Ice to see you
Steve Jarrett has unearthed a unique version of Frost Byte
Steve has been collecting and selling vintage videogames via his ebay venture, The Last 8 Bit Game Shop, for a long time. As a result he’s seen everything from the mundane and boring to the rare and exciting. Recently, however, Steve came across a really unusual gem – alternate artwork for popular 8-bit release Frost Byte. Here he tells us what happened.
How did you come across this version of Frost Byte?
I had been contacted about a large collection of various format 8-bit retro games, so I said, ‘Great, yes please!’ and I asked for some clear photos of the collection before buying. When I received the photos, all the games were mixed up on their presentation, mainly 90 per cent C64 titles and a few Amstrad and Atari games. After looking at a second photo of around five, I spotted Frost Byte!
What was the big deal, it’s a common game, right?
At first I thought it was a homebrew cover, then after some closer looking at the photo, I knew it looked way too professional. I was like, ‘Wow!’ and excitement took me and I had goosebumps! I then contacted the seller in seconds and purchased Frost Byte and a few other games from the collection. You have to move fast as collections get sold very quickly!
So tell us what happened next…
I did some reference work online to see if that cover had been uploaded, or if it had been used on another format, which it hadn’t. I then knew it was special. I went straight for
Frost Byte and… well it looked fantastic. I checked the inlay and cassette and it was indeed an original cover and cassette!
You must have been thrilled, no?
Seeing the inlay, front, back and sides felt fantastic, like unearthing a rare artefact as an archaeologist. I couldn’t believe it and really felt quite emotional! What a find! I remember buying Frost
Byte back in 1986 and I absolutely loved it, so this felt extra special.
Have you had any interest in it from other collectors?
I have told quite a few CPC collectors, I have shown the cover to one collector who thought it was stunning! I will shortly pass a high-res scan of the artwork and cassette onto all the CPC sites online for everyone to see and enjoy.
So how often do rarities like this show up?
Well this is a once-in-a-lifetime find, really! They don’t turn up much at all. I’ve been selling Amstrad games for over 20 years and have never seen anything like it! This could be one of three or four? At the time this was probably put out for review as a preview (as it’s stamped on the cassette) to the Amstrad CPC magazines. It’s possible Mikro-gen may have asked for these to be destroyed after preview? Perhaps this was the only one to escape the offices?
What do you plan to do with it?
I plan to keep the Frost Byte, as it’s one of my favourite games, I’ll keep it in my collection. I will scan the cassette and inlay. I’ll pass it onto all the online CPC sites for everyone to see and download. As for what it’s worth?
Well it’s a one-off! It’s priceless, really! Finding it was a real high point and something I’ll never forget!