DK'Tronics Ltd (stylised as dk'tronics) was a British software and hardware company active during the 1980s. It primarily made peripherals 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. ...

and

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 ...

but also released

video game A video game or computer game is an electronic game that involves interaction with a user interface or input device (such as a joystick, game controller, controller, computer keyboard, keyboard, or motion sensing device) to generate visual fe ...

s for the

ZX81 The ZX81 is a home computer that was produced by Sinclair Research and manufactured in Dundee, Scotland, by Timex Corporation. It was launched in the United Kingdom in March 1981 as the successor to Sinclair's ZX80 and designed to be a low-c ...

Commodore 64 The Commodore 64, also known as the C64, is an 8-bit computing, 8-bit home computer introduced in January 1982 by Commodore International (first shown at the Consumer Electronics Show, January 7–10, 1982, in Las Vegas). It has been listed in ...

VIC-20 The VIC-20 (known as the VC-20 in Germany and the VIC-1001 in Japan) is an 8-bit entry level home computer that was sold by Commodore International, Commodore Business Machines. The VIC-20 was announced in 1980, roughly three years after Commod ...

BBC Micro The BBC Microcomputer System, or BBC Micro, is a family of microcomputers developed and manufactured by Acorn Computers in the early 1980s as part of the BBC's Computer Literacy Project. Launched in December 1981, it was showcased across severa ...

Memotech MTX The Memotech MTX500 and MTX512 are a range of 8-bit Zilog Z80A based home computers released by the British company Memotech in 1983 and sold mainly in the UK, France, Germany and Scandinavia. Originally a manufacturer of memory add-ons for Sin ...

MSX MSX is a standardized home computer architecture, announced by ASCII Corporation on June 16, 1983. It was initially conceived by Microsoft as a product for the Eastern sector, and jointly marketed by Kazuhiko Nishi, the director at ASCII Corpo ...

and Amstrad platforms.

History

The company's first product was a 16Kb expansion pack for the

ZX80 The Sinclair ZX80 is a home computer launched on 29 January 1980 by Science of Cambridge Ltd. (later to be better known as Sinclair Research). It is notable for being one of the first computers available in the United Kingdom for less than a hu ...

, released just prior to the launch of the

. At this time the company consisted only of David Heelas, working part-time through his interest in electronics. When the ZX81 was launched, he went full-time manufacturing, packaging and posting from his home – and by the end of 1981 he had four employees. Hardware production expanded to include new keyboards for the ZX81 and for the newly released ZX Spectrum. By 1984, DK'Tronics had around 50 personnel, with Heelas as managing director. He was also looking into the possibility of becoming a computer manufacturer, specifically with a low-cost processor for the leisure market. It was planned to have an integrated screen and music keyboard. DK'Tronics published games between 1982 and 1985, and included works from programmers such as

Don Priestley Don Priestley (1940–2024) was a British school teacher and former video game programmer who wrote over 20 commercial games for the ZX81 and ZX Spectrum home computers between 1982 and 1989. Despite successful releases for DK'Tronics, such as '' ...

, who became a director of the company in 1983. David Heelas was known to be critical of the hype attempted by other software companies in the gaming press and took pride in the professional position adopted by DK'Tronics.

Games

*''Meteoroids'' (1982) *''

3D Tanx ''3D Tanx'' is a shoot 'em up video game written by Don Priestley and published by DK'Tronics in 1982 for the ZX Spectrum, Commodore 64, and BBC Micro. Gameplay The aim of the game is to shoot tank A tank is an armoured fighting vehicl ...

'' (1982) *''Dictator'' (1983) *''Spawn of Evil'' (1983) *''

Maziacs ''Maziacs'' is an action adventure maze game published by DK'Tronics in 1983 for the ZX Spectrum, Commodore 64, and MSX. History ''Maziacs'', written by Don Priestley, was based on his earlier ZX81 game '' Mazogs''

'' (1983) *''Jumbly'' (1983) *'' Zig Zag'' (1984) *'' Minder (1985)'' *''Popeye'' (1985) *''

Benny Hill's Madcap Chase ''Benny Hill's Madcap Chase'' is a ZX Spectrum videogame featuring Benny Hill and loosely based on his Thames TV show. It was programmed by Don Priestley and published by DK'Tronics in 1985. The plot involves Benny deciding to help his neighbour ...

'' (1985)

References

External links

DK'Tronics Ltd
at

World of 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. ...

Defunct video game companies of the United Kingdom {{UK-videogame-company-stub