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MG FACTS
by Marriott_Guy

During the mid 1980s, just about everyone was hopping on the video game bandwagon after Nintendo's extremely successful Famicom / NES system. Among these new players included the British Broadcasting Company (BBC). Though at first glance this may sound like an odd marriage, the BBC was no stranger to the electronics field. Partnering with the Acorn Computer Company, they developed a relatively successful line of computers known as the BBC Micro with the first in the series debuting in December 1, 1981. Their entry into the console world was the BBC Bridge Companion.

The BBC Bridge Companion is exactly what you would think - a gaming machine for teaching the card game bridge. The system was developed by Andrew Kambites, an avid bridge player who sought to capitalize on his computer programming background and his passion for the game. The console was released in 1985 and was exclusive to the UK market.

A total of nine (9) game cartridges were released, with each providing an interactive tutorial on various aspects of the game of bridge. Players controlled the action via keypad that was integrated into the top of the system. For some odd reason, the cartridge slot is located on the back of the system. A power jack and RF output are the only other interfaces. The console is powered by a Zilog Z80 A (8-bit) CPU with a Texas Instruments TMS9129NL video controller. The console generates an eight (8) color display with primitive audio.

The BBC Bridge Companion saw a limited release in the UK with only one version having been released. This obscure system slipped underneath our radar until a fellow gaming enthusiast from across the pond brought this to our attention. A great oddity in the history of the video game console.

MODELS Officially licensed releases
BBC Bridge Companion
This is rather an elusive console to find in North America, but this is not the case in Europe where they seem to be quite common. The following pictures are from an old listing on eBay UK.






CLONES Non-licensed hardware releases
No clones were released for this system.

FORMAT, PACKAGING & GENERAL INFO Interesting facts on software for this system
Software for the BBC Bridge Companion was distributed in the ROM cartridge format. There were a total of nine (9) games released for the system, with I believe "Bridge Builder" being packaged with the console. The games were distributed in clamshell style casing with a rather large spiraled manual accompanying the software. The list of available titles, listed alphabetically:
Advanced Bidding Advanced Defense Bridge Builder	Club Play 1 Club Play 2 Club Play 3	Conventions 1 Duplicate 1 Master Play 1

BBC Bridge Companion Game Cartridge & Manual Pictures


SCREENSHOTS Captured in-game images
The following are screen captures from a couple of eBay listings.

EMULATION
First and third party system emulators

MESS

MESS (Multi-Emulator Super System) is a DOS based emulator capable of running many
systems including this one. It has a Windows based GUI and is extremely user friendly.

SPECS & MANUALS
For the hardware enthusiasts out there - all the detail you\we love.

Processor Type	Processor Speed	Other Processor Information	RAM \ Video RAM
Zilog Z80 A (8-bit)	3.579 MHz (not confirmed)	TMS9129NL (video)	16 KB
Screen Resolution	Color Palette	Polygons \ Sprites	Audio
280 x 216	8 Colors	N\A	Yes (specs unknown)
Media Format	Media Capacity	Games Released	Other Supported Formats
Cartridge	Unknown	9	None
Internal Storage	External \ Removable Storage	Game Controllers	Other Game \ Peripheral Devices
None	None	Keypad (intergrated)	None
Controller Ports	Network Ports	Other Ports	Audio \ Video
None (controls built into system)	None	None	RF
Power Supply - External	Other Outputs	Other Details \ Notes
Input: AC 240V, 50Hz Output: Unknown	None	None
Manuals
Not available. The picture below is a snapshot of the PCB courtesy of MESS