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CATHERINE Higginbotham plays the video game with Matmi’s Jeff Coghlan, whose company designed it.
Pub video game zaps town demolition plan
James Crisp4/10/2006
WHILE YOU may have played Sonic The Hedgehog the chances are you have never played the video game Save the Porter's!
Catherine Higginbotham, the crusading landlady of the popular Roe Street pub, has been digitally immortalised as a computer character by one of her loyal regulars.
As reported in the Macclesfield Express, the much-loved pub was earmarked for destruction under proposals for the town centre redevelopment, sparking an angry response from the community.
Maxonians logging onto www.matmi.com/savetheporters can take control of Catherine - known as Cat - as she batters away TNT-toting demolition workers with a rolled up copy of the new town centre plans.
And all the action takes place on the front page of the Macclesfield Express, which last week backed the campaign to rescue the pub. The object of the game is to swat as many demolition workers as possible before they blow up the cherished local. But, as time ticks by, the demolition squad get faster and faster.
Cat, 31, whose two dogs, Benson and Jeremy, also appear in the game, is hoping the site will have a worldwide impact.
She said: "I am absolutely delighted with the game - it is brilliant. And, best of all, I've finally got my 15 minutes of fame. Hopefully loads of people will log-on, have a go, and then join our petition, which is also on the site.
"Who knows - we could have Cambodians or Australians coming on board with our campaign."
And, for the next two months, the friendly landlady is even offering prizes for players who reach the highest score every four weeks - with a top prize of a bottle of champagne and a dozen oysters.
The game is the brainchild of Jeff Coghlan, the director of Bollington new media design company Matmi.
The 33-year-old computer whizkid even pulled his seven-strong staff off all their high-powered projects and ad campaigns to get Save the Porter's online as soon as possible.
Jeff, whose firm is also responsible for the distinctive chewing gum bins in the town centre, said: "I love this pub and when I read about the campaign in the Express, I really wanted to get involved.
"We wanted to make the game as much fun as possible.
"So we have the workers jumping out a map of Macclesfield.
"And if you do really badly, a screen comes up saying you're barred.
"There are so few real traditional pubs in Macclesfield that it would be such a great loss if the Porter's was lost."
Click on the link below to play the game
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5/10/2006 at 06:25