Written by Mark Crane and first published by Hit-Pak (the budget label of Elite Systems) in 1987, Batty is a clone of the games Breakout, and Arkanoid, but with a few of its own unique features.
The game was a minor hit on the ZX Spectrum and was also released for the Amstrad CPC and Commodore 64.
Originating on the Amstrad CPC, Spindizzy is a genius piece of coding and game design. It is an isometric exploration game, where you play as a spinning gyroscope (called GERALD) trying to collect gems across a large map of screens. It was designed by Paul Shirley, and the Spectrum port was handled by Phil Churchyard. Spindizzy on the Spectrum was published by Electric Dreams in 1986.
Written by Jason J. Railton and first released in 2026, Go-Go BunnyGun is a side-scrolling shooter on the ZX Spectrum that features a bunny girl on a rocket, flying through space. With smooth, colourful graphics and compelling gameplay, Go-Go BunnyGun is another great “Modern Retro” release.
Wycheweald is a rare thing on the ZX Spectrum – an actual Role-Playing Game, with a first-person viewpoint and turn-based combat. It was created by Red Zebra and first released in 2023. And, while it is a little slow to play, it is well presented and quite absorbing. That is: if you like these kinds of esoteric RPGs. Which I do! 🙂
Written by Marco Leal and first released in 2023, Pac-Man Arcade on the ZX Spectrum is about as close as you could possibly get to the original Pac-Man, without using voodoo.
Described as a game with “primary imbalance“, by publisher The Edge in 1985, Brian Bloodaxe is a strange platform game that tries to have a laugh at the expense of everyone – you; itself, and the genre of platform games it belongs to.
The ZX Spectrum version of Dennis Caswell‘s classic platform/puzzle game, Impossible Mission, was first published in 1985 by US Gold. It is an okay adaptation. Playable, but nothing special.
This is a conversion of the infamous Commodore 64 shooter, Delta. It was inexplicably re-titled as “Delta Charge!” by Thalamus and was first released for the ZX Spectrum in 1990 – very late in the machine’s initial lifetime.
The ZX Spectrum version of Barbarian II: The Dungeon of Drax was developed by M.C. Lothlorian and first published by Palace Software in 1988.
Continue reading Barbarian II: The Dungeon of Drax, ZX Spectrum
The Spectrum version of Barbarian is an okay fighting game, but it doesn’t quite have the satisfying decapitation animation of the original C64 version…
