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Cliff Johnson (born 1953) is an American game designer, best known for the early computer puzzle games The Fool's Errand (1987 Game of the Year) and 3 in Three (1990). Both games were notable for unique visual puzzles and a metapuzzle structure.
Biography
Johnson made Super 8 movies in high school and later 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.
In 1984, using his first computer, a 512K 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.
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.
In 2002, Johnson designed the $100,000 Challenge for the book Mysterious Stranger by street magician David Blaine.
Authored games
- The Fool's Errand (1987)
- 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 April 2006)
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
- Treasure Hunt Design: David Blaine's Mysterious Stranger book, 2002
References
- Johnson's official website
- Inside Mac Games, March 31, 2003, "Cliff Johnson's April Fool's Treasure Hunt"
- GAMES magazine, November 2003, Cliff Johnson interview (archived copy)
- GAMES, June 2005, "Retrospective: Cliff Johnson" (PDF)