Driving the kids to school this morning, I tuned into the Dave Berry Breakfast Show to hear words that sent shivers down my spine: Granny’s Garden.
Way back in the 1980s (and perhaps the early 1990s), Granny’s Garden terrorised children across the UK. Forced to do computer time by their teachers (and a national curriculum), kids would wait for turns at the school computer. Often, it was to face the tortuous adventure in Granny’s Garden that would invariably leave them bloody frustrated.
I’d all but forgotten the game, so was amused on the school run to hear it dominated proceedings on Absolute Radio’s flagship morning show. Here’s their daily podcast of highlights:
(Sadly, the show is no longer available to listen to online.)
What Is a BBC Micro?
Once upon a time, there was a computer that every kid in the UK knew. Whether they owned a ZX Spectrum, a Dragon 32, or a Commodore 64 – or even an Amstrad CPC 464 – they were able to use a BBC Micro at school.
The purpose of this Acorn-developed machine was a little different to the home computers. It had been specifically designed for education, and was extremely expandable, with internal ROM chip slots for additional software support (such as word processing).
You may know that the classic space exploration and trading game Elite was first released on the BBC Micro (but did you know there is an active Elite modding community?). But it also had a number of unique… “exclusives” (seems a stretch, but we’ll go with it).
Some of these performed a public service, such as teaching children to spot potential fires or road safety. Others were somewhat more niche, highlighting, for example, the dangers of encountering witches.
What Is Granny’s Garden?
Like many games of the era, this is a text and graphic adventure, punctuated by puzzles and directional instructions. It lacks the depth of The Hobbit, but was apparently a title that convinced education officials that having a BBC Micro in schools would be a good idea.
The aim of the game is to find some missing princes and princesses, while avoiding the witch. While it came out on several platforms (including the C64, ZX Spectrum, the Acorn Archimedes 16-bit, and even on iPhone and iPad in 2014), I’ve only ever seen it at school in around 1986, and don’t have it in my collection of original BBC Micro titles.
Here’s a more in-depth look at the game.
As you’ll gather from the clip above, Granny’s Garden is one of the games you can play at the Derby Computer Museum.
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Christian Cawley is the founder and editor of GamingRetro.co.uk, a website dedicated to classic and retro gaming. With over 20 years of experience writing for technology and gaming publications, he brings considerable expertise and a lifelong passion for interactive entertainment, particularly games from the 8-bit and 16-bit eras.
Christian has written for leading outlets including TechRadar, Computer Weekly, Linux Format, and MakeUseOf, where he also served as Deputy Editor.
When he’s not exploring vintage consoles or retro PCs, Christian enjoys building with LEGO, playing cigar box guitar, and experimenting in the kitchen.
