I can still remember the excitement of getting my hands on issue 12 of Commodore Format. It was August 1991, and we were away on holiday in Scotland, visiting my uncle and aunt.
The big reason for my excitement was the 3D Construction Kit. It had been released just a month or so earlier, and the demo game that came with it was featured on issue 12’s Power Pack. The Freescape games weren’t to everyone’s taste—most readers probably had more fun with Spindizzy, P.P. Hammer, Rodland, or Speedball 2—but I was completely hooked on those Virtual Worlds. By then, I’d already played Driller, Dark Side, Total Eclipse, and Castle Master to death, so even though it was short, this new Freescape adventure felt like a whole new world to explore. More than that, it fired up my imagination—I couldn’t stop thinking about all the amazing virtual worlds I might create once I got hold of the full kit.
Luckily, I didn’t have to wait long. As soon as we got home, my parents treated me to it.
https://stu-wilson.com/3dbox/content/commodoreformat12c64.php
https://stu-wilson.com/3dbox/index.php?has_3D_box=yes
And as a bonus, here’s a photo of me with Mum, Uncle Jim, and Auntie Betty at Edinburgh Castle (with Dad behind the camera). It must have been taken during one of the rare moments I wasn’t completely lost in daydreams about the 3D Construction Kit and issue 12 of Commodore Format.
