For the Mag: ZX Spectrum Memories

[jdanddiet]

Some great stuff guys

[Confessor]

My first Speccy memory is me comin'out of the mall in fall 1983 with a 16K under my arm and no games besides the Sinclair tape that was included and a terribile Space Panic clone. I remember watching the shop window from outside wondering how marvelous could be games like 'Astro Magic' (that was Jet Pac in disguise...in my country, piracy was there since day one). The first bad surprise ? every four pages of the manual, two were totally blank.

[gman72]

My older brother NOT letting me play TRANZ-AM one x-mas morning back in the early 80's.

[Zagrebo]

I had an unusual introduction to the Spectrum. My first one (a classy Spectrum +, the one with the wee legs, the reset button to accidentally press and the "proper" keyboard) was bought for me by my parents some time in, I think 1987, I honestly can't remember. What I can remember is the games we had thrown in with it. If I remember rightly we picked-up the computer at some kind of show and I remember seeing it playing some kind of cool-looking karate game and being right put-out that we didn't get that with it (I was right to be annoyed, years later I found out it was The Way of the Exploding Fist). The games we did get with it were clearly those nobody actually wanted: they were Firebirds infamous Don't Buy This and Legend's equally-infamous The Great Space Race.

I remember us all quite enjoying the Don't Buy This games even though they're clearly awful, we had the excuse of nothing to compare them to I suppose. The Great Space Race seemed fascinating when you read the manual with its deeply weird cartoons introducing all the different characters and the universe the game took place in, it's a shame that the game itself was little more than something you sat back, watched, and very occasionally interacted with. My brothers and I used to shout out "Urg says ship repaired!" in a stoopid voice at the appropriate moment, those who've bothered to "play" the "game" will know what I'm referring to.

Later I remember getting my first issue of CRASH bought for me, the June 1987 one with Enduro Racer on the cover. When I was offered the chance to choose a new game for the speccy I chose one I liked the look of the advert for, not the best way of picking a game but given that it was Head over Heels I made one heck of a good pick.

Ended up getting loads of loads of games for the Speccy, some of which I still love (Rebelstar, Wizards Lair) others which haven't aged as well (Robocop), upgrading to a +2A a couple of years later and eventually moving onto the Amiga in 1991. Re-discovered the Spectrum via emulation on the 'miggy in 1995, realising that the games were still pretty great and have never really looked back.

[JetSetWilly]

The Spectrum does still hold a special place in my heart. In fact, when ever I fire up the emulator, I go warm and fuzzy when loading up Olli & Lissa, or Batman The Movie. It just takes me back to the golden days of gaming, when gaming was at pocket money prices from the word go, when programmers were passionate about the job, the artwork was something special as was the advertisement posters in the mags of the day and games were a real challenge. But, more importantly, when you take home that new Spectrum game that cost £1.99/£2.99, rip off the shrink wrap (taking in that new tape/instruction smell when you open the case), popping in that new tape and waiting patiently for it to load. And then either finding out that a) it was crap, or b) it was worth every penny.

[resident paul]

I remember getting my first computer (speccy) from John Menzies for a 16K one for £125 (my dad got it for me) & 2 weeks later the 48K model is same price!
I also getting my first game from a papershop in the town centre & the game was 'Sentinal' by Abacus Software & boy the game was hard as nails.
It weren't long before deciding to get a upgrade kit from mail order which include the rom & ram to make my speccy a 48K one which in fact my first 48K game was 'Luner Jetman' which also another rock hard game & I had to use the keyboard!

[RichL]

Having the one with the metal heat sink, it over heating, swapping it for another, that doing the same, giving it back to the shop and getting a C64 instead.

[Nemesis]

Getting a 48k Spectrum for my 11th birthday was the start of a video gaming fascination for me. I first played games such as Horizons Thru the Wall & Horace goes Skiing before quickly graduating to the big box titles of Ultimate Play the Game. Underwurlde with it's great artwork on the box to the instruction card with detailing all the games "features" Playing it was like seeing another living world. Seeing environmental factors, such as those rising bubbles out the volcanic vents, allowing the Sabreman to traverse the caverns was amazing to behold at the time & still impress today.

I didn't appreciate it at the time, but seeing the international gaming world as it is currently, I do miss the Britshness of many games during the 8-bit era. Apart from commercial games like the Fable series, I have realised that Britishness does not sell particulary well abroad. Only the Brits could come up with a game called Fat worm blows a sparky.

[JetSetWilly]

Only the Brits could come up with a game called Fat worm blows a sparky.

And we could do a decent arcade conversion (Chase HQ). Saying that, we could do some duff movie conversions, though as well, but British-made games had a sort of 'thing' about them. I do get what you mean though, funnily enough.

[kaiserpc]

My 1st memories of a ZX Spectrum was an upgraded 16k one at my cousins house - I only saw my cousins once a year as they lived 150 miles away from me. Anyway, it was summer '84 (I think) and I the only computer I had seen before was a vic-20. I was blown away by the games they had - Atic-atac, jet pac, invincible island, harrier jump jet and Lords of midnight. My cousins had add the games for a while and just wanted to play outside. But I was totally hooked and got them to show me how to load the games and never left their bedroom for the best part of 2 days while they played outside. I still have very fond memories of each one of those games - and still play them now!

That christmas I got a C64 (influenced by mate) and loved it. But I will never forget my introduction to computer games on the rubber key ZX Spectrum.

[EnglishRob]

My first Speccy memory was when I got a ZX Spectrum +3. I'd had an Atari 65XE for the previous Christmas and it had failed, then I'd had a replacement which also failed so my Dad took it back to Currys and replaced it for a ZX Spectrum +3. Going from a machine with tapes to discs was great and I remember firing up Green Beret and The Great Escape. Sadly my dad wasn't impressed with the quality of the Speccy and took it back after a week and got it replaced for an Amstrad CPC464 with green screen monitor. To say I was upset was an understatement.

Rob

[adippm82]

Seemed to miss this topic, but will add this anyway, my first contact with the spectrum was during an after school computer club around 1983, our school did not have the BBC B, as they thought them too expensive, they had clung on to several Texas TI-99 machines, which absolutely no-one, not even the computer teacher knew how to program, they had a couple of Vic 20 machines, and to keep a bit up to date they purchased a couple of Spectrums, a 16K machine and a 48K one, as long as you made a concerted attempt to program something into the machines for the first half of the club, you were then able to load whatever you like into it in the second hour.

A mate of mine bought Pssst in, and we were bowled over by it, the colour, the speed of the game, it was an incredible sight back then, on the 48k machine we loaded in Urban Upstart, and used to play it week in and week out, until the teacher took a very dim view of it's 'adult' content and banned it.

I did not get my own machine for another year or so, I had convinced myself my parents had bought one for my birthday in 1983, and hid my crushing disappointment when they unveiled a new bike instead.

Finally got hold of one in 1984, just after the Plus had come out, the local electronics store had a clear out of the older models, so my trusty old rubber keyed machine arrived.

My brother bought a 128K Sinclair model, which eventually made it's way into my hands, I bought a plus 2 the year after, and a few years ago my colleague at work was clearing out his loft, he just walked up to me and said 'you collect old computers don't you' and gave me his fully boxed mint +3, refusing to take any money for it, as 'it was only going in the skip if I did not take it', Happy days!!

All of them still work flawlessly, the rubber key machine has had a couple of capacitors replaced, and both the Sinclair Amstrad machines have had new belts fitted.