The Spectrum Review: Nostalgia for Classic Microcomputing

[@mikeevers9079]

It wasn't necessarily popular in all of Europe in the 80s as some countries favoured the C64. In the UK, where I'm from, there was a battle between the two, which would be argued in the playground. You could also throw in Amstrad, the BBC Micro, Dragon 32 and others into the mix. The Speccy was also hugely adopted in Spain and some countries in Eastern Europe. Personally, I had a Spectrum 48k, which my parents bought for me in 1982. Happy days. Nice to watch your vid, thanks :)

[@johnhancockretro]

Thanks for the comment and info. I would of love to have one in the early to mid 80s. I got to experience the C64 here and was good times.

[@squirlmy]

I tend to think the C64 was much easier to work on, or upgrade, although as a teenager this was too intimidating for me to attempt. OTOH, the Spectrum design was widely pirated throughout Eastern Europe, Brazil, and other far-off countries. Did you use a tape player with your C64? My friends would use floppy disks, but this was expensive to try and write and/or distribute as a hobbyist programmer. I think ZX80 had an important place because of all the amateurs who made their own games. In the US, we did much less of this, because floppies and floppy drives were so expensive.

[@stevendurrant1724]

Believe me, when you guys talk about the video game crash, we guys were in a gaming boom.

[@sheppertonstudios8253]

I grew up with the Spectrum in the UK, I got mine Christmas 1982 and the first game I bought was The Hobbit. I'm really looking forward to finishing Lords of Midnight finally. I did finish the sequel Doomdark's Revenge though! I'm still a game developer now (I'm 54 and work for a UK studio) and yes, I do have my The Spectrum arriving tomorrow! ONE MORE SLEEP TO GO!

[@JesusTuber]

Thanks for this great video. Spaniard here, my brothers and I grew up with the ZX Spectrum 48k with rubber keys, so similar to the model you displayed. It was my first contact with videogames and computing in general, and the first computer language I learned (Basic). Fun fact: the first Altered Beast version I played was on the Spectrum. Years later it would be the first console game I owned when I purchased the Sega Mega Drive. I hope I can get it from a US store.

[@knastboxer]

Greetings from Germany. My best friend had this back in 1984 when me and my brother got our first C64, and at first glance it was not as capable as the Commodore, but it had so many fantastic games! We had a ton of fun with this little gem in computer history.

[@johnhancockretro]

Very cool!

[@alittlepeaceandkarma]

The ZX Spectrum started the games industry in the UK. People learnt basic, made their own games and ended up programming for the software houses.

[@TheClassicsCoder]

I started programming and earned my first money programming for it. It will be forever in my heart! Great, you tested out this little gem. I have every computer from Sinclair/Amstrad and Next I & II, but I couldn't resist buying this. It's really well done

[@johnhancockretro]

Great to hear!

[@JustinCardiff]

I had the 48k Soectrum, then then Spectrum +, and later my brother got a Sam Coupé, which was a strange machine really, I don’t remember ever using it.

[@daniel_lucio]

Here in Brazil, the Spectrum was very famous through its clones, the TK90X and later the TK95 (professional keyboard). After the Atari 2600, I moved on to a TK85 (ZX81) and finally the TK90X, where I learned to program at the age of 12. The Spectrum scene is still very strong here, with modern interface projects and addons like SD card readers and even Wi-Fi being made to this day.

[@johnhancockretro]

Thanks for the great information! I didn't know there were so many clones.

[@daniel_lucio]

@@johnhancockretro The ZX Spectrum is the most cloned system in the world, in the former Soviet Union alone they had almost a hundred different ones.

[@DinobotTM2]

​@@johnhancockretro Because all the Sinclair computers were made from of the shelf parts they were all very easy to clone, and cloned they were. I also owned a TK90X when I was a kid.

[@mjdf122]

Taking it way back with the Spectrum with John Hancock

[@damionduffy3625]

I absolutely loved my spectrum 48k in the 80s I can hear that loading static right now great times.

[@johnhancockretro]

Classic

[@anthonycapraro9570]

But no good when the game wouldn’t load lol

[@deagt3388]

My first PC Sinclair ZX Spectrum 48k rev. 1 1982.There was US version by Texas Instruments. ;-)

[@tomellingham8627]

In 1986 I visited the 'Ops room' of what was then called Belfast Harbour Airport There were two ZX Spextrums in the room. One of rhem was used for displaying the departures/ arrivals info which was typed in manually. The computer was cinkected to a telly which wqs connected to other tellys in the oassamger areas. What the public saw was what the operator saw. The other spectrum was used for something else and connected to a dor matriz printer. Think it was fur pilot logging or something - although they filled out paperwork too.

[@joeyisabsb1]

I think the only time I'd use a frame is if its for an arcade game and the cabinet artwork is shown.

[@mumfnah]

That rubber keyed beauty was my first gaming love, outside the arcades. Then i had the 2600 and the Speccy +2 128k grey. My mate over the road had the +3. The sound of a Speccy tape loading was what i listened to most days when having my dinner. Rewind, load it up, go eat dinner up at the table, and scoff it in time for the game to have loaded 👌 Can't wait for mine to arrive.

[@alfonsobonzo3782]

Had an Amstrad CPC 464 as a kid, but played many of a Speccy growing up. A fantastic computer in its day and it’s great to see if get a modern homage.

[@jamesbarker5535]

I still have my original Amstrad CPC 464. Loved it, but also spent many happy hours playing on my friends Speccy. Happy days indeed.

[@paulorusso6288]

Every time I hear about this hardware, the name chuckie Egg comes to mind... I spent a lot of days playing that one .... amazing game for the time . And yes, I am European 😊

[@EnjoySynthSounds]

The great thing is its 128k in a 48k case. That meand the ay sound chip and modern games compatibility. I can recommend Guardian 2, if you like arcade games, a brilliant Defender clone. You'll need a joypad for sure. Additionally Bombjack is a stone cold classic platformer. Aliens Neo Plasma is an outstanding new platformer. Buzzsaw is a Pac Attack style game, while Abbaye de Mortes is a great platformer. Enjoy the UK'S most popular and affordable home computer micro from the 1980s.

[@spine--damaged]

Hello from Portugal!! Mine is just arriving 😊 I grew up with a grey 128K+2 (the one the tape loader included) and I absolutely loved it!! Now I will be rocking The Spectrum QAOP Space 😅 Oh man I can't wait!

[@Tetlee]

I hope this gets a release over there in the US. Love seeing our cousins accross the pond discovering the Spectrum goodness🙂 The Spectrum +2a was my first major purchase with my own money back in the 80s.

[@claytonfrag]

superb, looks great.. spectrum was a great computer .. remember getting crash magazine every so often back in the day too..

[@gipgap4]

Although the founders of Rare first cut their teeth in the arcades, the ZX Spectrum was where they made their home computer/console debut.

[@mvl71]

Oooh I see it's got Starquake :) I'm usually pretty bad at fast games, but Starquake was an exception. I've played it on an MSX computer but the look and feel is pretty much the same. I'm going to ask Santa if I have been nice enough this year ;)

[@PAUL-MH]

I never grew up with it. I grew up with the sega master system sega mega drive nes and snes. I'm from the uk i remember staying round my mates house as a kid in the 90s and he had the zx spectrum. I remember thinking what the hell is this. Very cool they have bought it back it looks exactly the same as i remember when i first saw it!

[@TheRetroLoft]

I had the 128k back in the day as kid here in England, proper banger Schoop Daze!....If its not on there get "Everyones a wally" a head of its time in the "adventure genre" for sure

[@mr.y.mysterious.video1]

I grew up with a spectrum but secretly wanted a c64 all along. My parents did not go along with this

[@hiidenlaulaja]

I had (and have) C64 and always wanted Speccy too. No I can do it!

[@steviepaperboy154]

I've ordered one. I had a zx spectrum + growing up in Scotland but lost it somehow moving houses. Can't wait for it to arrive. Looking forward to playing The great escape. Was a brilliant game. Some of them are crap to be honest

[@seye69]

You said 'zed x' - well done! :)

[@johnhancockretro]

Oh thanks!

[@crunchyfrog555]

I still play my original Spectrum to this day. Some games of course are dated but there's still plenty of classics in there. I'm pleased to see they've done a decent thing of offering some good games on there. For anyone that isn't familiar with the catalgoue, of course Manic Miner, Jet Set Willy and the pre-Rare Ultimate games like Atic Atac and Sabre Wulf are a must. One game in that collection you absolutely must play is Lords of Midnight - you'll probably be confused to start with but stick with it - it was WAY ahead of it's time by being an early true tactical game and it is WELL worth learning it.

[@johnhancockretro]

Thanks for the comment and information. I am constantly learning more about this computer all the time.

[@roverreporter943]

Hi liked all these games so much at the time..........great stuff...😀

[@gogogo8448]

Your controller is QAOP Space (or a kempston joystick!).

[@mortimore4030]

The Atari 400 mini is Retrogames best release so far IMO. I think this might fall quite easily into second place for me.

[@kjhoskins]

I never had the ZX Spectrum (I had the beloved C64) but I can see why many people were a fan of the system. I hope they're happy with the sharp-looking mini. Thanks for the video, John!

[@johnhancockretro]

I loved the C64 and Vic 20

[@stewsretroreviews]

Brilliant review mate, still got my original spectrum 48k case, and I only used keys back in the day on my Spectrum, so I won't need a controller, I play old on new Speccy games on my channel too. Excellent stuff buddy 👍

[@DrTopGun]

Buddy, I was Atari and Nintendo in my younger years... I never played Sinclair's Spectrum. I am fascinated. Anyways, I have seen certain videos that they buy the PCBWay Spectrum Kits to build it. It seems intriguing. Anyhow, buddy, thank you for the mini review of this retro console- Spectrum. 😁🤜🤛💪👍🤙🖖

[@johnhancockretro]

Thanks! I think you will like it!

[@rubythescooby4002]

You’ve unlocked a memory for me with this video. The first game I ever completed was that ninja game you showed at 09:06 but I have idea what it’s called. I played it on my brothers Spectrum back in the day. If you could let me know the name that would be great. Thanks.

[@fireplants]

Saboteur

[@rubythescooby4002]

@ Thank you.

[@JGKingCrusher]

I love these devices. While I have zero experience with this certain one, I love how they are releasing these. Memories is really what it's about.

[@vladimir5136]

Memories memories. Not Spectrum, the times was great. My PC was USSR Hobbit based on ZX, with 64KB RAM

[@Metal_Maxine]

Best named clone ever!

[@squirlmy]

I think copies of the ZX Speccy were more numerous than official licensed ones. Personally I'd rather get a re-make of these imitations, like the Pentagon, Didaktik, etc, just without flaky errors and incompatibilities!

[@squirlmy]

@@Metal_Maxine for cuteness, maybe. One was called the Pentagon. idk if the irony of naming it after the US Defense base was intentional, but it makes me laugh.

[@Metal_Maxine]

@@squirlmy I think you can get kits to build your own pentagon, but I'm not sure

[@squirlmy]

We did have a version in the US, called the Timex-Sinclair because it was distributed through a collaboration of the two companies. It had some better specs, more memory and perhaps a slightly better keyboard. A neighbor of mine was an accountant who previously used it with accounting software. His children were disappointed because there just wasn't enough games, perhaps they were just not advertised enough, but it didn't hold up against even the Atari 2600.

[@johnhancockretro]

Yes the Timex Sinclair 1000 line was not great and they also offered another computer Timex 2068 that offered limited compatibility with zx spectrum games with a cart. I did a video on both of these.

[@SuperEarther]

so many memories with this computer. i have to play some trash man, critical mass, death race!

[@johnnyboyrebell]

Ant Attack for me ! the reason i bought this !

[@RetroRaider]

Much love for the Speccy ✌️ cheers John 😊

[@allanmailer4540]

Got mine delivered last night and I'm not opening it until Christmas morning.

[@chrishensley5384]

Is that the style controller that came with the ZX Spectrum? I never got to play one back in the day. Thanks for the video John!

[@johnhancockretro]

Nope, joysticks were common back then

[@steviehope7718]

Great video, thanks

[@johnhancockretro]

Glad you liked it!

[@TheDrisk]

So excited for mine... is an excellent lineup of games.

[@intylab]

There were a lot of Dizzy games. I'd love to get into the original series. As it is, I played Treasure Island Dizzy on the Amiga.

[@EpicLebaneseNerd]

i had one of them for a very small while, sadly i didn't appreciate it since i got it already almost dead since the owner was planning to throw it away and i already had a super nintendo by then, but since i have nostalgia for it, will pick one up when i can for a good price.

[@therealyogibear2k225]

Thank you for calling it the zed ex Spectrum and not the zee ex like a lot of Americans say. I grew up with the Spectrum it was my second computer with the first being the Dragon 32. Being from the UK. I loved my Spectrum back in the day, especially with the cassette tape loading system, which I know over there wasn't really big it was mainly disks, or cartridges. I had the 16k, 48k, and 128k verdions. The games on their website are definitely disappointing, though. No Jet Set Willy, no Atic Attack, no Trans Am no Bruce Lee? Very poor list of games indeed. But at least you can put your own games on it, which I am definitely going to be doing. I am definitely going to pick one up though, despite this. Thanks, John for the video. I didn't even know this was a thing. I knew about the Spectrum next, but that didn't interest me. But this certainly does.

[@ag3ntorange164]

Check out Highway Encounter John. Awesome game.

[@keelbyman]

Costa Panayi did some great games and HE is definitely my favourite

[@johnpritchard7591]

I thought reviews were not allowed until Friday, day of release (for us commoners)?

[@fadercreek]

They should release this around the same time as atari 7800 + in north america

[@michaelcoyne6335]

I played the amstead cpc 464 growing up+

[@jamesbarker5535]

Me too. Loving The Spectrum, but really hoping for an Amstrad mini 👍

[@jonniefast]

i want one 😭😭

[@oprion]

How did you get it over to the States? I can’t find any supplier willing to ship it!

[@johnhancockretro]

Retro Games sent this to me

[@3minutegeardemos]

Wish it had mic input to buy games from ebay-not everyone owns a PC to add tap images.

[@indiaalphanovember8217]

I will get one for sure at some point but all am gonna play is the Dizzy games haha

[@sheppertonstudios8253]

Oh you didn't mention that you can choose through the options to load the games at original speed with the audio and flashing borders lol

[@Metal_Maxine]

It would be lovely if they marked which games are the new indies.

[@johnhancockretro]

Copyright in the game menus help ;)

[@foxmolder1974]

the mask of the keyboard is in steel like the original?

[@Body13ag]

No power brick is not fine!! I'm sick of companies getting away with this crap

[@Andrea1234]

Is it possible to play included 2p games with 2 joypads?

[@johnhancockretro]

Should be but not tested.

[@FhargaZ]

The preorders are only for Europe?

[@johnhancockretro]

The video explains ;)

[@damionduffy3625]

Can't believe rolling thunder and xenon aren't on it though

[@MarcKloos]

Licencing issues perhaps. But you can plug in your USB stick with those games.

[@gipgap4]

@@MarcKloosrolling thunder definitely, not sure about Xenon though. It was always remembered as a 16 bit game though rather than the converted Spectrum version.

[@allenwhiteside7838]

Is there anyway to buy one in the usa looked everywhere can not find anything to ship to usa

[@johnhancockretro]

Nope and mention that in the video.

[@wssayer]

Please not a joypad! They purposely didn't include a controller as most players used the keyboard (or maybe a Quickshot 2 joystick)

[@johnhancockretro]

Hard for me to go back to a keyboard when I grew up with control pads and joysticks.

[@myfyrmadocjones]

Randomize USR 0 😀 - what joystick works with this?

[@michaeladams9807]

Nice 👍👍™️

[@johnhancockretro]

Thanks ✌

[@raulsolpei]

Is it possible to add pokes?

[@jamesbarker5535]

Yes. I saw another KZbinr demonstrate this 👍

[@robertgijsen]

What I missed a bit, is the keyboard functional? I wouldn't think so at that price point but who knows.. I assume there's a virtual keyboard if you want to torture yourself to basic programming with a joystick?

[@johnhancockretro]

Keyboard is fully functional.

[@robertgijsen]

@@johnhancockretro ok thats awesome, alot of mini's just have props.

[@bluefox9er]

Spoiler alert: it won’t work with the vast majority of USB controllers

[@scannaunderscore1]

You shouldn't be using a controller with speccy

[@johnhancockretro]

Some games are much better using a controller imo.

[@mortimore4030]

@@johnhancockretroI think he means a joypad. Everyone used joysticks back in the day.

[@MrStrangermoon]

ı saw this amazon wonder what is. my father have it still on box. it really look of orginal plastic. for games best ı think game covers. ı remember return of jedi death star battle and empire strikes back spectrum covers it was way better than movie ones or any other media. mega drive steal spectrum magic ı think after playing after burner 2 and super hangon on mega drive hard to go back spectkrum version. ı remember popoye game ı played ı think. some games loads from cassatte 10 min. the new doom like fps game is very cool. there is also sonic spectrum you should check. polymega logo and design of console steal from zx spectrum but here those colors have meaning on games you can see those colors pops. ı played f15 microporse on mega drive it was good but dissapointed forgame box bcouse my father spectrum version of f-19 stealh fighter game box look amazing. feel like given secret real pilot breafing.

[@kghhgkgk6322]

Pretty dumb there's no US release.

[@johnhancockretro]

Not really, demand here would be very low due to not ever being released here.