Sinclair ZX Spectrum
From GamerWiki
| Sinclair ZX Spectrum | |
| Image:Coverpic.jpg | |
| Manufacturer: | Sinclair |
| Alternate Names: | Timex Sinclair 2068 (USA) Czerweny CZ-2000/CZ-Spectrum (Argentina) |
| Announced: | date the console was announced |
| Release date: | JP: date/month in text/year NA: date/month in text/year EU: date/month in text/year AU: date/month in text/year |
| Initial Price: | JP: ? NA: ? EU: ? AU: ? |
| Discontinued: | date discontinued |
Other games available (temporary link)
Contents |
The Hardware
- FIRMWARE:
- 3.54 MHz Zilog Z80A CPU
- 16K / 48K / 128K RAM
- DISPLAY:
- 32 x 22 character text display
- 256 x 192 pixel resolution
- 8 colours (2 brightness levels per colour)
- SOUND:
- 1 channel, 5 octave (16/48K Spectrums)
- 3 channel, 7 octaves (128K Spectrums)
- I/O:
- Z80 bus, tape, RF television (All Spectrums)
- External numeric keypad (Spectrum 128)
- RS232 - Midi Out, RGB, Joystick (Spectrum 128, +2, +2A, +3)
- STORAGE:
- Built-in tape recorder (Spectrum +2, +2A)
- Build-in 3" disk drive (Spectrum +3)
(Above details courtesy of Planet Sinclair - http://www.nvg.ntnu.no/sinclair/contents.htm)
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The Games
A full list of Spectrum Games documented on GamerWiki can be found at the Sinclair ZX Spectrum category.
Specific Games
The World of Spectrum site lists well over 7,000 unique games released for the Spectrum, from Sinclair Research's own Thro' the Wall, included with the machine on release in 1982 as part of the bundled Horizons cassette, through Turbulence, published in 1992 and possibly the last original retail release for the platform, and on to ZX Football Manager 2005, published in 2005 and still on sale via the web.
As with other 8-bit systems, the Spectrum software environment, particularly in the early days, was characterised largely by its unregulated variety. Barriers to entry were minimal, and it seemed that anyone with the talent and persistence to complete a game would get it published one way or another. Projects were often built by lone programmers or very small teams, over short periods. The low financial risk these conditions entailed meant that games could be completed with few restrictions placed on themes or mechanics. As the scene evolved, large developer/publishers such as Ocean emerged, with more professional practices, but they were competing to the end with niche outfits such as Delta 4 and one-man teams like Pete Cooke.
The industry began to define its genres during this period, and while much of the output consisted of arcade game conversions, derivative licenses and shoddily coded clones, there are many titles displaying innovation, ambition, and downright eccentric design to be found in the Spectrum's extensive catalogue.
Key Titles
Official Your Sinclair Top Ten:
- 3D Deathchase
- Rebel Star
- All or Nothing
- Stop the Express
- Head Over Heels
- R-Type
- The Sentinel
- Rainbow Islands
- Boulder Dash
- T.L.L.
Your Sinclair Readers' Top 10:
- Chase H.Q.
- Rainbow Islands
- R-Type
- Sim City
- Chaos
- Manic Miner
- Elite
- Back to Skool
- RoboCop
- 3D Deathchase
A full list of Sinclair ZX Spectrum games documented on GamerWiki can be found at the Sinclair ZX Spectrum category.
Alternatively, a manually created list is also available - this is to be deprecated, so please add any further games to the games to be added page.
