Scuba Dive (Durell Software, 1983) features such a simple game idea, but one that works exceptionally well on the ZX Spectrum.
Tag Archives: speccy
Deus Ex Machina, ZX Spectrum
This unique and interesting game was developed and first published by Automata UK on the ZX Spectrum in 1984.
Deus Ex Machina was the first video game to feature a fully synchronised soundtrack that featured celebrity narration and music. The cast includes Ian Dury, Jon Pertwee, Donna Bailey, Frankie Howerd, E.P. Thompson, and Mel Croucher – the latter being the author of the game. The soundtrack was supplied on cassette, which was played while the game ran.
Deathchase, ZX Spectrum
An early ZX Spectrum classic, Deathchase was first released by Micromega in 1983.
Although it doesn’t look like much (especially in stills), Deathchase was (and still is) an exhilarating game, and is something of a tribute to the speeder bike scenes in Return of the Jedi (which was released the same year as this, in 1983).
Fat Worm Blows A Sparky, ZX Spectrum
Quite possibly the maddest (and best) video game title of all time, Fat Worm Blows A Sparky was a critical hit back in 1986 when it was first released.
Wriggler, ZX Spectrum
A weird, colourful, original worm-based race game on the ZX Spectrum, released by Romantic Robot in 1985.
Actually, Wriggler is less of a “race” game and more of a “crawl” game. The pace is not very fast at all.
Orc Attack, ZX Spectrum
First published by Thorn EMI on the Atari 8-bit in 1983, and later on the ZX Spectrum in 1984, Orc Attack is a great little game in which you play as a knight, defending a castle rampart from attacking orcs.
Gyron, ZX Spectrum
Gyron was developed by released by Firebird Software in 1985 and was something of a bolt out of the blue at the time. Nothing quite like it had been seen before.
You play as a Hedroid and roam a wireframe 3D maze, avoiding towers and spheres, while searching for the exit goal. In other words: you’re just trying not to get squished on your way out…
Manic Miner, ZX Spectrum
All 20 screens of Matthew Smith‘s ground-breaking 1983 ZX Spectrum platform game, Manic Miner!
Lunar Jetman, ZX Spectrum
Another hugely memorable Ultimate game (and the official sequel to the hit game Jet Pac), Lunar Jetman was first released in 1983 for the ZX Spectrum.
Cyclone, ZX Spectrum
Manchester-based Vortex Software first published Cyclone on the ZX Spectrum in 1985.
A colourful helicopter action game, Cyclone was created by Costa Panayi – an early pioneer of ZX Spectrum games design, and an alumni of The University of Salford – and is a challenging race to pick up crates from a series of islands that are caught in the grip of a powerful weather system.
The King of Grabs 