10 Fun Facts About Spectrum Computer Games

In what year was the original ZX Spectrum personal computer first released in the UK?

The ZX Spectrum, an 8-bit home computer, was first released in Britain on April 23, 1982, becoming one of the all-time bestselling British computers.

What was the primary storage medium for games on the early ZX Spectrum models?

Loading a game meant several minutes of screeching audio; the ZX Spectrum +3 of 1987 finally added a built-in floppy drive.

Which 1983 platform game introduced pick-wielding Willy and was among the first Spectrum titles with in-game music?

Matthew Smith wrote it in about eight weeks; its sequel followed Willy home to a mansion full of unwanted party guests.

Ultimate Play the Game evolved into which company, later famous for Donkey Kong Country and GoldenEye 007?

The brothers set it up in 1985 in Ashby-de-la-Zouch, Leicestershire, and stayed until 2007, five years after Microsoft bought the studio.

Which of these was one of the two RAM options for the original ZX Spectrum?

The launch models came with 16 KB or 48 KB; the range eventually stretched to 128 KB across seven models.

Which David Braben and Ian Bell space trading simulator was a groundbreaking 3D title on the ZX Spectrum?

The Spectrum conversion, coded by Torus, added a supernova mission not found in the BBC Micro original; Bell estimates about 600,000 copies sold across all formats.

Which Liverpool games publisher, founded in 1982, collapsed spectacularly in 1984?

Its collapse was captured on camera by a BBC documentary crew, and Ocean Software bought the name to use as a label until the late 1980s.

Pith-helmeted Sabreman starred in ZX Spectrum adventure games by which developer?

Sabreman is the protagonist of a series of action-adventure games developed and published by Ultimate Play the Game for the ZX Spectrum in the 1980s, including titles like Sabre Wulf and Knight Lore.

In what year was the ZX Microdrive tape storage system launched for the ZX Spectrum?

It required the ZX Interface 1 to connect and used tiny endless-loop tape cartridges holding around 85 KB each.

Which anthropomorphic egg starred in the Oliver Twins' platform-adventure games published by Codemasters?

He got the name from the way he somersaults across the landscape; over a dozen games appeared between 1987 and 1992, first on the Amstrad CPC and then the Spectrum.