ZX Spectrum Games & Memories That Defined My Gaming Passion 🕹️❤️

The OGDuffy ZX Spectrum Years...
The Sinclair ZX Spectrum was a massive influence and memory on my early gaming days and in this video I share my ZX Spectrum memories and recall the standout games. From Jet Set Willy to Saboteur they are all here and with so many classic retro zx spectrum games to choose it is impossible to do a top 10... So instead I opted to give a run down of my favourite Sinclair ZX Spectrum games and recall the memories the humble ZX Spectrum gave me, which leads to my love and passion for retro gaming today.
So if your old enough to remember the Sinclair ZX Spectrum or the Speccy is a system your interested in getting to know better then my list of my personal top Zx Spectrum gaming memories is a great place to start...
So sit back and lets take a trip down OGDuffy's memory lane as we revisit Clive Sinclair's masterpiece of 80s home computers that is the Sinclair ZX Spectrum.
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[@danielsandford1172]

LensLock was that anti-piracy device you were talking about! The ZX Spectrum was where i got my first taste of game collecting! Great video OG 😊

[@OGDuffy]

Cheers matey and glad you enjoyed it 😉 Was great remembering the classic games 😎

[@andrewkerslake433]

Frank Bruno’s boxing, bmx simulator, atv simulator, Jason’s gem, roller coaster, gauntlet and renegade were favs here

[@OGDuffy]

Loved some Frank Bruno’s… Another Elite release 😉

[@davemoylemusic]

Great video mate. I played most of these back In the day. Those where the days. Putting a tape in and letting it load while ya have your tea. Sometimes ya ran back upstairs to find out the damn things didn't load. Thank God for emulation. Loving the content mate. 🍻 OG

[@OGDuffy]

Cheers matey oh yes…. The failed loading screen !!!!! What a disappointment that was !!!! 😂

[@konrad2008]

A great, classic and insightful video this time round 👍 the days that fired off the starting gun for all the games we enjoy to this day 😎

[@OGDuffy]

Exactly that matey so many original game concepts back then and many a great game designer cut their teeth on the Speccy 😉

[@RetroEdUK]

Brought back some nice memories! I used to loose hours playing Skool Daze 😄; using the catapault haha. Have a fab weekend mate.

[@OGDuffy]

Will do matey you to. Yep Skool Daze was one of the best and Back 2 Skool was Cool as well 😉

[@robthebobz]

I couldn't even complete Jet Set Willy with the cheat codes on! Infinite Lives, no enemies, didn't matter.

[@OGDuffy]

I hear you matey 😉🤣🍺 Me neither

[@XennialTV]

I never had a Spectrum, when the Sega Megadrive released I begged my Dad for it but he wasn't a rich man so someone at work sold him his Commodore64 and a box full of about 100 games so for a couple of years I played on that until eventually my Dad decided he'd get me the Megadrive. I will always appreciate that I got the chance to play the C64 first.

[@OGDuffy]

Great memories there matey and the C64 was an outstanding machine 😉 With 100 games that kept you very busy I’m sure matey😉 You got the Megadrive in the end buddy, again another outstanding machine 😉

[@Garbage_Pail_Kid]

I remember my jump from the Speccy to the Megadrive. I think I still have scars on the underside of my jaw after it hit the floor when I first saw/played Sonic.

[@005AGIMA]

Great list of games mate. Gauntlet on the Spectrum was awesome. Used to play it with my brother for hours and hours. And oh mate, Saboteur is possibly one of my earliest Spectrum memories at a mate's house Matt and Daryl. Used to play that and Paperboy at theirs on the 48k. Love the game so much to this day. Great video mate.

[@martinvegas1327]

Sorcery + on the Amstrad CPC 664 is my best gaming memory from back in the day, i got a disc from someone at school with Manic Miner and Jet Set Willy on it, Mr Dave Reedy please take a bow😎👍

[@OGDuffy]

Great gaming memories from This era…. Swapping and trading games etc 😉

[@robertbarnes7191]

Your channel is so fantastic. I got a amstrad 464 for Christmas with the green monitor and I was so over the moon.. I played and played that.. I used to love soccer manager with stick men lol😅.

[@OGDuffy]

Cheers matey yep footy manager was a classic and those stick men !!!! Fully immersed back then though 😉🍺

[@nuggsessions]

Super cool to see these as never seen them before 🔥🍻💚🙏🏾

[@OGDuffy]

Was fun times my friend 😉😎🍺

[@lfogezvarley3896]

awesome...memories of the ZX .... JSW and manic Miner were amazing

[@OGDuffy]

Those were amazing games and kept us coming back for more and more… Hard as hell though 😎🍺

[@gaminggrandad5554]

great video OG .fantastic games but i was a commodore user . but now i can appreciate .how good the spectrum was .cant wait for the specrum to be released ill be getting it 👍👍

[@OGDuffy]

Great to hear from you Chris 😉 Loved my Speccy and the C64, like yourself really looking forward to this new Speccy coming out 😎🍺

[@JANI1980.]

Never had a speccy, but looks awesome still for my eyes. And thank you for sharing your memories OG, I could listen to those stories all Day 💪👍😎😁🍻🍺

[@OGDuffy]

Thanks matey holds a lot of memories for me as do many other systems😉 Maybe I will revisit some of my other system memories from over the years 😎🍺

[@JANI1980.]

@@OGDuffy yes, i hope you do. Especially c64 memories would be awesome 😁

[@matthewrighelato7779]

Great memories there mate, target renegade & wheelie the stand-outs for me, classics! 👍

[@ianpeasley9739]

Great choices OG ! Some epic sports games on the Speccy that occupied me for hours of end - Barry McGuigan’s Boxing (very tough), Match Day II (diamond deflection system😀) and Grand National by Elite, trying to get placed on a 50-1 shot. Happy days!

[@OGDuffy]

I remember Barry McGuigans not played Grand National before though

[@miikasuominen3845]

Action Reflex, Bruce Lee, Renegade, Laser Squad, Trapdoor (and other Priestley's games)... List could go on about forever ;)

[@OGDuffy]

I know matey so many great titles 😉

[@dazzafett3331]

I had the C64 and my Brother had the ZX Spectrum. Both such great gaming computers. Very nostalgic seeing this and Elite is still my favourite game of all time and Gauntlet is my favourite Arcade game of all time. I was always Valkyrie 👍

[@OGDuffy]

You had the best of both worlds matey 😉🍺 C64 was great and the Speccy was truly unique. Elite was such an influential game…

[@alien8r33d]

Best Speccy games for me were: Sabre Wulf (Ultimate), Android 2 (Vortex), Scuba Dive (Durrell), Feud (Bulldog), Wheelie (Microsphere), 3D Deathchase (Micromega) and Jetpac (Ultimate) - all standouts. Then there's 3D Starstrike I & II + 3D Tank Duel (Realtime).

[@OGDuffy]

Scuba Dive was great 😉 Forgot all about that one matey😎 Some great games listed there and thanks for sharing 😎🍺

[@stephenfirth466]

I loved Quazatron, Skool Daze, Spy Hunter, R-Type, Jack The Nipper and the Pyjamarama games, too many to list really, playing on the speccy and listening to the Streetsounds Electro albums that came out around that time, such great memories 😊

[@OGDuffy]

Wow that took me back …. Loved the electro albums !!!! Can’t remember it was either Electro 3 or 5? Was my fav had Wild Style on it 😎😉🍺

[@stephenfirth466]

I think Wildstyle was on the Electro 1, I still have all the albums all 23 of them and the best of compilations on vinyl, great great times OG

[@gaf68tv]

My favourite ZX Spectrum game was Grand National, superb game

[@OGDuffy]

One I never played buddy

[@strider775]

Commodore Amiga was the best by far for me. Absolutely loved that thing, so many fond nostalgic memories.

[@OGDuffy]

Yes indeed…. These older computer systems were the machines that built the games industry matey 😉🍺

[@davidpope9892]

I do emember the day your Mum gave you some money to get your Christmas game. We got home from the town, plonked the Gauntlet tape on the present pile then a little bit later sneaked it back off the pile for a quick couple of games unbeknown to your Mum. An amazing game!

[@OGDuffy]

Oh yes matey … Happy days matey 😉🍺

[@OGDuffy]

You got a good memory 😉

[@corkion]

Good lord I'll go demented another weekend without a pint .🍻 🍻

[@OGDuffy]

It’ll soon pass matey and will taste amazing when you get one 😉

[@duluxdog71]

Jet set willy and jetpack wow great memories .swapping tapes with lads at school...

[@dragstar4407]

Matchday 1and 2!!! ,Emlyn Hughes!!!!,I had gunfright! Great days!definitely getting the new spectrum!!!!

[@OGDuffy]

The new Speccy looks awesome to be fair 😉 Gunfright was another amazing game from Ultimate 😉

[@Garbage_Pail_Kid]

Great video. You would be a great voice on a retro-gaming podcast (apologies if you already are haha). As for Maiden - they once played a small venue close to where my Nan lives in Norwich. I think they were playing 'undercover' at the time as The Nodding Donkeys. I would imagine the merchandise (if there was any) is worth a few pennies now.

[@OGDuffy]

Not been on a podcast but something Mrs OG would like to do…. So watch this space 😎🍺 Love Maiden and thanks for sharing that story matey as you say probably fetches some good coin now 😉

[@retrospecgamer]

Hi Duffy, one word buddy EXOLON that my friend was brilliant on the Zxspectrum.

[@TheWightMonk]

Two games stand out from the days of the Spectrum Nodes of Yessod and a homebrew game from the magazine input…it was a horse racing game that we’d all play…great fun as a family 😎

[@OGDuffy]

Not played Nodes of Yessod… will give it a look matey and those games on the magazine covers always threw up some little gems 😉

[@nuggsessions]

Ninja OG! 🔥

[@OGDuffy]

😉🍺

[@Darkbeatdk]

Great list! Never played the Spectrum but these will be nice starters to play on the Mini when it comes out.

[@OGDuffy]

Oh yes can’t go wrong with these games matey… So many classics on the system for sure 😉

[@oldskoolgamer_b6014]

There were some great spectrum games, some stand out ones for me were Dynamite dan, Chuckie egg 1&2, The Dizzy Games, R-type, and Jetpac! to name a few.

[@OGDuffy]

JetPac another classic… Ultimate Play the Game 😉

[@corkion]

I loved the story with your grandad

[@OGDuffy]

He was a great man matey 😉🍺

[@HeroesZeros]

Rebelstar on the 128 was amazing! Kevin Toms Football Manager is a total classic! I was definitely team C64 tho. 👍🏻🍻

[@OGDuffy]

64 was the better machine but the early memories from the Speccy was great. Never played rebel star ?

[@davidxavier7868]

Shadow Warriors, couldn't get far in it but loved what I could play. Barry McGuigan Boxing, that was a class game with a half decent career mode. Deathchase, simple but a lot of fun. A nod to Bullseye and Operation Wulf for the lightbun too, they were fun for a bit.

[@OGDuffy]

I remember Barry McGuigan was a great game me and my mate invested a lot of time in the career mode😉

[@paragoncalisthenics]

I was waiting for it and there it is target renegade 😅❤ brilliant game!

[@OGDuffy]

Oh yes…. Such a well designed game for the time 😎

[@goport]

The oddities that I loved ... Maziacs, Splat, Fat Worm Blows a Sparky, Laser Squad (and Rebelstar Raiders), Arctic Galaxians was awesome in 1982. Peter Pack Rat, Booty, TLL, Lightforce, Moon Cresta and Fred! And bugaboo! The obvious ones were there also; Manic Miner, JSW, Jet Pac, Knightlore etc. Also the text adventures; Lords of Time, Colossal Adventure (anything Level 9 produced)

[@OGDuffy]

A great list and many of those fetched back memories !!!! Bugaboo the Flea…. That was great and glad you agree with Maziacs 😉

[@andywilson726]

Laser Squad! I was an Amstrad kid back then, but a few of my mates had Speccies...that's the one I remember most fondly.

[@OGDuffy]

A great turn based strategy game😉 Glad you remember it fondly

[@valley_robot]

We had a different world in the UK, we had a great computer game scene, I had a ZX81 and I loved getting games for it and typing in games, my dad got me a c16 and that was mind blowing, colour graphics and sound, got a +4 the next Xmas, kept it till 1990 and got a c64 then an amiga in about 1994

[@treefidy91]

1. I Love the big Eddie on the wall… But that gaze into the fist of Dredd picture wins hands down!!! .2 my favourite Speccy games Exploding Fist, Jetpac and Bruce Lee hands down my go to games still play them today!! 🤘🏻🤘🏻

[@OGDuffy]

Another Dredd fan!!!! I love Brian Bollands art work 😉

[@treefidy91]

@@OGDuffy for me it’s king Carlos!!… I have every prog since 400 and every megazine since issue 1….. plus the case files and the mega collection and the 2000ad collection!!! 🤔 I might have a problem now I think about it 😂😂😂

[@TheGamezone519]

Well done for putting jet set willy on list. What a game 😊

[@OGDuffy]

Thanks matey a classic!!! Hard as nails but so addictive 😉

[@sheep20011]

Some nice picks there, especially wheelie. For me there’s quite a few that stick in my mind (apart from the big names) - Booty, BMX Simulator, light Force, Druid, Alchemist, halls of the things, splat, the hobbit, mont mole, roller coaster and of course, the original joystick breaker - Daley Thompson Decathlon. I was team speccy all the way up to the release of the Amiga, but I admit I was jealous of the loading tunes on the C64!

[@OGDuffy]

I hear you about the C64 music matey… That SUD chip certainly knew how to produce some truly amazing music. The Ocean loading tune was particularly good as was the Commando music 😉

[@PsychologyAcademia]

We owned a Record store in the early 1980's. We had the first ZX Spectrum games and i remember the posters on the shop window. I should have kept them. Now i remember one poster that said Football Manger not Football Manager. It was a printing error. Quite collectible :)

[@Northeastretrodad]

Love laser squad with the expansion pack, atic atak, bomb jack and death wish 3 were all awesome games.

[@OGDuffy]

Loved Bomb Jack was another great arcade conversion… Elite did some great games 😉

[@elshaddaimosthigh5003]

Great list, love them all dearly. Well selected

[@OGDuffy]

Thanks matey glad you liked them 😉

[@elshaddaimosthigh5003]

​@@OGDuffy I would have put StreetHawk in that list tho lol

[@davidwhaite3330]

Great collection of games but that t'shirt needs binning sweetheart lol

[@OGDuffy]

@@davidwhaite3330 🤣 Not a Maiden fan I take it ? 😉🤣😎

[@davidwhaite3330]

@@OGDuffy Errrmm..NO LOL

[@OGDuffy]

@@davidwhaite3330 thought as much 😉😂

[@kevingallagher2366]

Fantastic OG zx spectrum retro classics how about Manic miner have you ordered the zx spectrum that coming on November 2024

[@OGDuffy]

Manic Miner was awesome... But so, so hard.... Yes matey I have the Spectrum on pre order 😉

[@paulcullum517]

manic miner ,jet set willy , chuckie egg 2 , booty , jetpac , jumping jack, horracw and the spiders. Played them to death i loce all of them , never completed any of them as they are solid. Great memories.

[@OGDuffy]

Agreed matey so many classic weee born from this age of gaming 😉

[@paulcullum517]

@OGDuffy i think there was a bug in ether manic miner or jet set willy , you couldnt complete it. Im sure matthew smith knew this and it went out like that. ☺️

[@bsmith6646]

I remember a list from a few years ago, all the best British gaming companies and personalities, people like The Houser Brothers from Rockstar, Rare etc, they did a top 25 of British games ever, so many incredible games, some of the greatest ever, so influential. Elite was number 1. That's some going 🤙

[@OGDuffy]

Cheers matey yep Elite was such a bold game for the time…. So immersive 😉

[@steveford1070]

My memories of the speccy, were 2 of my older cousins having them, mind blowing gameplay and graphics! I bought the 8 bit master race computer, C64, i have one now. Just have it to listen to the music cos it's amazing......and the games are too hard......and Turrican

[@HeroesZeros]

Bruce Lee is still my favourite ever game. So good. 👊🏻🙏🏻

[@OGDuffy]

I know matey and one I still really enjoy 🍺

[@burbercat3558]

XCOM and Laser Squad were both made by Julian Gollop. He also made my favourite speccy game Chaos Battle of the Wizzards, which you can also find on the Android Platform as a free game.

[@OGDuffy]

Thanks for the info matey really appreciate the feedback. Makes sense the same fella did laser squad and x com 😉

[@markdillon5494]

All the 8 bits were great. My mates were a mix of Speccie and 64 owners. Me? I was a C64 owner from xmas 1985. No arguments between us mates to be honest. We just enjoyed playing each others games.

[@OGDuffy]

Always enjoyed seeing the same games on my mates C64 and see how they compared… Kung Fu Master was awesome on the 64 and the Speccy conversion was awful. Golden age of gaming 😉

[@sheppertonstudios8253]

Yes mate! Speccy, my fave memory lane nostalgia machine! Just finished work, gonna crack open a cold one and watch!

[@OGDuffy]

Enjoy the cold one matey a classic machine for sure 😉

[@katieblackmore2004]

Death Chase, Trans Am, Jet Set Willy, Leaderboard, Jack The Nipper, Target Renegade and Ant Attack were games me and my brothers played endlessly.

[@OGDuffy]

Still have Trans Am and to think it was a 16k game 😳😉😎

[@StephenShone]

Great stuff! Just preordered The Spectrum and can't wait :)

[@OGDuffy]

Good stuff gonna be great revisiting the classics 😉

[@kevinsinger8325]

hi OG many of the games i played loved commando games were ALOT cheaper compared today sold my 360 games to get loads of ps3 yesterday but my loe of games at the start must be zx football manager awesome

[@OGDuffy]

Football manager was revolutionary for the time !!!! Well done on the PS3 games hope you got some decent titles 😉

[@kevinsinger8325]

@@OGDuffy thnx OG got 30 games so hope so played call of duty ghost and black ops1 alot of fun also call of duty 3 loads more to try hope mrs OG is happy this weekend ie Landon and Oscar at f1 gp bye for now

[@Garbage_Pail_Kid]

I am going to be a bit predictable and say that I was Dizzy mad. I couldn't get enough of that little yolker, even if some of those jumps were a little unfair. Really enjoyed the Seymour games too. I think I was too young to fully appreciate lots of the genuine Speccy classics - but I still spent many a happy hour on RoboCop 2, Paper Boy, a Dangermouse text adventure, Shinobi, a cruddy Scooby-Doo/Scrappy-Doo game (I think I just liked the look of the main sprite). I loved the playable demo of 'How to be a Complete Bastard' too hehe. In fact, most of my time was probably spent playing Your Sinclair cover tapes.

[@OGDuffy]

Classic memories there matey 😉 If I recall the Scooby Doo game was done by Elite? Those cover tapes were great matey, remember them well 😉

[@shamus2503]

Jetpac, Moon Cresta, Monty Mole, Who Dares Wins 2, Head over Heals

[@OGDuffy]

All classics…. 😉 So many great games on this system for sure

[@arcade1upuk767]

My top 11 lol Speccy Games Rastan Robocop Batman Punchy Greenberet Bubble bobble Flying shark Bomb jack Outrun Chase hq Target Renegade Amazing Times!!!

[@OGDuffy]

Great list there buddy 😉 All classics and a golden age for gaming 😉

[@justinmuir8235]

I loved the ZX Spectrum but the Amstrad CPC 464 was the one that defined my gaming. CHEERS OG 🍻

[@OGDuffy]

Awesome matey we all have our own special memories from this golden era of gaming 😉🍺

[@ruivalente1141]

super bock !!! indeed !!!

[@OGDuffy]

😉

[@corkion]

Have a good weekend 🍻 og

[@OGDuffy]

Thanks matey you too buddy

[@fredsmith1970]

The little plastic doodad anti-piracy thing was called a lenslock. I remember this being on a few different games and applications (for some reason The Quill comes to mind??)

[@OGDuffy]

That’s the name of it matey…. Wasn’t the quill an Adventure writing program?

[@fredsmith1970]

@@OGDuffy yep, back when I was about 13 or 14 I wrote a couple of adventures with it... sent one of them off to a publisher, hoping to make my fortune... though never heard a thing back. Waste of a new Memorex C60 cassette tape. 😉

[@OGDuffy]

@@fredsmith1970 love that story matey 😉… I went to school with someone who had an adventure game published…. Sorry to hear you never heard back 😕😉

[@djjimuk2222]

Great video mate. Brought back some great memories. Some of mine are the same but heres mine in no order. Dizzy Thrust Saboteur Target Renegade Turbo Espirit Arkanoid Bmx simulator Kickstart 2 Return of the Jedi Emlyn Hughes International Soccer There are so many good titles but these are mine

[@OGDuffy]

Great list and as we agree its so hard to put them into a top 10 as so many awesome titles on the system 😉

[@andrewkerslake433]

Loved the playground trading of copied games! £1.99 games and if feeling plush, £2.99. I don’t think I ever bought a full price game!

[@OGDuffy]

The budget range was great and some decent titles too 😉

[@mrAcneface]

Just came across your channel. Subscribed. Skooldaze and bak2skool were my favourites.

[@retrorobbins]

good video mate

[@OGDuffy]

@@retrorobbins your the Speccy expert matey… You looking forward to the new release?

[@sheppertonstudios8253]

Oh, the city was called Antescher, and the Elite piracy protection was called LensLok

[@OGDuffy]

Lens Lok !!!! That was it matey great Memory buddy 😉

[@sheppertonstudios8253]

​@@OGDuffy I liked your story about "testing" out Gauntlet. One Christmas my mum bought me 6 Commodore 64 games and I said the same thing "can I test they work?". I took them upstairs and copied them all on my tape to tape lol

[@sheppertonstudios8253]

Games that stayed with me forever: Atic Atac, Jetpac, Manic Miner, The Hobbit, Planet of Death (Artic Adventures - I was a text adventure nerd), Velnor's Lair, Faust's Folly, 3D Ant Attack, Lords of Midnight, Sabre Wulf, Kokotoni Wilf, Urban Upstart, Jetset Willy, Trashman (AND MANY MORE lol)

[@OGDuffy]

Loved the text adventure games but never got very far !!! The Hobbit was one of my favourites for sure 😀

[@stephenelliott7071]

You should get yourself a Spectrum Next or N-go and review the updated versions.

[@OGDuffy]

So many fond memories of all these classics so might just do that matey 😉

[@stephenelliott7071]

Cool, me too mate. It's a great system and community. You can play all the classics, maybe bump up the speed or play updated versions on a modern speccy system.

[@burbercat3558]

Micronaught One never gets any love, which is such a shame as it's doing stuff that was ahead of its time.

[@OGDuffy]

Remember the name but cannot recall the game🤔 Will have to take a look

[@sheppertonstudios8253]

HOW COULD I HAVE FORGOT LASER SQUAD!

[@OGDuffy]

Loved that game 😎🍺

[@BunBun4Dictator]

Eastenders 😂 People subscribe to this channel an absolute joy to watch ❤

[@OGDuffy]

Thanks matey appreciate the kind, positive comment

[@entity_dragons2013]

Does anyone remember booty, pirate game was a classic, im currently using a spectrum emulator on my Chromebook having a blast playing old classic

[@OGDuffy]

I remember Booty 😀 Problem is so many awesome games and struggle to remember them all 😉

[@GNorton]

Hey set willy 1 and 2

[@OGDuffy]

Both amazing games 😉 Manic miner

[@Sleepster1999]

Football manager i play it to death many of hours i put into it mate

[@OGDuffy]

@@Sleepster1999 was an awesome simulator type game for the time. Very replayable 😉

[@grahamoliver5370]

Beach Squad

[@OGDuffy]

Oh yes… Another USGold release of if I recall?

[@mikesmfc]

Cheers OG I do enjoy a Staropramen. Spectrum was before my time but interesting to see some footage of these old games. Some of them do look great

[@OGDuffy]

Its a nice drop matey 😉🍺 The golden age of gaming my friend... If I ever make it up to Scotland we need a pint or two 😉🍺

[@mikesmfc]

@@OGDuffy yes sir! 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🍻

[@nuggsessions]

Think you have a little Asian in you OG 💚😁🥷🍻🏝️

[@OGDuffy]

Maybe 😉😎