Like most children of the 80's I had a huge love of the micro computers scene that was thriving. I had my first real experience with computers in the mid 80's with the ZX Spectrum and Amstrad CPC 464. The first real games that blew me away were Robin Hood and later Fantasy World Dizzy. Both games were created by the Oliver Twins and at the time they became almost mythical figures, creating the best games including the iconic Dizzy. I used to love reading about the twins but in an era before the Internet there were only occasional snippets or features in magazines so they remained unknowable, unfathomable.

Luckily, I met the twins a couple of years ago at the Centre for Computing History and listened to them as they orally discussed their history and Dizzy games but this book, Let's Go Dizzy: The Story of the Oliver Twins, is a detailed account of their life and game making history.

Over 232 pages, Chris Wilkins, discusses their childhood, early interest in coding and rise to video game super stardom. The book is heavy in interviews and quotes from the twins themselves and so isn't just anecdotal but actually from the mouth of the twins. There are a large amount of photos from the time which help to provide context and the screenshots help to break up the large amount of text. Of all the sections, I found their evolution from the micro computers to the 8 and 16 bit era especially interesting as they discuss the Nintendo vs Code Masters Game Genie lawsuit and why certain Dizzy games weren't released on the platforms. The book is honest and covers the highs and the lows of their careers and for anyone interested in the life and works of the pioneering Oliver Twins, this is a must read.

LINK- Play the Dizzy Game In-Browser Now