This autumn sees the welcome return of a classic games machine with the launch of Retro Games Ltd’s near-perfect replica of 1980s microcomputer classic, the Spectrum.
Yr Obdt Srvt was a rabid devotee of the Speccy, as it used to be known – but I lost my machine in a house fire, back in the 1990s and had to move on to the PC and emulators of the legendary micro. Some were good, some not-so-good.
But now it’s back! And it looks lovely. Physically it is almost exactly as the original Spectrum was when it was launched in 1982, right down to the clammy rubber keyboard that helped keep the price down but felt terrible. Thankfully you don’t have to use it if you don’t want to, because there are multiple USB ports into which you can plug pretty much any USB pad controller.
There are four USB-A ports and one USB-C port (for power), along with an HDMI port for output to your TV. Now you can play your clunky, blocky games in high-definition widescreen!
One drawback is that you need a 5V power brick to run the new Spectrum – and there isn’t one included in the box – so if you want one, remember to also pick up this vital component.
What is also included is a whomping great manual (probably as thick as the original) and a special issue of seminal Spectrum games review mag Crash, to help accustom you to the games that come included in the pack – and possibly whet your appetite for more; if you have your own ROMs, you can load them up too.
There are 48 games included with the machine and many of them are considered classics of invention and innovation. The Spectrum was primitive in comparison with modern games consoles, but the programmers of the time were extremely imaginative and worked what might be considered miracles.
So you get Ant Attack, Auf Wiedersehen Monty, The Great Escape, Head over Heels, The Hobbit,
Horace Goes Skiing, Match Day II, Skool Daze,
The Way of the Exploding Fist, The Lords of Midnight,
Manic Miner,
Robin of the Wood, Saboteur – and even modern games like 2021’s Alien Girl: Skirmish Edition.
For gamers born after the turn of the century who may not be impressed by the colourful clunkiness of the graphics shown above, This Writer can only quote from another legendary entertainment franchise of the time – Han Solo in Star Wars: “She may not look like much, but she’s got it where it counts, kid.”
Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m off to spend some time with my old inappropriately-named friends Miner Willy and Morkin.
The Spectrum is available for £89.99 online – just type “The Spectrum Retro Games Ltd” into a search engine and get shopping!
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