Smoke and Mirrors by Mike James - Book Review

"You fool! You fell victim to one of the classic blunders! The most famous is to never get involved in a land war in Asia!"

Vizzini - The Princess Bride

"Another is never launch retro gaming hardware using early US-based consoles as an inspiration!"

Andrew the Tekkie - Just now

There are countless more in the realm of video games, but alongside whatever the hell is going on with Intellivision (the last update email was received 14th February 2024), the Coleco Chameleon epitomises what happens when an idea takes flight and no-one has the ability/forethought to shoot it down before it goes too far. However, Smoke and Mirrors by Mike James is much more than just a recitation of that particular shindig. Oh no, this is the kit and caboodle tell all centred on the individual responsible. 

The subtitle says it best: "The rise and fall of a serial antipreneur" and it's completely accurate. More than just a history of the Retro VGS/Coleco Chameleon, Smoke and Mirrors is a character study into the man behind those projects and his other attempts at making his love of video games earn him a living. From e-Bay analogues to podcasts and publications, Mike Kennedy's' approach to money making ideas could almost make Del Boy blush, such is the rapidity of directional changes he made within the period covered by this book. It's mesmerising how he switched between schemes without focus, how his desire to sell his vision (well, whichever one was his priority that particular day) led to the creation of his last "big" idea.

This is a complex tale, with many of the threads of the overarching story running concurrently, and that could have been the downfall of this book, but the author navigates the trials and tribulations rather well. Given its size (over 660 pages and there is little wasted space) and the running order of events, there is some repetition between chapters, but this should be seen more in the light of "remember when this happened 120 pages ago? You probably don't because of al of the drama since then. Well, as it turns out..." The ill-fated console doesn't really make an appearance until you've clocked over 200 pages, but such is the wild ride to get to that point, you hardly notice. Indeed, the personalities that pepper this tale reveal the highs and the lows of the retro gaming community, and although there is a conscious effort not to malign individuals, where there is fault, it is apportioned in a fair manner. It also helps that the events covered in the book are easily researched online, so readers can take their research even further if they so wish. 

Any real flaws? There could have been some tighter editing, especially at the very beginning - the very first chapter drags a little, but once you're in the story proper, there is a steady flow that doesn't falter thereafter. There is also the recognition that the author, being directly involved with events, is writing about himself in the third person (Andrew is unsure about this technique), and at times the tense seems to switch mid-sentence, but these are minor niggles. There is some imagery, clear enough in the mono copy I have, and it's a well put together tome. 

All in all, Smoke and Mirrors is well worth a read, and sheds illumination on how someone with a passion for video games can get it so wrong, be it by design or by mis-adventure. You may take it as a cautionary tale of how not to do things, or as an expose on one of the more bizarre hardware reveals in gaming history. Either way, it's one hell of a ride. 

I picked up my copy of Smoke and Mirrors from the North West Computer Museum (which I heartily recommend you visit if you can), but you can also find out more about the author, the book and shopping options here.

The North West Computer Museum - Road Trip!

A couple of years ago at the Wakefield RISC OS show (which was, and has been ever since, in Bradford due to previous venue availability), one of the stands was hosted by the North West Computer Museum, aiming to raise awareness of the plans to open a computer museum in the north west - their marketing department really were on the ball that day! After handing over cash for some merch (and gaining a couple of free baseball caps - cheers, Joe!), I decided to keep an eye on how they would progress. As you can see, they've done a fantastic job. 

The first cabinet...

Leigh is a fair distance from Tantobie so, when the decision was made to attend the 2024 Bradfield Wakeford (wasn't he good in The West Wing?) show, we planned to overshoot Bradford and journey on to visit Joe and company. Thus, on Friday 26th April, the TIT retro computing correspondent (that's me, that is), managed to spend a couple of hours on site. I truly wish it could have been longer, but we arrived there just after one and, to be honest, after the 180-odd miles that would be driven that day, my good lady and I had eyes on a pint after we'd travelled on and arrived in Bradford.

Before we get to the museum itself, a quick note on Spinner's Mill. The museum is on the fourth floor of the building and the building itself is huge!. There are dozens of units, offering crafts and arts related workshops, businesses and even a cinema. It truly is a magnificent venue to generate a cultural vibe and I have no doubt that if we were local, we'd be visiting more of the offerings. 

As the North West Computer Museum occupies a section of the fourth floor, the double-gated cargo lift was a first for me. After a few left, rights and carry ons, we made it to the doorway and a very nice looking Sinclair C5 which I forgot to photograph. Doh!)..

We were greeted by Joe who took our entrance fees and made the introductory piece about the exhibits. He also pointed out their A.I. assistant Kelly (one for Weird Science fans, no head bras necessary), before leaving us to wander. And wow, wander we did. Starting in the 1970's, the tour for the computer section is taken anti-clockwise and you're soon immersed in the joys of old-school (and old school) computing. The machines on the outer wall of the tour are plugged in and available to play select titles on (with more software available to play from frankly huge glass display cabinets around the corner). The inner section contains many, many machines that deserve more space but the decision was made to have as much kit as possible on display, and it's once that I whole-heartedly agree with. Information boards tell you all you need to know about key machines and people, and there is a good mix of games consoles and other hardware to try out.

This section brought back memories of using some of the kit, as well as the opportunity to try out gear that I could only have dreamed about back in the day. Being a bit of a keyboard nut, just trying out some of the original terminal/8-bit input devices was eye-opening. Some were terrible, but others, well, they would be perfect today, but who knows how much they'd actually cost to reproduce. As for the games on show, Manic Miner proved a nostalgic hit with my good lady. 

Handhelds and phones of all types.

Leaving the demo section, around the corner you have a glass cabinet with mobile devices, a long wall of cabinets with the software you can try out, access to a small arcade area with several cabinets, a VR room and the workshop, complete with a BBC Micro dominated table. 

If I squint, this could be my old school...

Back to the front of the museum, there's a central island where food and snacks can be purchased. Note, if you are asked if you like cheese, be warned, you will get cheese! We had cheese and ham toasties which were very reasonably priced and defined the term "death by cheese" - no complaints at all there. 

There's a shop section catering to merch, electronic packs and some books (I picked up a tome focussed on the Coleco Chameleon fiasco, so expect a review of that in the coming weeks), as well as some online enabled machines that form an internet cafe. There is so much to see here and honestly too much for the space they have - that makes finding rare and funky machines half the fun, and yes, I did find an Apple eMate eventually, 

Throughout, Joe was the perfect host, and I felt really good handing over several handheld devices for the museum's collection - they've gone to a good home. It was worth the trip calling in and I really do recommend that you make the trip yourself if you can. There are future plans to move to building one for a much. bigger unit (that C5 won't just be for show then), but in the mean time, supporting the North West Computer Museum however you can is very much a good thing. 

They have wares if you have coin...

Have a gander at the museum's website here for opening times, and visit them if you can. With someone as passionate and as driven as Joe at the door, you will be in for a cracking time, as well as surrounding yourself with a fantastic array of computing hardware. Here's a few more of the pictures I took that day. 

I can't say it enough: if you can, you need to visit the North West Computer Museum!