Cliff Johnson, 2006

Cliff Johnson (born 1953) is an American game designer, best known for the early computer puzzle games The Fool's Errand (1987) and 3 in Three (1990). Both games were notable for unique visual puzzles and a metapuzzle structure. Image File history File links Cliff-Johnson. ... Image File history File links Cliff-Johnson. ... 1953 (MCMLIII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link is to a full 1953 calendar). ... A game designer is a person who designs games. ... A Lego RCX Computer is an example of an embedded computer used to control mechanical devices. ... A puzzle is a problem or enigma presented as entertainment; that is written down, acted out, etc. ... The Fools Errand is a 1987 computer game by Cliff Johnson. ... 3 in Three is a 1989 computer game by Cliff Johnson. ...

Biography

Johnson was born August 14, 1953 in Hanover, New Hampshire, the only child of Norman and Leatrice Johnson. He attended Bristol Eastern High School, which is where he started making Super 8 movies. In 1972, he had jobs "building monsters" for five different amusement parks, and then later he attended University of Southern California's film school, where he became a teaching assistant in animation, and created some of the Monty Pythonesque animations for Nickelodeon's television series Out of Control. August 14 is the 226th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (227th in leap years), with 139 days remaining. ... 1953 (MCMLIII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link is to a full 1953 calendar). ... Dartmouth Colleges Baker Memorial Library is a prominent feature at the center of Hanover Hanover is a town located on the Connecticut River in Grafton County, New Hampshire, U.S.. As of the 2000 census, the town had a total population of 10,850. ... Super 8 mm film, also called Super 8 is a motion picture film format that was developed in the 1960s and released on the market in 1965 by Eastman Kodak as an improvement of the older 8mm home movie format. ... Edward L. Doheny Jr. ... 12 drawings per second is the typical rate for an animated cartoon. ... Monty Python, or The Pythons, is the collective name of the creators of Monty Pythons Flying Circus, a British television comedy sketch show that first aired on the BBC on October 5, 1969. ... This article is about the childrens TV channel. ... Nickelodeons Out of Control was a comedy series series that ran from 1984-1985, and the first series produced for that channel. ...

In 1984, using his first computer, a 512 KiB so-called "Fat" Mac, he learned to program, and created his first game, The Fool's Errand, which in 1987 won "Best Puzzle Game of the Year" from GAMES Magazine, and was declared "Best Retro Game Ever" by British GamesTM magazine. 1984 (MCMLXXXIV) was a leap year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... A kibibyte (a contraction of kilo binary byte) is a unit of information or computer storage, commonly abbreviated KiB (never kiB). 1 kibibyte = 210 bytes = 1,024 bytes The kibibyte is closely related to the kilobyte, which can be used either as a synonym for kibibyte or to refer to... The first Macintosh computer, introduced in 1984, upgraded to a 512K Fat Mac. The Macintosh or Mac, is a line of personal computers designed, developed, manufactured, and marketed by Apple Computer. ... For programming in music, see Programming (music). ... GAMES Magazine (ISSN 0199-9788) is a United States-based magazine devoted to games and puzzles, and is published by GAMES Publications, a division of Kappa Publishing Group. ... Issue 24 cover story Grand Theft Auto San Andreas GamesTM is a UK-based multi-format video games magazine, covering many video game platforms including PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Nintendo Revolution, GameCube, Xbox, PC Games, Game Boy Advance, PlayStation Portable, Nintendo DS and Penny Arcade machines. ...

From 1990-1995, he directed the *FunHouse* production group for Philips Media, and from 1996-2001, he consulted with Mattel, Warner Bros. and Disney for online puzzles and treasure hunts. Philips logo Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Royal Dutch Philips Electronics Ltd. ... Mattel Inc. ... Warner Bros. ... The Walt Disney Company (most commonly known as Disney) (NYSE: DIS) is one of the largest media and entertainment corporations in the world. ...

In 2002, Johnson designed the $100,000 Challenge for the book Mysterious Stranger by street magician David Blaine. It was solved in 2004. For album titles with the same name, see 2002 (album). ... David Blaines $100,000 Challenge was hidden in David Blaines book, Mysterious Stranger: A Book of Magic. ... Mysterious Stranger is a book autobiography of magician David Blaine. ... David Blaine David Blaine (born David Blaine White on April 4, 1973 in Brooklyn, New York City, USA) is an American illusionist and stunt performer. ...

Johnson presently lives in Canada with his wife, and since 2003 has been working on a sequel to The Fool's Errand, called The Fool and His Money. The Fool and His Money is a forthcoming puzzle game by Cliff Johnson. ...

Authored games

• The Fool's Errand (1987) — GAMES Magazine's Best Puzzle Game of the Year.

• At the Carnival (1989)
• Disney's Cartoon Arcade (1990)
• 3 in Three (1990) — MacUser's Best Game of the Year; GAMES Magazine's Best Puzzle Game of the Year.
• Hanna Barbera's Cartoon Carnival (1993)
• Merlin's Apprentice (1994)
• Labyrinth of Crete (1995)
• The Fool and His Money (projected December 2006)

The Fools Errand is a 1987 computer game by Cliff Johnson. ... 1987 (MCMLXXXVII) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... GAMES Magazine (ISSN 0199-9788) is a United States-based magazine devoted to games and puzzles, and is published by GAMES Publications, a division of Kappa Publishing Group. ... At The Carnival is a 1989 computer puzzle game by Cliff Johnson. ... 1989 (MCMLXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Disneys Cartoon Arcade is a 1990 computer game by Cliff Johnson created for Disney Home Video for use on View-Masters InteractiveVision System. ... This article is about the year. ... 3 in Three is a 1989 computer game by Cliff Johnson. ... This article is about the year. ... MacUser, 27 May 2005 MacUser is a fortnightly computer magazine published by Dennis Publishing Ltd. ... GAMES Magazine (ISSN 0199-9788) is a United States-based magazine devoted to games and puzzles, and is published by GAMES Publications, a division of Kappa Publishing Group. ... 1993 (MCMXCIII) was a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar and marked the Beginning of the International Decade to Combat Racism and Racial Discrimination (1993-2003). ... 1994 (MCMXCIV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated as the International Year of the Family and the International Year of the Sport and the Olympic Ideal. // Events January Bill Clinton January 1 : North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) goes into effect. ... 1995 (MCMXCV) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Fool and His Money is a forthcoming puzzle game by Cliff Johnson. ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Other contributed works

• Game Design: Disney's The Hunt for the Lost Toy, website contest, 1996
• Game Design: Of Light and Darkness: The Prophecy, 1998 [1]
• Treasure Hunt Design: David Blaine's Mysterious Stranger book, 2002

1996 (MCMXCVI) was a leap year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year for the Eradication of Poverty. ... 1998 (MCMXCVIII) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year of the Ocean. ... David Blaine David Blaine (born David Blaine White on April 4, 1973 in Brooklyn, New York City, USA) is an American illusionist and stunt performer. ... Mysterious Stranger is a book autobiography of magician David Blaine. ... For album titles with the same name, see 2002 (album). ...

References

• Johnson's official website (click on the image at the upper right to see his biography timeline)
• GamesTM, June 2005, "Retrospective: Cliff Johnson" (PDF)
• Inside Mac Games, March 31, 2003, "Cliff Johnson's April Fool's Treasure Hunt"