What is The Commune?
We're a group of gamers, and we're always looking for new gamers to join us. Every month or so, we pick a game to play. We chat about the game together, and we record podcasts, record videos, and write essays. You can reach The Commune in the following ways: As for me, I'm Greg Livingston, but I go by Golem. I organize things around here.

Bugaboo (The Flea)

Started on Feb 14, 2016
Ended on Feb 29, 2016
View this game's forum
This flea fell to the bottom of a creepy cavern. Get out while dodging the dragon!

Tags: ZX Spectrum platform
 

Podcasts

May 21, 2016
In Bugaboo, your aim is to guide a flea out of a deep, dark cave while avoiding a dragon. How did we come to grips with this goal? How did we learn to play the game successfully?

Posts

Feb 27, 2016
A review of Bugaboo and how its elements come together.
 

Related Interviews

Apr 16, 2016
Ed Linley details maze design and jumping controls in Bullet Pea and Bugaboo (The Flea).
Apr 20, 2016
Mike Hanson, developer of Flix the Flea, details maze design and difficulty curves.

Interviews

Apr 23, 2016
Eduardo Mena, a professor of computer science with an interest in video game history, discusses the history of Spanish game software and the impact of Bugaboo.
Apr 27, 2016
Paco Portalo recalls his time working on Bugaboo and discusses its design principles.
 

User Resources

Mar 26, 2016
From Adrian
Commune member Adrian plays through Bugaboo (The Flea), offering his gameplay commentary and insight as he goes.
Mar 26, 2016
From Golem
A playthrough of Bugaboo (The Flea) showcasing that the jump power meter is not perfectly reliable.

External Resources

Mar 26, 2016
A review of Bugaboo (The Flea) from CRASH issue 1, February 1984.
Mar 27, 2016
The entire map of Bugaboo (The Flea) courtesy of Speccy Screenshot Maps.
Mar 27, 2016
Written by Francisco Portalo Calero, this book discusses "the historical and technical contributions made by Bugaboo." Note that the book itself is written in Spanish.
Apr 10, 2016
Chris Rasa's coverage of Bugaboo (The Flea) and its sequels for Hardcore Gaming 101.