Resources
Curated external links for Matthew Smith, Manic Miner, and Jet Set Willy. Community hubs, online emulators, databases, and preservation archives.
Matthew Smith and His Games
Wikipedia: Matthew Smith
The most complete publicly editable biography, with citations on his career, the Bug-Byte arrangement, and later interviews.
Wikipedia: Manic Miner
Full article on the 1983 game - history, technical details, reception, and the dispute between Bug-Byte and Software Projects.
Wikipedia: Jet Set Willy
Detailed article covering the game's development, the Allow bug, copy protection, and its commercial performance in 1984.
Spectrum Computing
The largest ZX Spectrum games database. Full entries for Manic Miner and Jet Set Willy with contemporary reviews and complete release data.
Community Hubs
Primary fan resource site for the Miner Willy engine. Hundreds of fan-created Jet Set Willy and Manic Miner room sets, level editors, and tools. The definitive archive for community-created content.
Active community forum dedicated to Jet Set Willy and Manic Miner. Ongoing discussion of new room sets, engine research, and speedrunning. New content shared regularly as of 2026.
Jet Set Willy Community
Spectrum Computing: Jet Set Willy
Full database entry for JSW with contemporary reviews, fan listings, and links to community resources including the bug-fixed JSW Renovated version.
World of Spectrum
The primary online archive for ZX Spectrum software and documentation. TAP and TZX files for both Manic Miner and Jet Set Willy.
Manic Miner on Internet Archive
The Internet Archive's Manic Miner entry with in-browser playback via the JSMESS emulator, plus box art scans and screenshots.
Jet Set Willy on Internet Archive
Internet Archive entry for Jet Set Willy with browser-based play, box art, and screenshots.
Interviews and Primary Sources
A rare text interview with Matthew Smith published at 80snostalgia.com. One of the more detailed primary text sources for his own account of the Manic Miner and Jet Set Willy period.
Kim Justice's 2019 documentary on Matthew Smith's full career. The most comprehensive video account of his work and life. Essential viewing. See the Videos page for all interview links.
Speedrunning
Active speedrun leaderboards for both Manic Miner and Jet Set Willy. Search the site for the specific game entry. Category rules and world record runs are documented. The JSW speedrunning tutorial is on the Videos page.
Emulators and Tools
Free Unix Spectrum Emulator - the most accurate open-source ZX Spectrum emulator. Cross-platform. Supports POKE commands for applying fixes like the Jet Set Willy Attic Bug patch. The recommended emulator for serious ZX Spectrum use.
Spectrum Computing hosts .tzx and .tap files for both Manic Miner and Jet Set Willy. Some entries include pre-patched versions with the Attic Bug already fixed. The most reliable source for clean, verified original files.
Speedrunning Tutorial
The Jet Set Willy speedrunning community tutorial, demonstrating optimal routing through the mansion's sixty rooms.
ALLOW
JSW Central and jswmm.co.uk are the primary archives for the Miner Willy fan community. Level editors have existed since 1984 - forty years of continuous fan creation.
The Jet Set Willy POKE fix for The Attic Bug: POKE 35899,0 before play. Matthew Smith described making the original as "seven shades of hell."
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