The A to Z of the ZX Spectrum

Remembering Sir Clive Sinclair and his wonder machine

The 1980s was a very grim time for many people. There was high unemployment and high inflation. The Labour Party – who should have been hitting the right notes in attacking the Thatcher-led government – was split between its left and right wing factions of the party. If you substituted Thatcher for Johnson, you could be forgiven for thinking ‘deja vu’.

The Duffers’ Guide to 8-Bit Computing #2: Cartridge Games

The second part of a new Duffers’ Guide, celebrating the joys of 8-bit computing

Back in the 1980s, there was two main storage media for software and documents: cassette tape or floppy disc. At the start of the decade, our floppies were 8″ and 5.25″ in width. By the end of the decade, 3″, 3.5″ and 5.25″ discs. For many people, floppy discs were too expensive – especially in the UK when floppy disc drives costed almost as much as the computer itself. (Unless you had an Amstrad CPC 664 or 6128 which also came with a monitor).

The Duffers’ Guide to 8-Bit Computing #1: Software on Tape

The first of a new Duffers’ Guide, celebrating the joys of 8-bit computing

I have recently found a YouTube channel that celebrates the wonder of audio tape. It is headed by a fellow from Lancashire who knows his TDKs from his Maxells, and his chrome tapes from his ferric tapes. What has amazed me is how no two audio cassettes are the same in terms of quality.

Long Forgotten Microcomputers: A Past of the M60 Not So Perfect Ten

Thought the 1980s computer age was all about ZX Spectrums and Commodore 64s? Think again.

As with many hagiographies, history is always defined by the winners. In home computing, the ultimate victors were IBM compatible PCs – ultimately today’s Windows 10 PCs. Today, their role in history could be wiped out by tablets and smartphones.

Now on the ZX Spectrum: Bobby Carrot

Games Review: why the ZX Spectrum version of FDG Mobile’s smartphone game is worth a bash

• Coder: Couvej;
• Will run on: any ZX Spectrum with 48k or 128k of RAM (including +2s and +3s), emulators;
• Available file formats: .tap and .tzx – 48k and 128k versions available to download;
• Controls: Keyboard (Q, A, O, P, and Space), Cursor keys, Sinclair Joystick and Kempston Joystick interfaces.

At this time of the year, rabbits seem to be the flavour of the month. Easter is less than a month away and a certain rabbit themed film is taking box offices by storm. For lovers of 8-bit computers, spring is associated with 1982’s launch of the Sinclair ZX Spectrum.

The Sultans of SID: #24: Rob Hubbard

Our twenty-fourth SID sultan of our Advent Calendar

From yesterday, our little clue was:

Best known for the in-game music of Monty on the Run.

The Sultans of SID: #23: Adam Gilmore

Our twenty-third SID sultan of our Advent Calendar

From yesterday, our little clue was:

His nickname is the shared with either one of the Gremlins, one of Damon Grant’s mates in the early episodes of Brookside, and a guitar device created by Godley and Creme.

The Sultans of SID: #22: Dave Lowe

Our twenty-second SID sultan of our Advent Calendar

From yesterday, our little clue was:

Did you catch my power drift? Or was it a case of hard driving?

The Sultans of SID: #21: Johannes Bjerregaard

Our twenty-first SID sultan of our Advent Calendar

From yesterday, our little clue was:

Another Maniac of Noise, once big in the C64 demo scene.

The Sultans of SID: #20: Ubik

Our twentieth SID sultan of our Advent Calendar

From yesterday, our little clue was:

With you, I’m Korn again.