And the people at the company were really friendly. Colossal Adventure was a real eye-opener, and was tough enough me to grind out some oily doggeral that pleaded for help (snip: "Into colossal cavern stepped I, if only for my luck to try..."), and post it off. Look, I was only 13. A hand-written note came back within a week along with a photocopied crib-sheet, and a signed greetings card (if memory serves). When, 20+ years later, I visited Mammoth Caves, it was very strange to actually be in a place that had such resonance with my past - a real feeling (briefly) of time having no meaning and all experience being co-present. Didn't see any pirates though.

The concept predates 1996 by a good bit. (disclaimer: I used to work on Interim HoToL) HoToL, a British air-breathing SSTO, would also have used a similar engine cycle to that of the Skylon engines (aye, there are differences aplenty), and HoToL flourished as a project in the mid 1980s.