''Advanced Lawnmower Simulator'' is a video game for the

ZX Spectrum The ZX Spectrum () is an 8-bit computing, 8-bit home computer developed and marketed by Sinclair Research. One of the most influential computers ever made and one of the all-time bestselling British computers, over five million units were sold. ...

published as an

April Fools' Day April Fools' Day or April Fool's Day (rarely called All Fools' Day) is an annual custom on the 1st of April consisting of practical jokes, hoaxes, and pranks. Jokesters often expose their actions by shouting "April Fool " at the recipient. ...

joke by ''

Your Sinclair ''Your Sinclair'', originally ''Your Spectrum'' or ''YS'', is a discontinued British computer magazine for the Sinclair range of computers, mainly the ZX Spectrum. It was commercially published between 1984 and 1993. History The magazine was la ...

'' magazine in 1988. The player is tasked with mowing lawns with a

lawn mower A lawn mower (also known as a grass cutter or simply mower, also often spelled lawnmower) is a device utilizing one or more revolving blades (or a reel) to cut a lawn, grass surface to an even height. The height of the cut grass may be fixed by ...

in exchange for rewards. The magazine claimed the game was developed and published by "Gardensoft" and also published a joke review lauding it and released the game on a cover tape. It was not officially labelled as a prank until August 1990. The concept has inspired other games with similar titles.

Gameplay

The player is presented with a choice of six lawnmowers, five of which are inoperative and cannot be used. Once the only operative lawnmower has been picked, the player then uses it to mow a lawn. There is only one key ("M"), and pressing it mows one square of lawn. After a lawn is completely mowed, the player is rewarded if it was done well enough. All lawns are identical. After a few lawns have been mowed, the player gets killed automatically (according to ''

'', the mower "hits a rock and blows up") and the game starts again.

Development and release

''Advanced Lawnmower Simulator'' was first conceived as a prank in the April 1988 issue of ''

''. The piece claimed the player takes on the role of a

Youth Training Scheme The Youth Training Scheme (YTS) was the name in the United Kingdom of an on-the-job training course for school leavers aged 16 and 17 and was managed by the Manpower Services Commission. The scheme was first outlined in the 1980 white paper ''A N ...

junior gardener with a lawnmower, a small toolbox and a can of petrol, and would be able to upgrade their equipment, including additional tools, more cans of petrol and more powerful "grassware". It also claimed that lawns get larger as the game progresses, have hidden traps such as stones, coat-hangers and duck-ponds, and later levels would be rose gardens. The supposed developer and publisher Gardensoft were introduced as "a brand new publishing house that looks set to carve quite a niche for itself in the simulations market", and the piece claimed that they were going to release more games in the coming months, including a spring-cleaning game, a washing-up simulator (including a drying-up simulator) and a laundrette simulator in which players supposedly have to clean bags of various colours and materials. It was also stated that ''Advanced Lawnmower Simulator'' is "ACE!" and a "Guaranteed number one!", and would cost £14.95. It was also awarded a nine out of ten and given the magazine's MEGAGAME accolade. An advertisement, which described the game as "The most advanced domestic chore simulation yet to hit the home micro!" and claimed a release date of 1st April and that it would be available for purchase in garden centres, appeared in the same issue. The game was coded by ''

'' writer Duncan Macdonald, and released on a cover tape in the next issue. The game parodied

Codemasters The Codemasters Software Company Limited (trade name: Codemasters) is a British video game developer and former publisher based in Southam, England, which is a subsidiary of American corporation Electronic Arts and managed under the EA Sports ...

' habit of including the word "simulator" in its game titles. ''Your Sinclair'' revealed the review and game to be an April Fools' joke in August 1990 (after a series of letters about the game were supposedly posted to the magazine). The issue also claimed (with screenshots) there are three sequels to the game: one written by Rodney Sproston in which "alien grass has invaded the moon", ''Advanced Lawenmower Simulator III'', in which the player inadvertently enters a nightmare whose only escape from is by mowing through a "dream hole", and ''ALS Part Four - The Revenge Of Mow'', in which the player has to collect money after it falls out of their pocket after purchasing a new mower. The piece finished with the words "Utter crap".

Reception

In 2008, ''

Retro Gamer ''Retro Gamer'' is a British magazine, published worldwide, covering Retrogaming, retro video games. It was the first commercial magazine to be devoted entirely to the subject. Launched in January 2004 as a quarterly publication, ''Retro Gamer'' ...

'' jokingly stated that ''Advanced Lawnmower Simulator'' "has been hailed as THE best game on the Spectrum", and made jocular judgements on the gameplay and graphics as "Outstanding" and "Excellent" respectively, and of the game as "a truly special experience". ''Advanced Lawnmower Simulator'' appears on an ''

IGN ''IGN'' is an American video gaming and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa district and is headed by its former e ...

'' list of "Video Games You Won't Believe Somebody Made", and a '' Geek.com'' list of "Weirdest Simulation Games of All Time". ''

Vice A vice is a practice, behaviour, Habit (psychology), habit or item generally considered morally wrong in the associated society. In more minor usage, vice can refer to a fault, a negative character trait, a defect, an infirmity, or a bad or unhe ...

'' described the prank as "one of the strangest incidents in mainstream publishing".

Legacy

''Advanced Lawnmower Simulator'' has received a cult following and multiple remakes. The game inspired other

tongue-in-cheek Tongue-in-cheek is an idiom that describes a humorous or sarcastic statement expressed in a serious manner. History The phrase originally expressed contempt, but by 1842 had acquired its modern meaning. Early users of the phrase include Sir Walte ...

games with "simulator" in the title. It has been ported to the

Amstrad CPC The Amstrad CPC (short for "Colour Personal Computer") is a series of 8-bit home computers produced by Amstrad between 1984 and 1990. It was designed to compete in the mid-1980s home computer market dominated by the Commodore 64 and the ZX Spec ...

and

Amiga Amiga is a family of personal computers produced by Commodore International, Commodore from 1985 until the company's bankruptcy in 1994, with production by others afterward. The original model is one of a number of mid-1980s computers with 16-b ...

References

External links