Popular games for platform Sinclair ZX81
Three symbols appear in the centre of the screen as a vertical column and the player has to move them to one of 4 sets of 3 columns by pressing up, down, left or right. The idea is to build up lines of 3 matching symbols horizontally or diagonally to score points and gain a little time. The faster you make decisions the longer you will last, but the more mistakes you will make. The author's personal best score is 9600, can you beat that? Inspired by a video game popular in Belgian bars. Features a high score table and redefinable keys. Joysticks and Zon-X sound supported.
Chase is somehow similar to Gnome Robots but in real-time game and with several items and power-ups.
A reboot of the Game and Watch title Helmet, with Palo T as the protagonist.
An illustrated text adventure game for the ZX Spectrum and Sinclair ZX81.
Cassette 50 is a compilation of 50 games that was released for a variety of 8-bit home computers, albeit with different selections of games on different computers. The majority of games within the collection were programmed in BASIC and are widely considered to be of poor quality.
ZX Compendium is a collection of six games and programs that contains: Alien Intruder: During a long space voyage to Earth, you have been woken from cryogenic suspension to find, to your horror, the rest of the crew devoured by an alien lifeform. To prevent yourself being the next item on the menu you have decided to collect enough essential supplies before escaping in a shuttle. The game is a text adventure with some graphics where the screen is split into two. The top half shows a map of one of the three levels of the ship with your location and the aliens if on the same level as you, a map showing your immediate surrounding area and any exits, and finally the supplies you need to collect which are oxygen, cells, water and food. The bottom half of the screen has text describing your current location and you type in commands with the keyboard to interact with each location. If you enter a location with the alien then you die but if the alien enters your location then you need to deal with the situation. Wumpus Adventure: A text adventure that allows one to four players to move around an area hunting for creatures called a Wumpus to kill. Before you start the hunt you have a number of options and they are, choice of caverns (Novice, Random Cave Pattern and Professional Hunter), number of players, and if you hunt to the death or kill a certain amount of Wumpus. The actual game sees text on the screen describing each location of a player and the current player types in commands to interact with their surroundings. Each player gets one move before the next player has a turn. The players are armed with five arrows but more can be collected, and as well as Wumpus there are other creatures like Goblins and giant serpents that need to be dealt with. Numerology: A program that allows you to enter your name and birth date to receive a reading about your personality and find out your lucky number, colour and day of the week. Hangman: Based on the pen and paper game, you can compete against the computer or another person as you try to guess a word without being hanged. A word is generated and you have to select a letter at a time to try to make the word. If you guess a correct letter then it appears in the word but get one wrong and a man being hanged on a scaffold starts to appear. The computer has two levels (1-2) to choose from. Hieroglyphics: You have to decipher 39 Hieroglyphics by placing a letter or a vowel combination under the correct symbol and the computer will give you a word to help you decipher them. You must be careful in your guesses though because each wrong guess sees trapped explorer Wullie Makeit's tomb slowly fill with sand. Movie Mogul: A management game where with a limited budget you have to buy a script and attempt to make a movie and make a profit with it. After buying a script you decide which type of movie to make as well as hiring a director, actor and actress. You decide on each day of filming how much money to spend on various options watching your budget levels decrease. Once you have completed filming you are given a final score as a profit or loss for the finished movie.
Scram - 81 is a clone of the arcade game Scramble which is viewed from the side with the screen scrolling left to right constantly. You have to fly a spaceship above the surface of a planet bombing ground targets while shooting or bombing missiles with your laser. As you fly, your fuel level decreases but you can bomb fuel dumps to increase it. If you hit a missile or the surface then you lose one of three lives.
Pinball recreates a pinball table where the aim is to keep hitting a ball to score as many points as you can with two flippers. The table is equipped with bumpers and letters spelling TIMEX, as well as two lanes that when entered give bonus points. There are also two outside lanes that when entered lose the ball and if the ball also passes the flippers then you lose one of five lives.
The ZX Spectrum port of Boulder Dash.
Backgammon for the ZX81 with 16K memory expansion module or for the ZX Spectrum.
Pac Man clone.
Help our hero protect his colony by repelling the attack of voracious killer spiders in this exciting ZX81 game.
Game based on the notes of the Graf Spee expedition to South Atlantic Ocean.
In this surreal platformer, released in 1985 for the Commodore 64 and ZX Spectrum, you have been transformed into a bird, and must fight to save the human race from the invading Kremins by exploring an expansive world and collecting useful items.
A unique platformer with twist. While being chased by a giant blob you need to gather fuel and a rocket on the right platform. After this you can fly, over water, to the left platforms to gather jewels. Given the capabilities of the ZX81 an wonderfull game in "high-res".
"Sam Mallard: The Case of the Missing Swan" is a short film noir adventure on the go with 15 different locations to explore and a fantastic 8-bit Jazz noir sound-track.
Galaxians & Gloops is a double game pack that contains: Galaxians: Based on the arcade game, you control a craft at the bottom of the screen, moving left or right, blasting alien ships in formation above firing missiles at you. As you blast the aliens, some aliens will swoop down firing missiles as well. If you are hit by an alien or its missiles then you lose one of three lives. Before the game you have a number of options that can be selected and they are speed (0-9), firing rate (0-9) and how many swoop at one time (0-9). Gloops: A Pac-Man clone that has you moving about a maze eating all the dots to clear the maze. As you eat the dots, Gloops move around the maze as well and if you touch one then you lose one of three lives. There are power-pills and if you eat one then you can eat the Gloops for a short time. Before the game you have two options that can be selected and they are speed (0-9) and a choice of ten mazes.
Fantasy Games is a double games pack containing the following adventure games: Perilous Swamp: Deep in a Perilous Swamp, your quest is to find and rescue a Princess held captive by an evil Wizard before escaping out of the swamp. You are presented with a map of your surroundings and text tells you any objects you can see. As you move around the swamp you will encounter various creatures who you can fight, run from or bribe (if you have enough treasure). If you choose to fight then you decide how many combat strength points to use. Spells can be found and used to help you on your quest. Sorcerer's Island: Similar to Perilous Swamp, this time you are on an island and you must attempt to leave it. One difference is you can encounter people like the King of the Dwarves and the Grand Sorcerer himself to help you.
QS Defender is a side scrolling shooter that although it is inspired by it, lacks many features of the arcade game Defender. This version is constantly scrolling left to right and there is no option to turn around and move in the opposite direction. The player can move up and down, fire and use thrust to increase the movement speed forward. There is only one enemy type and each one killed is worth 100 points. Enemies appear in waves. At the start there are just a few but as the player progresses it gets more hectic with up to eight enemies on the screen at once. The player has nine ships. When getting hit the screen goes black for a few seconds before it starts again with a clear screen and one ship less. Once all ships are lost the game has to be restarted through basic.
10 Games is a collection of games and programs on one tape. The collection contains: Klingons: You are a spaceship returning from a mining expedition and you have run into a Battlefleet of Klingons but you have no guns so with your shield you must ram them all. The game is viewed from above with you scrolling down the screen and the Klingons scrolling upwards. You receive extra points for any Battleships or Motherships that you hit. Crash-Landing: Your spaceship has been hit by a meteor and you are prepared for a crash landing on a planet with the only control you have is using your rockets. The game is text only and you see your fuel levels, velocity, height and the time. Simon: Based on the classic game where the computer shows you a sequence of colours and you have to input the same sequence. Every time you get the sequence correct, the computer adds another colour to the same sequence. Artist: A drawing program that allows you to draw pictures and shapes on the screen with a cursor. UFO: A row of UFO's sit on the top of the screen and your spaceship scrolls from the left of the screen below them, firing one shot at a time to remove parts of the UFO's. Every time you hit a UFO you score a point and you start scrolling from the left of the screen again. Missing a UFO or hitting the right side of the screen loses you points. Code: Based on the game Mastermind, the computer thinks of a 4 digit number and you have to guess it within a set number of guesses. Once you enter a number the computer tells you which number is correct in the right place and which number is correct in the wrong place. Asteroids: Your spaceship has hit an asteroid field and like the game Klingons you have no gun but instead of ramming the asteroids you must avoid them for as long as possible. Bomber: The game is viewed from the side as you watch a Bomber fly from left to right across the screen. The land is below with a dam on it and you must drop a bomb to hit the dam. Each dam that you see appears in a different location. Kaleidescope: This is program based on the toy where you see dots moving about the screen making symmetrical shapes. There is no interaction from the player. Guillotine: A two player game based on the pen and paper game Hangman but instead of saving your self from being hanged you must stop yourself from getting your head chopped off by a Guillotine. Player One enters a word and Player two has to type in letters to guess the word. Get a letter right and it appears in the word but get it wrong and a Guillotine starts to appear.
2K Games Pack is a collection of six games and programs. The collection consists of: Snail: You have $50 and the choice to bet an amount of money on one of four snails to reach the other side of the screen first. Advice: A program which gives you a statement to take as advice. Dice: You and the computer take it in turns to throw a dice and the winner is the one with the highest score after 10 throws. 31: The computer gives you a number and you decide whether to receive another one with the aim to get closer to 31 than the computer. Sketch: A program allowing you to draw pictures and shapes with a cursor. Reverse: A puzzle game where you have to put 10 mixed up numbers in order by selecting how many numbers from the left will be reversed.