The Spectrum Show 36

Welcome to Episode 36 of The Spectrum Show... In this episode...we get all the Sinclair news and top selling Spectrum games from January 1986. Its arcade shoot out time again, this time I check out Berzerk clones. I review Hunchback, F16 Fighting Falcon and Red Heat, take a look at the new game Sector Invasion, give you some playing tips and end with my demo of the month. Enjoy... ...

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TSS Magazine Issue 3

Finally, after what seems like years, the next edition of The Spectrum Show Magazine is complete and ready for you. This one includes the usual mix of game reviews and special features, some of which are not in the video shows. You can download it by going to the Magazine section of this blog. (link top right). If you fancy writing something for the next edition, please get in touch. Enj...

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Your Type-Ins Wanted

Anyone who has watched the show will know about the type-in section. Here I reveal the games that I typed in over 25 years ago from various magazines. I found a few old C90 tapes a while back, and managed to get the files off into emulator format. Most of them have not been seen since they were first published, and it's great to see them again, even if some of them are a bit poor. As this series comes to an end, I have no more type-ins left, so sadly the section may be missing from the next episodes. That, unless you can help! HELP WANTED! If you have any type-ins lurking in your collection and want to share them, or if you want to type something out and send it in, please help keep this section alive. I am looking for anything, not...

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The Spectrum Show Ep 35

Welcome to Episode 35 of The Spectrum Show... In this episode...we get all the Sinclair news and top selling Spectrum games from December 1985. I explore the evolution of game cover art. I review Blasteroids, Race Fun and Xanthius, take a look at the new game Altair, give you some playing tips and end with my demo of the month. Enjoy.....

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Rock Attack Fix

Hot on the heels of his last type-in fix, Jason has again come to the show’s rescue and provided a corrected version of the last type-in Rock Attack. The game had several issues; one due to a typing error at the time it was entered into the Speccy, the other was a fault in the original listing concerning the position of the ship when wrapping around the screen. He also made a slight mod to the firing routine, but was keen to supply two new versions of the game. One as the original listing, and one with the wrap fix and firing mod. Both games are now in the type-in corner section of the blog for you to enj...

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Retro Asylum Interview

The Retro Asylum podcast episode 100 is finally out and features a lot of retro goodies including an interview with myself. Swainy and I chat about various subjects including my gaming history, favourite games, hardware and of course The Spectrum Show. We chat about how the show came about, how it's created and what goes into each episode. Be sure to check it out. Retro Asylum Episode ...

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The Spectrum Show 34

Welcome to Episode 34 of The Spectrum Show... In this episode...we get all the Sinclair news and top selling Spectrum games from November 1985. I take a look at the Cheetah Rat - an infraired, wireless joystick. I review Quatro Arcade from Codemasters, take a look at Kyd Cadet 3, give you some playing tips and end with my demo of the month. Enjoy......

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Pothole Fixed

Isn't it strange that no matter how well you check the code, there is always something you miss. I call it code blindness, and working as a professional developer, it happens all the time! Anyway, thanks to Jason, one of The Spectrum Show's type-in game fixers, a new version of Pothole is now available. He has fixed the problem with the main character not being removed from screen when he moves left or right, plus a few other small issues. The new version can be downloaded now from the Type-In-Corner section (link top righ...

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The Spectrum Show 33

Welcome to Episode 33 of The Spectrum Show... In this episode...we get all the Sinclair news and top selling Spectrum games from October 1985. I try to compare the masses of frogger clones, I review some older games, take a look at a newer title, pay a visit to type in corner, give you some playing tips and end with my demo of the month. It’s a big episode…enjoy.....

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Spectrum Light Guns

Light gun games are very popular in the arcades with classics like House Of The Dead and Virtua Cop , but these types of game have been pulling in the cash since 1984, when Duck Hunt from Nintendo hit the arcades. Light Guns eventually came to the home computer market with several cheap looking, plastic moulded guns appearing for many of the systems. The Spectrum had several including the Cheetah Defender, the Magnum Light Phaser, Sinclair’s own version of the Magnum with their logo on it, and the rarely seen Stack Light Rifle. They all worked in the same basic way, and all had a limited number of games tailored for them. Sinclair bundled their version of the Magnum Phaser with the Action Pack and James Bond Action pack for the Plus 2...

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The Spectrum Show 32

Welcome to The Spectrum Show - The show dedicated to the Sinclair ZX Spectrum. In this episode I get all the latest Sinclair news and top selling Spectrum games from September 1985. It's the second part of our lightgun feature, and we test the Cheetah Defender. I review some older games and a new game. We drop into Type-in corner, we have Playing tips and the Demo Of The Month....

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Old Or New?

The new series of The Spectrum Show has, not unexpectedly, split opinion on the new introduction, music and segment intros. So, what's the story? For the new series I wanted to change the style to mark it as a new set of episodes. I wanted to include some Spectrum sounds into the music to set it apart and highlight (if that was needed) that this was all about the Spectrum. When I produced the music I liked it, and built the intro around it. All was well until I rendered the episode and watched it back in full. Somehow it just didn't seem right not having the original music. Being already late, I made the decision to release it and see what happened. To be honest I wasn't happy, but then again people have different tastes. Some people...

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The Spectrum Show #31

Series 4 Episode 1 is now available. It's the new series! In this episode I get all the latest Sinclair news and top selling Spectrum games from August 1985. I break out the Magnum Light Phaser and put it to the test. I review some older games and a new game. Type-in corner is back. I also have two new sections; Playing tips and Demo Of The Month. Enjoy...

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General Update

Well, it's been a busy week! I have been on annual leave from work, which usually means for me, a hell of lot more work, and this week turned out no different. I did at least get time to do a few things and continue work on some bits and bats, so, what have I been doing... 1. Getting drunk a lot! 2. Fixing Kyd Cadet III and wondering why no one noticed the silly naming and hidden messages! 3. Preparing to re-release with an additional second level (extra 34 rooms) if I can get it to work. 4. Working on the next issue of the magazine. 5. Trying to make progress with the next episode of The Spectrum Show. 6. Eating pizza As you can see, things have been pretty busy and that doesn't even take into account the new dinning furniture, dealing...

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Kyd Cadet III - Spectrum

The third in the Kyd Cadet series takes our young hero into new territory. No more nice guy, Kyd is now fully trained and ready for action. The Eyeburx home planet is being attacked by an unknown intelligence, and Kyd Cadet has been sent to investigate. After some initial probing, he discovers a plot to take over the galaxy by the destruction-happy Driodand race. More than that though, he discover the attack is imminent, and is being controlled from a central computer on the Droidand's home planet. With no time to report back, he heads off to take up the challenge, collecting a light weight pulse rifle on the way. Landing on the planet he is immediately besieged by Droidand robots but he must succeed in this new, very dangerous mission. Oxygen...

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Kyd Cadet 3 - The Lost Game

Let me set the scene... About five months ago I completed work on Mk2 of Kyd Cadet 3. I say Mk2, because I have a 80% complete platform game that was supposed to be the third in the series, but I lost interest towards the end. This is another attempt to add a third instalment of the Kyd Cadet series, but the game-play has changed from a platformer to a kind of Exolon clone. After a good few months of work, the game was complete along with a loader and loading screen, however, this is where fate stepped in. The version of AGD (Arcade Games Designer) I used had a known (but not to me at the time!) bug that corrupted the game code when you tried to save out the final game. After a lot of messing about, I gave up and got very drunk. I even...

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The Spectrum Show Magazine 2

The Spectrum Show Magazine issue 2 is now available for download from the link (top right). Like previous issues, this takes a lot of content from the video show and places it in a magazine format. There are also items not in the show, and extended reviews of certain games. I have changed the layout a lot to make it look more professional and take into account that most magazines have side by side pages. If you viewer allows you to view this way, then things will look all the more improved. This is third iteration of this issue, having spent ages trying out different layouts. I think I am happy with this one... at least for now. If you want to write a review or feature for the next issue, please get in touch. Enjoy. ...

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Out Of Space!

I have been trying to re-arrange the content of this blog and upload some stuff, mainly house keeping things, but one important file. The next issue of The Spectrum Show magazine is complete and ready to release, however, I have just discovered I am out of space on my FTP site. My host (Virgin Meida) give a nice 200mb, but my account is still the old NTL one, which only has 50mb! I now have no room to upload the new issue, so I am having to create a new virgin account, set up the hosting for it and then transfer all the content across! BUT... because the account is new - I can't complete the task of setting up the space yet!! GGGRRRRRR!!!!! This will not affect any files currently here, as the hosting is totally separate and I still retain...

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The Spectrum Show #30

Welcome to The Spectrum Show, the show dedicated to the Sinclair ZX Spectrum. In the last episode of the series, I take a look at the news and top selling Spectrum games from July 1985. In an end of series special, I take a look at probably the best known game publisher on the Spectrum, Ultimate Play The Game. Thanks for watching the show. I'll be back with the next series after a shot break...

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Memory Lane

I recently put out a plea on the WOS forums for anyone who had a copy of a 1988 edition of Popular Computing Weekly. I wanted this particular edition because I was featured in it, in a section about Bulletin Board Systems. Luckily, a very kind forum member (thanks Battle Bunny) had one he was prepared to separate with, and so today it arrived. Wow! What a trip down memory lane.. Below is the complete article from September 1st 1988. (well, the bits about me at least)... Scanning the lines Malcolm Arnold looks into the workings of two bulletin boards. Last time around we talked about Bulletin Boards in general terms. Here's a more specific look at two BB sysops and their systems. Paul Jenkinson operates the Image board from the comfortable...

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General Updates

This is just a quick update on how things are going with the show. I am putting together the  final episode of series three, and as usual, it will be an end of series special. It's looking very good too, and I expect it to be ready by the end of the month. Not going to give too much away ! Thanks to the people who have submitted type-in games for the next series, we now have 6 of them, but still need another four. Check out my previous post for details. Please help the show, and get these game out to the public. Remember they have not been seen in over 20 years! I am already planning the next series and have begun to make the new intro sequence. It looks really cool too :-) New music and new visuals, with some new section intros. The...

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Fawkes Fixed

Yet again, my poor typing back in 1985 meant the game featured in this months episode was not 100% accurate. Although the game worked there were a few problems. A fan of the show, Jason, has come to the rescue yet again, and provided a fixed version. You can get it from the usual place (see top right!). For those interested, the UDGs were missing some data which meant they didn't look as they should. The direction check was wrong, meaning the trail left behind was not always correct. A BEEP command was a bit longer than needed and there were a few typos...

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The Spectrum Show #29

Welcome to The Spectrum Show, the show dedicated to the Sinclair ZX Spectrum. In this episode I take a look at the news from June 1985. I try to connect my Spectrum to my PC to tranfer files. I review some older games. I take a look at a newer game and end the show with Type-In Corner. Thanks for watching. The game featured in Type-In Corner will be available to download from here very shortly....

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The Spectrum Show #28

The Spectrum Show episode 28 is now complete and live on Youtube. This show marks two years of the show's life, and I can't believe that time has passed so quickly. To celebrate I have uploaded a 29 minute anniversary special too, so you have nearly a full hour of Spectrum goodness to watch. Also as part of the celebration is the new edition of The Spectrum Show Magazine. Yes, I have been busy ;-) In Episode 28 I take a look at the news from May 1985. I compare arcade clones for one of the all time great blasters - Defender. I review some older games. I take a look at a newer game and end the show with Type-In Corner....

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Twitter and Other Stuff

Well, I finally gave in and set myself up on Twitter. You can follow all things me on my twitter page, but be aware it is not just about Speccy stuff, although obviously as much of my time is taken up with the show, it will feature quite prominently. I have been working like a mad man over the last few weeks to get loads of things ready for the next show. It will be a very special event - the show will be two years old!! To celebrate there will be not only the normal edition of the show, but also a special anniversary edition and a new issue of the Spectrum Show Magazine. Lots to look forward to, and a lot of work to finish in the next two week...

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Galaxian Fix

For all those people that downloaded the type-in from episode 27, and got fed up with being killed by previously destroyed aliens, there is a new fixed version of the game thanks to Jason. This new fix includes quite a few corrections including graphic glitches and code fixes to the original listing. So head over to type-in-corner and download yourself the latest version. My thanks again go to Jason for his hard wo...

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The Spectrum Show #27

Welcome to The Spectrum Show, the show dedicated to the Sinclair ZX Spectrum. In this episode I take a look at the news from April 1985. I review the ZX Interface 1 and ZX Microdrive. I review some older games. I take a look at a newer game and end the show with Type-In Corner. The game featured in Type-In Corner will be available to download from this blog. Enjoy....

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TSS 16k Edition

A new series of YouTube videos has begun. The Spectrum Show 16K edition has been in the offing for quite a few months now, but never seemed to quite make it. The whole idea came from my Friday night gaming sessions. After a long week at work, I enjoyed loading up games on real hardware and taking out all my frustration on whatever appeared on the screen. This could be simple shoot-em-ups, racing games or anything that was quick to load. This obviously favoured 16k games. Playing on real hardware was great and really added something to the games, especially when the game cassette and inlay was stood in front of you. I wanted to get this experience across, but despite hours of trying, I failed to do that. I rigged up a camcorder to capture...

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Bedrooms to Billions

FROM BEDROOMS TO BILLIONS tells the remarkable, true story of how the creativity and vision of a small number of individuals from around the United Kingdom, pioneered in shaping the billion dollar video games industry which today, dominates the modern entertainment landscape. The current ‘Backer’ or ‘Pre-Order’ version of ‘From Bedrooms to Billions,’ with iconic Oliver Frey designed cover will no longer be available to buy in its current format after 31st May 2014! This ‘pre-order’ or ‘backer version’ version will be unique and highly collectable because it is only for those who supported the project, funding the film’s production by pre-ordering via crowdfunding campaigns on Indiegogo, Kickstarter and later from the film’s website (www.frombedroomstobillions.com). The...

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The Spectrum Show #26

Welcome to The Spectrum Show, the show dedicated to the Sinclair ZX Spectrum. In this episode I take a look at the news from March 1985. I look at loading digital games into real hardware. I review some older games and experiment with an adventure! I take a look at a newer game and end the show with Type-In Corner. Thanks for watching. The game featured in Type-In Corner will be available to download soon...

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The Spectrum Show #25

Welcome to episode 25 of The Spectrum Show - the show dedicated to the Sinclair ZX Spectrum. In this episode we take a look at the news and top selling Spectrum games for February 1985. We examine the Spectrum Demo scene and give you a rough guide to demos. We review a few older games, take a look at a new title and review a type-in game in Type-In-Corner...

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Series 1 DVD

AVAILABLE NOW It has taken some time, but The Spectrum Show series 1 is now available in limited quantities on DVD. The series comes complete with professionally printed DVD sleeves and labels, in a top quality case. The two discs contain the full ten episodes of series 1 plus over 25 minutes of additional material (in four different segments) not on YouTube. (plus an Easter egg!) The initial batch consists of just 20 copies (some of which have been reserved already), so get your order in fast. Further batches may be made available if demand is high enough. If you get the out of stock message and you want to register your interest in the next batch, please let me know. The Spectrum Show Series One can be yours for just £9.00 including...

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