This repository preserves the recovered source code for the 2007 Retrospec Wizball remake by Graham Goring and collaborators, now being revived for modern Linux and eventually PortMaster handhelds.
The source was recovered in February 2026 after Craig Chandler asked whether it still existed so the remake could be brought back into a buildable, playable state on current systems. What first looked lost turned up through old backups and the Mac port archive, which is why this project exists at all.
Current focus
The active work is not a redesign or reinterpretation of Wizball. The goal is to preserve the original remake, document it properly, and make it run cleanly on modern hardware without sanding off its character.
That currently means:
- maintaining a playable Linux build
- moving the runtime onto SDL2
- preparing a PortMaster-friendly release path
- keeping original attribution and project history intact
A short history
- 1987: the original Wizball was released by Sensible Software
- 2006-2007: Graham Goring and team created the Retrospec remake for Windows and Mac
- 2026: the source was recovered and revived for Linux and PortMaster work
Credits
Core credits for the remake and revival:
- Remake programming: Graham Goring
- Remake graphics: Trevor “Smila” Storey
- Remake music and arrangements: Infamous (Chris Nunn)
- Mac conversion: Peter Hull
- Original Linux conversion effort: Scott Wightman
- 2026 Linux revival: Craig Chandler
The original 1987 game was designed by Jon Hare and Chris Yates, with music by Martin Galway.
Why it matters
This project is part preservation archive, part repair job. It captures a very specific era of fan remakes: technically ambitious, slightly chaotic, and obviously made by people who loved the original enough to obsess over it.