BoatofCar Posted March 2, 2019 Share Posted March 2, 2019 What happens when two American dudes discover what might be the greatest 8 bit computer of all time? My buddy Aaron and I just started a new, weekly podcast dedicated to the games on the ZX Spectrum. We hope to bring a different, fresh perspective to the table since we didn't grow up with the Spectrum, and only recently discovered it! It was a blast talking about Bruce Lee. Feedback and thoughts on the game are most welcome! 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fimbulvetr Posted March 2, 2019 Share Posted March 2, 2019 Awesome! Im just getting into the speccy myself, and it is a fun machine. I picked up a grey 128 +2 which just uses a 9v wall wart for power. A little-known secret for other North Americans who are interested in trying it out but are intimidated by the PAL only video . . . a lot of lcd monitors and teevees do both NTSC and PAL and switch automatically. Just plug and play! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
youxia Posted March 2, 2019 Share Posted March 2, 2019 the greatest 8 bit computer of all time Shhh...this is Atari Age after all Very commendable undertaking, this awesome machine definitely needs more publicity, especially outside of Europe. But I'd recommend checking out some exclusives/original releases - Bruce Lee, though a fabulous title was a delayed port from Atari. ZX has some stone cold classics in its library - fun and often very innovative, such as Ant Attack, Chuckie Egg, Skool Daze, Lords Of Midnight, Rebel Star, Movie, Knight Lore, Dragontorc and countless others. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+eebuckeye Posted March 2, 2019 Share Posted March 2, 2019 Great idea! I do not see how people like it more than the C64 but I ordered a Spectrum Next and am very interested in the games! I have a Spectrum 3+ with a DivMMC Enjoy! and the HDMI adapter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BoatofCar Posted March 2, 2019 Author Share Posted March 2, 2019 Shhh...this is Atari Age after all Very commendable undertaking, this awesome machine definitely needs more publicity, especially outside of Europe. But I'd recommend checking out some exclusives/original releases - Bruce Lee, though a fabulous title was a delayed port from Atari. ZX has some stone cold classics in its library - fun and often very innovative, such as Ant Attack, Chuckie Egg, Skool Daze, Lords Of Midnight, Rebel Star, Movie, Knight Lore, Dragontorc and countless others. Absolutely. One of the best things about the Speccy is its original titles, many of which didn't make much of an impact outside of the platform. Skool Daze did receive a worthy sequel on the PC, but is sadly now unplayable due to PC architecture changes since the late 90s. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BoatofCar Posted March 2, 2019 Author Share Posted March 2, 2019 Awesome! Im just getting into the speccy myself, and it is a fun machine. I picked up a grey 128 +2 which just uses a 9v wall wart for power. A little-known secret for other North Americans who are interested in trying it out but are intimidated by the PAL only video . . . a lot of lcd monitors and teevees do both NTSC and PAL and switch automatically. Just plug and play! That's true--much easier finding an LCD that does both than a CRT! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tschak909 Posted March 2, 2019 Share Posted March 2, 2019 I'm actually surprised. 2018 seemed to be the year that the Americans noticed the ZX Spectrum. and it's a good thing too, because there is a _VIBRANT_ reproduction market. You have everything from the Harlequin 128 kits (I have an Issue 3B, which has an RS232 port), to the ZX Omni 128HQ desktop and laptop units, (I have a desktop unit, which I am considering converting into a laptop), which combines a 128K spectrum, with DivMMC for storage, and both kempston and sinclair joystick ports (which are compatible with standard Atari DB9 joysticks), and the ability to switch between multiple ROM types and enabling/disabling the DivMMC from dip switches. I urge anyone who is a retro-computing enthusiast to seriously check it out, and spend time with them. They really are more than the sum of their parts. Harlequin 128 kits can be bought from multiple sources ByteDelight: https://www.bytedelight.com/?product=harlequin-128k-rev-2d-black-assembled-excl-rom https://www.ebay.com/itm/Harlequin-rev-G-ZX-Spectrum-clone-BLACK-kit-with-parts-comprehensive-manual-/182695683491 https://www.ebay.com/itm/Superfo-Harlequin-128-ZX-Spectrum-128K-clone-NEW-VERSION-3B-Full-Assembly-Board-/123671063267?oid=123644403198 And the Omni 128HQ can be procured from RetroRadionics, who also make a wide variety of cases, and keyboards: https://retroradionics.co.uk/shop.html#!/RetroRadionics-OMNI-128HQ-desktop-&-laptop/c/29185006/offset=0&sort=normal -Thom 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BoatofCar Posted March 4, 2019 Author Share Posted March 4, 2019 I'm actually surprised. 2018 seemed to be the year that the Americans noticed the ZX Spectrum. and it's a good thing too, because there is a _VIBRANT_ reproduction market. You have everything from the Harlequin 128 kits (I have an Issue 3B, which has an RS232 port), to the ZX Omni 128HQ desktop and laptop units, (I have a desktop unit, which I am considering converting into a laptop), which combines a 128K spectrum, with DivMMC for storage, and both kempston and sinclair joystick ports (which are compatible with standard Atari DB9 joysticks), and the ability to switch between multiple ROM types and enabling/disabling the DivMMC from dip switches. I urge anyone who is a retro-computing enthusiast to seriously check it out, and spend time with them. They really are more than the sum of their parts. I'm interested in these-are you doing other things with these besides playing games? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tschak909 Posted March 4, 2019 Share Posted March 4, 2019 I use them for testing the ZX Spectrum version of PLATOTERM that I have ported to the machine, which is a PLATO terminal emulator that can be used to access IRATA.ONLINE. A demo of it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_XlppdrIAN It can be used with any ZX Spectrum that has an RS232 interface (either via Interface 1, or via the RS232 port on + derived machines, such as the Harlequin 3B), or via Spectranet, which is an ethernet interface that provides an off-loaded TCP stack that you can use all over the system. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JamesD Posted March 5, 2019 Share Posted March 5, 2019 The Speccy has a huge game library.If you want arcade conversions, I'd stick with something else, but it has some great unique titles. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BoatofCar Posted March 9, 2019 Author Share Posted March 9, 2019 In Episode 2, we talk about Chaos: The Battle of Wizards! And Jaffa Cakes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tschak909 Posted March 9, 2019 Share Posted March 9, 2019 BoatOfCar: Before RARE were RARE, they were Ultimate (Play the Game), two brothers who cranked out some of the most amazing Spectrum games, ever: * Jetpac * Cookie * Pssst * Atic Atac and many more... Also, look at Manic Miner, and its sequel, Jet Set Willy. Deathchase School Daze and more... -Thom 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BoatofCar Posted March 22, 2019 Author Share Posted March 22, 2019 Thom, this coming week we're taking a look at Manic Miner! Episode 4 of Our Sinclair is a jaw-dropping conversion of the arcade classic, Chase H.Q.! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JamesD Posted March 22, 2019 Share Posted March 22, 2019 The mention of using the computer to help with Role Playing games reminds me.., there was a regular column related to this in a Tandy CoCo magazine.Odds are, the code made it to the Dragon, and then I'm sure some of them made it to the Spectrum.It's pretty indirect... but that kind of stuff had to make the rounds with D&D groups. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
youxia Posted March 22, 2019 Share Posted March 22, 2019 The mention of using the computer to help with Role Playing games reminds me.., there was a regular column related to this in a Tandy CoCo magazine. One of the first (and last ) programs I ever wrote was a simple stats/dice rolls generator in BASIC to help with some ancient pen'n paper RPG from a magazine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carlsson Posted March 22, 2019 Share Posted March 22, 2019 By the way, finally the coin dropped and I realized that the podcast name Our Sinclair is a homage to the magazine Your Sinclair. Nice one! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BoatofCar Posted November 27, 2020 Author Share Posted November 27, 2020 After a five-month hiatus, Our Sinclair is back! This week we take a look at the much different port of the C64/Atari 8 bit game, Action Biker! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hwlngmad Posted November 30, 2020 Share Posted November 30, 2020 On 11/27/2020 at 10:49 AM, BoatofCar said: After a five-month hiatus, Our Sinclair is back! This week we take a look at the much different port of the C64/Atari 8 bit game, Action Biker! Good to see you guys back in Sinclair action. Definitely it was a fun little show and glad it is making a comeback. Take care and best of luck going forward. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spector Posted December 20, 2020 Share Posted December 20, 2020 Remember the 1983 Robotron rip off "Wild West Hero": huge fun! Also for the Spectrum, Penetrator, a Scramble clone from way back in 1982. And here's the definitive version: a hack (penetr.tzx) that puts the fire and missile buttons on separate keys, so the keys are UP Q DOWN A LEFT O RIGHT P FIRE Space Bar MISSILE M Try the attached file on an emulator or even the real thing. Enjoy...! penetr.tzx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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