Ask HN: The Sinclair Spectrum is 40 – do you have one?

[stevengoodwin]

It's the 40th anniversary of the Sinclair ZX Spectrum on Saturday. What did you do program with it? Best games?

(Or do you have any other stories to share that I might include in my #RetroComputing book, "20 GOTO 10"?)

(for those reading who have no idea what book I'm talking about - https://unbound.com/books/20goto10)

[thorin]

There are some great Facebook groups around spectrum and programming the spectrum and new games and demos are still being created.

I had a spectrum +3 after a vic 20 and I spent a lot of time playing on various different spectrums with friends. I wrote programs on it playing music and moving around 8x8 sprites and adventure games with lots of IF statements! I also had a mouse and an art package just before I moved onto the Amiga.

The last great game in my view was Carrier Command, an amazing achievement. I was lucky enough to work with one of key game designers of the day over the last few years ( he's still programming and working in his 70s ) who came up with such greats as Tir Na Nog, Heavy on the Magick and Sweevos' World.

The magic knight games were always a favourite of mine early windows interface! Too many others to list!

[steve90]

No longer own it but had one for a while in the 80s. Best games were probably Jet Set Willy, Jet Pac, Laser Squad and Batman (isometric adventure). I also tried to write BASIC programmes on it - it had the weirdest text entry system where a single key press would input a whole key word, with shift keys to change the word or something. Combined with the sticky rubber keys I am amazed any games ever got written!

[mPReDiToR]

I still have my Spectrum+, and my ZX81!

The halcyon days of playing Chuckie Egg 2 lying on the floor in front of the CRT TV in my patents' living room while they tried to encourage me to go out and play still shine brightly in my memory.

POKE 23609,190 to make keypresses have a sound, ecen if it was just LOAD "" lol

[rwmj]

A 128K Spectrum "toastrack". Of course that came out a little later so it's not 40 years old, but it's a great machine in working condition.