A-Z of Sinclair ZX Spectrum Games , livre ebook

Andrews UK - Kieren Hawken

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110 pages

English

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Description

The A-Z of Sinclair ZX Spectrum Games: Volume 1 features reviews of three different games for each letter of the alphabet. The games range from the very earliest releases at the start of the eighties to the modern homebrew games of today. This book shows you just how diverse the library of titles is for the ZX Spectrum and how it became one of the popular computers of all time.

Sujets

Indoor games and sports

Informations

Publié par	Andrews UK
Date de parution	31 août 2018
Nombre de lectures	0
EAN13	9781785387159
Langue	English
Poids de l'ouvrage	1 Mo

Informations légales : prix de location à la page 0,0100€. Cette information est donnée uniquement à titre indicatif conformément à la législation en vigueur.

Extrait

The A-Z of
Sinclair ZX Spectrum Games
Volume 1

Kieren Hawken

Published in 2017 by
AG Books
www.agbooks.co.uk
Digital edition converted and distributed by
Andrews UK Limited
www.andrewsuk.com
© Copyright 2017 Kieren Hawken
The right of Kieren Hawken to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by him in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1998.
All rights reserved. No reproduction, copy or transmission of this publication may be made without express prior written permission. No paragraph of this publication may be reproduced, copied or transmitted except with express prior written permission or in accordance with the provisions of the Copyright Act 1956 (as amended). Any person who commits any unauthorised act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damage.
The opinions expressed herein belong to the author and do not necessarily reflect those of AG Books or Andrews UK Limited.
Game screenshots are included in this publication legally under applicable fair use law which allows such material for the explicit purposes of commentary and criticism.

Introduction
The follow up to the hugely successful Sinclair ZX81, in fact it was originally named the ZX82, the ZX Spectrum was created as a computer for the masses rather than the classes and advertised as the first colour computer that could be purchased for less than £100 (the 16k model anyway). Thanks to its affordable price, wide range of software, easy to learn BASIC language and easy set-up, which needed nothing more than a standard TV and tape player, the Speccy, as it affectionately became known, went on to become the best selling computer in the UK and revolutionised the region’s games industry. Many big people who head up today’s billion dollar worldwide games industry still proclaim that they owe their career to Sir Clive Sinclair’s revolutionary rubber keyed wonder. In fact it was the Spectrum that started off my very own journey into home computing and video games, helping me learn the programming skills that got me through college and igniting the passion that saw me become a full-time games journalist.
In this book I take you through the life of the ZX Spectrum range looking at a varied cross section of the 10,000+ games available with a small review and screenshot of each one. This is not a list of the best games, a list of the worst or indeed a complete guide to what’s available. The A-Z of Sinclair ZX Spectrum Games: Volume 1 is just that, the first volume of my look at a selection of Speccy games in alphabetical order. There are three games featured for each letter and these range from the earliest ones released at the start of the eighties, to modern homebrews and even unreleased prototypes. Hopefully this book gives you some inspiration to try games you’ve never played before, bulk up your personal collection or just replay some of those all-time classics. You might even find it that brings back happy memories of unwrapping Christmas and birthday presents or inviting your friends round after school for a bit of multi-player madness. Most of all though I hope you enjoy reading it and remember what makes the ZX Spectrum computer so great.
Kieren Hawken
June 2017

A
Arkanoid
Imagine - 1987

While Atari’s Breakout , programmed by Apple founders Jobs and Wozniak no less, was the very first bat and ball brick breaker it was Taito’s Arkanoid was the game that revolutionised the genre. It took the basic gameplay of Breakout and added a host of new features like enemies, different formations, multi-hit bricks and of course power-ups! Collecting these coloured icons allows you to do stuff like shoot the bricks with a laser, aim the ball where you want, expand your bat and even skip a level. The new level formations are interesting too with some even based on other popular Taito arcade games such as Space Invaders and Bubble Bobble ! There are also different types of bricks including ones that require numerous hits to destroy and others that can’t be removed at all. All these features added so much more to the game and made it much more than just another Breakout clone. In fact Arkanoid has since been cloned hundreds of times itself and can still be seen in some shape or form in many games of today. Arkanoid is not about graphics or sound, although both are very good here actually, it’s just pure playability, and there is loads of it here. I have always been a real sucker for these types of games and this is no exception, Arkanoid still sits around the top of my Spectrum games to play pile. It’s also worth checking out the equally excellent sequel Revenge of Doh too.
9/10
Advanced Pinball Simulator
Codemasters - 1988

Codemasters is a company I have almost limitless nostalgia for, I purchased more of their ZX Spectrum games than I care to count and this was not only one of the very first I bought it was the game that ignited both my love for video pinball and the label itself. These simulators are one of the things Codemasters became best known for (as well as Dizzy and cheap prices), in fact co-owner David Darling was once quoted as saying that their simulator games sold ten times as many copies as their regular titles. In my opinion, of the many sim games that Codemasters produced, Advanced Pinball Simulator is without doubt one of the best. Designed for the ZX Spectrum by legendary Dizzy creators the Oliver Twins, pinball has always been a concept that has translated well into video game form, and this effort is no exception. You have all the things you would expect from this genre including bumpers, flippers, score multipliers, chutes and even a multi-player mode so you can compete with your friends for bragging rights. Graphically the game is nice and colourful and there is even some digitised speech in there for owners of 128k machines. Although it only features one table (The Volcano), it’s so addictive and playable that it will keep you chasing your high score for a long time to come. There are few Speccy budget games that stick in my mind better than this one!
9/10
Agent X II
Mastertronic - 1987

We all know that Mastertronic released many fantastic budget games for the ZX Spectrum but Agent X II is universally ranked as one of the very best, and it’s easy to see why. Once the tape finishes loading your ear drums are romanced by Tim Follin’s stunning 48k music, I can’t think of many better examples of ZX Beeper music out there. The actual game itself is split up into three very distinct parts, giving some nice variation in gameplay. The first section is a horizontally scrolling shoot ‘em up with a nice fruit based power-up system. The second part is a platform-style arcade adventure and the third and final episode plays out like the Atari arcade classic Breakout . Each section requires different skills and makes the game more challenging for it. On the negative side though, I would say that the three parts decrease in quality as they go on, with the shooting level being by far the most enjoyable. Graphically Agent X II is very colourful and looks excellent, especially the first part. I already mentioned the beeper music, but there’s also some great music during the game too if you own a 128k Spectrum. It’s safe to say that back in the day Agent X II offered tremendous value for money and it’s still well worth a play even today, even if it isn’t quite as great as the sum of its parts. I am still very surprised that Mastertronic didn’t follow up with more games featuring the mystery agent.
8/10

B
Ballbreaker II
CRL - 1988

Having always been a huge fan of Arkanoid/Breakout style games I was very happy when this similar offering was given away free on a Your Sinclair cover tape. But the game I am talking about is not the legendary Batty (often called the greatest cover tape game ever) it’s CRL’s Ballbreaker II . Now I never played the first game, but having looked it up I can see that it’s pretty much exactly the same, so I guess they just rehashed it with some new levels for this sequel. The unique selling point of Ballbreaker II over the aforementioned Arkanoid is that this game is in 3D! The unique isometric viewpoint works much better than you think it would and it’s actually quite a surprise that nobody else ever tried this. The bricks are staked both vertically and horizontally, which makes things a bit more interesting, and special bricks reveal power-ups, just like Taito’s game. Another clever addition though is the limited missiles, which have two uses. The first of these is using them to remove that annoying last brick that you just can’t hit. The second is using them to blast the enemies that fly towards you after they are knocked off their perch. Graphically the game is monochrome, but this is no bad thing as it looks very nice. Audio is absolutely fantastic with some great music for 128k owners. Ballbreaker II is a really interesting game that’s a big departure from all the usual Breakout clones out there.
9/10
Barbarian: The Ultimate Warrior
Palace Software - 1987

When talking about controversial video games over the years, Barbarian not only has to be one of the earliest but also the most notable. This one-on-one fighter first caused controversy over its extreme level of violence, that included being able to chop somebody’s head clean off with an axe! But not only that, people also kicked up a stink over the game’s cover art and press adverts that featured Page 3 girl Maria Whittaker in very scantily clad attire. This led many publications to censor the image a