Gamers of a certain age will no doubt remember the Dizzy series — a beloved collection of games released by Codemasters that graced all the major 8-bit home computers during the late ’80s and early ’90s. My personal favourite (and the only one I ever actually completed!) was the second instalment: Treasure Island Dizzy.
The game was notoriously unforgiving — you had just one life, and a single mistake meant starting over from the very beginning. But despite the frustration, I stuck with it. A big reason for that, I think, was the game’s relentlessly cheerful and infectious soundtrack. The main theme is simple in structure — its bassline cycles through the notes C G, A E, C G, A E, F C, G D, F C, G D — yet there’s something irresistibly joyful about it.
So, I was over the moon when I discovered that composer Matt Gray had revisited and reimagined the tune for his Reformation album project, updating his classic 8-bit tracks with a more modern sound while preserving their original charm.
Interestingly, Matt Gray’s talents didn’t stop with retro game music. As well as composing iconic Commodore 64 music for games like Driller and Last Ninja 2, he went on to co-write Cher’s mega-hit Believe (credited as Matthew Gray) and became a founding member of the songwriting and production team Xenomania — responsible for chart-topping songs by Girls Aloud, Kylie Minogue, Little Mix, Sugababes, and many more.
This particular tune will always hold a special place in my heart. It’s more than just game music — it’s a joyful little time capsule that instantly transports me back to my childhood and playing on my Commodore 64.
