrad CPC, Amiga, Atari ST
Release date(s)	^EU 1988
Genre(s)	Strategy, Music management
Mode(s)	Single-player
Media/distribution	5¼" Floppy disk

Rockstar 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.

The name of the game was inspired by a 1986 Sun headline - 'Freddie Starr ate my hamster', which served as a focal point for mid-1980s tabloid culture and helped further the career of the comic in question.

1 Synopsis
2 Objective
3 Gameplay
4 Musicians
5 Notes and references
6 External links

Synopsis

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

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

Gameplay

The game is almost entirely menu driven with options that allow you to select your current decision.

Your first task as manager is to pick musicians for your band (see below), and then whether you'll buy them brand new equipment or, get some dodgy gear off the back of a lorry.

Once in the main game, you have the option to:

Practice - Lock your 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 - Go on tour. This is the primary source of moneymaking in the game.
Publicity - Organise a publicity stunt but be careful - it might just kill off your band members!
Gifts - Buy your band some gifts to keep them sweet, otherwise they may make some rather costly ultimatums.
Record - Once you've got a contract, you can choose to record your album.
Release - Once the album's recorded, you can release it along with any singles.

Along the way, you'll also have to decide:

Whether or not to play a charity gig. Some of the charities that contact you are real and others bogus. Either way, you could end up with negative publicity if you snub 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. Expensive directors and locations or less costly ones. As with the parody nature of the game director names lampoon real life directors. A selection choice of a high level (most expensive) director is named Steven Cheeseburger (Steven Spielberg). There are many others fitting with the theme of recognizable but legally distinct names.
Which recording contract is best for your band.
What to do if a little organisation in Taiwan is pirating your records. Do nothing, sue them, buy them out or send in the heavies?

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

Musicians

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

Game Character	Real Name	In-game fee
Wacky Jacko	Michael Jackson	16000
Michael Gorge	George Michael	15000
Bimbo Baggins	Kylie Minogue	6000
Crispy Rind	Chrissie Hynde	950
Rick Ghastly	Rick Astley	700
Dorrissey	Morrissey	900
Maradona	Madonna	17000
Jason Doner-Kebab	Jason Donovan	8000
Gracy 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	16000

Legends

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 Clapout	Eric Clapton	25600
Tina Turnoff	Tina Turner	15000
Meat Head	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	6500
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

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 Asbeen	Ozzy Osbourne	3000
Titchy Blackhead	Ritchie Blackmore	700
Alison Nightmare	Alice Cooper	200
Lumme	Lemmy	400

Notes and references

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