Popular games for platform ZX Spectrum

17.08.1986

Take to the streets or take to the skies. Because Action Fighter is the incredible, transformable combat vehicle. You start out on a customized cycle. Built with enough speed and power to jump over water and overtake enemies. Then, by finding the right parts along the way, you'll change your cycle into a supercharged, state-of-the-art sports car. Next, add two turbojets to make your car airborne. And take to the skies. Down hyped-up helicopters and jet spaceships from above. And no matter which vehicle you're manning- or who you're after- get ready to stand by for action!

31.12.1987

Monty On the Run is a platform-style game featuring Monty Mole, a coal thief fleeing across Europe to escape the Intermole agency. Players navigate Monty through 80 screens representing European landmarks, using various movement techniques like super-leaps and ceiling suspension. The goal is to collect Eurocheques and plane tickets while avoiding hazards. The game incorporates unique elements such as drunkenness effects from wine bottles and aerial combat sequences. As the third main entry in the Monty Mole series, it builds upon the gameplay mechanics of its predecessors while introducing new challenges and environments.

31.12.1991

Turrican II: The Final Fight is a platformer/shooter as typically seen on consoles, but designed for home computers from the ground up. Its plot is - naturally - very simple: an evil mega-robot called The Machine attacks the United Planets Ship Avalon 1, slaughtering all who resist. All - except Bren McGuire, who manages to escape and slips into the experimental Turrican bionic armor. As Turrican, he strives to show The Machine who's the boss. Unlike other games of its type, this game contains three levels of horizontal shooter action in the spirit of R-Type or the developers' own Katakis. Six large worlds are to be explored, where you are basically free to go everywhere you want, since there is no automatic scrolling and the levels are packed with hidden extra lives and weapons. All those levels are very different: the first one in the rock desert is pretty colorful with parallaxing rainbow background and happy music, while the following worlds get darker and darker.

31.12.1988

The game consists of two different soccer simulations, you can carry out a match in the stadium or indoors. The field is always shown from the top and scrolled softly into all directions. Different game modes make for diversity. Up to 15 players can enter their names and then compete with each other in a league. One can also take part in a World Cup, whereby the venue corresponds to the one of a real World Cup. The computer takes over the controls of as many teams as needed. A two-player friendly can be played head to head. The game offers features as "banana kick", "action replay" and weather. The original was developed by Sensible Software for the C64, Electronic Pencil Company were responsible for the Amiga and Atari ST versions.

31.12.1987

Si creías haber visto todo en video-aventuras espera a ver EXOLON. Las críticas de este juego han sido unánimes: declarado "Classic" por Sinclair User, "Mega-Game" por Your Sinclair, "Master Game" por Amstrad Action, "Hit" por Computers & Video Games... ¿puedes perdértelo?

31.12.1989

The Duel: Test Drive II is a cross-platform racing game developed by Distinctive Software and published by Accolade in 1989. It is the second entry in the Test Drive series of video games.

03.10.1989

SimCity, later renamed SimCity Classic, is a city-building simulation video game, first released on February 2, 1989, and designed by Will Wright for the Macintosh computer. SimCity was Maxis's second product, which has since been ported into various personal computers and game consoles, and spawned several sequels including SimCity 2000 in 1993, SimCity 3000 in 1999, SimCity 4 in 2003, SimCity DS, SimCity Societies in 2007, and SimCity in 2013. Until the release of The Sims in 2000, the SimCity series was the best-selling line of computer games made by Maxis.

31.12.1985

Tales of the Unknown: Volume I, better known as "The Bard's Tale", is an RPG developed by Interplay Productions in 1985 originally for the Apple II. It was quickly ported to numerous other platforms and became widely successful. This was partly because it incorporated unprecedented 3D graphic design, featuring partly animated character portraits and engaging gameplay. It also helped that the game was available on the Commodore 64-the most successful game console at the time, whereas the main competitor-the Ultima series, was not.

31.12.1990

Turrican is a 1990 video game programmed and designed by Manfred Trenz. It was first developed for the Commodore 64 by Rainbow Arts, but was ported to other systems later. In addition to concept design and character creation, Trenz personally programmed Turrican on the Commodore 64. A sequel, Turrican II, followed 1991 for the Commodore 64 and other platforms.

01.10.1987

Call it a sequel... And you'll land up flat on your back. They called International Karate "the greatest Karate beat' em up yet" (Commodore User). And who are we to argue? But Archer Maclean has come up with a stunner: A third fighter. An amazing animated background. New moves (including double head-kick and a spectacular backflip). Re-mixed music by Rob Hubbard. And Balls!

31.12.1983

Chuckie Egg is an action platformer featuring a turn-based multiplayer mode. As Hen-House Harry, the player must collect the twelve eggs positioned in each level, before a countdown timer reaches zero. In addition there are piles of seed which may be collected to increase points and stop the countdown timer for a while. The player starts with five lives, and an extra life is awarded every 10,000 points.

01.12.1982

Mission: Code Name River Raid. Jet down the river. Break the enemy blockade and blast the bridges to halt enemy troop advances. Terrain: Code Name River of No Return. An ever-changing, ever-challenging waterway. Expect huge islands, narrow channels and treacherous bays crawling with enemy choppers, tankers and jets. Weaponry: Code Name StratoStrafer. Your B1 StratoWing Assault Jet has been retrofitted with sophisticated, rapid-fire guided missiles. Your craft is super-sensitive to the stick. Accelerate, slow or bank radically with only a touch. Tactics: Jet low to the river to avoid radar. Stop periodically at depots to refuel. A warning claxxon will alert you. Top speed! Best of luck!

01.05.1983

The 'Acme Interstellar Transport Company' is delivering spaceship kits to various planets in the solar system throughout the Galaxy; and as chief test pilot, all you have to do is assemble the Rockets, and thrust on to your next destination. As you don't often get the chance of a free trip across the Galaxy, this is a great opportunity to get rich! Stop off on several planets on your journey, collect the odd sack of precious gems, elements or gold, and take them back with you. Sounds simple doesn't it! But before you make yourself the richest person in the whole Universe, remember to refuel your Spaceship - with 6 fuel pods - every time you land on a planet. Any other goodies you collect are yours to keep. Upon landing, you will find yourself equipped with the very latest Hydrovac Jet Pac, which can automatically air lift almost any rocket stage, fuel pod or valuables that you care to land upon, and release them over the rocket ship base. Don't forget your mega-powerful, Quad Photon Laser Phasers can blast any nasty, mean aliens who might object to your visit.

31.12.1987

Dizzy: The Ultimate Cartoon Adventure was the first in the Dizzy series of games which would spawn many more Europe-wide bestselling titles.

31.12.1988

Once beaten, but not destroyed, the evil Shogun Kunitoki used all his mystic powers to transport himself through time and establish a new empire of tyranny in modern day Manhattan. Only you can stop him!

31.12.1989

The movie of the decade is now the game of the year! Just when you thought you'd heard the last of his heinous cackling, The Joker is back in an all new action-adventure, based on the blockbuster movie - Batman. As the Dark Knight, only you can determine how the plot will unfold as you try to save Gotham City from certain doom. Even with the Batwing and all your wonderful toys, The Joker may just rewrite your script. So, rev up the Batmobile and get ready for the chase of your life.

31.12.1987

Wizball is a scrolling shooter in similar vein to Gradius with an additional collection dynamic. It is a horizontally scrolling game taking place over eight levels, which involves navigating around a landscape and shooting at sprites. However, the aim of the game is to collect droplets of coloured paint to colour the level. Each level starts off as monochromatic, drawn in three shades of grey, and needs three colours (red, blue, and green) to be collected to complete it. The player, a wizard who has taken the form of a green ball, can navigate between the levels through portals. At first the wizard only has access to the first three levels, but completing levels gains access to further levels. Each level has bouncing spheres of a different colours, and shooting them releases droplets, which may be collected. At the same time, each level needs a different colour to be added, which can be composed by collecting sufficient quantities of the correct colours. On later levels, the spheres of paint start shooting bullets, further adding to the challenge. The wizard himself is not capable of collecting paint droplets, and is initially capable of very limited movement, bouncing up and down at a fixed rate, with the player only controlling a speed of rotation, and thus how fast it will move horizontally after next touching the ground. Collecting green pearls (which appear when some sprites have been shot) gives the player tokens which can be used to "buy" enhancements, such as greater control over movement and improved firepower, and also a companion known as Catellite. Catellite (ostensibly the wizard's cat) is also spherical in form. It normally follows the wizard, but it can also be moved independently by holding down the fire button whilst moving the joystick (which also renders the wizard uncontrollable). Only Catellite is capable of collecting paint droplets; the player has to use it to do so. In the two-player mode, Catellite is controlled by the second player. As well as droplets of colours, sometimes droplets of other colours also appear, having various effects. These include: Light blue - causes a "filth raid", where a wave of fast-moving enemies appear, shooting bullets at the player. Grey - changes Catellite into an "Indestructacat", making it invulnerable to enemies. White - gives an extra life. Purple - changes Catellite into a "mutant cat", causing it to disobey the player's controls. Black - causes "freaky bits", turning most of the scenery black.

01.06.1987

Arkanoid - Revenge of Doh (a.k.a. Arkanoid 2) is an arcade game released by Taito in 1987 as a sequel to Arkanoid. The mysterious enemy known as DOH has returned to seek vengeance on the Vaus space vessel. The player must once again take control of the Vaus (paddle) and overcome many challenges in order to destroy DOH once and for all. Revenge of Doh sees the player battle through 34 rounds, taken from a grand total of 64. NEW FEATURES: Revenge of Doh differs from its predecessor with the introduction of "Warp Gates". Upon completion of a level or when the Break ("B") pill is caught, two gates appear at the bottom of the play area, on either side. The player can choose to go through either one of the gates - the choice will affect which version of the next level is provided. The fire-button is only used when the Laser Cannons ("L") or Catch ("C") pill is caught. The game also features two new features for bricks. Notched silver bricks, like normal silver bricks, take several hits to destroy. However, after a short period of time after destruction, they regenerate at full strength. Fortunately, clearing a level does not require that any notched bricks be destroyed. Also, some bricks move from side to side as long as their left and/or right sides are not obstructed by other bricks. The US version features an entirely different layout for Level 1 that feature an entire line of notched bricks, with all colored bricks above it moving from side to side. The game features a mini-boss in the form of a giant brain, which will help you practice for DOH. Home versions of Revenge of DOH also featured a level editor, where players could create their own levels or edit and replace existing levels, with the exception of two levels: the mini-boss and DOH.

31.12.1988

Treasure Island Dizzy is a computer puzzle game published in 1988. Treasure Island Dizzy was the second game in the Dizzy series, and is the sequel to Dizzy - The Ultimate Cartoon Adventure.

31.12.1989

Dizzy's back! In Fast Food, Dizzy must run around mazes scoffing loadsa food - chickens, burgers, pizzas, milkshakes but there's a complication...look out for the monsters.

31.12.1989

The player's character is a human who rides a large, green, flying Chinese-style dragon. The dragon is invincible, capable of blocking most enemy projectiles and damaging enemies on contact; the human, however, is not, but is armed with a forward-firing crossbow. The dragon's body is flexible and responds to the player's movement, enabling the player to use the dragon as a mobile shield or as a whip-like weapon. You can also circle the tail around a group of enemies to kill them. The tail of the yellow or blue dragon can be coiled around the player to offer almost complete invulnerability for a limited time. The dragon can also spit fireballs. By holding the fire button down, the dragon will build up fire in its mouth; the longer the button is held down, the more powerful the fireball will be. There are four levels of fireball power; at its strongest, the fireball resembles a dragon's head. The game also contains some platforming elements - the human is able to dismount on horizontal platforms. Power-ups can be acquired by shooting small green dragons that appear intermittently throughout the levels, or they can be collected from the ground on foot. There are four different power-ups, each of which provides a different weapon to the dragon. Collecting multiple power-ups of the same colour makes that weapon more powerful. The dragon changes colour depending upon which power-up has been collected. Red enables the dragon to breathe a flame. The flame gets longer if more power-ups are collected. Yellow enables the dragon's body to fire crescents in all directions. White enables the dragon to produce up to four miniature dragons, which home in on enemies. Blue enables the dragon to fire downward bolts of electricity from its underside.

30.03.1984

There is trouble in the mines! Volcanic activity has trapped numerous miners, and it is your job to save them. As Roderick Hero, you need to make your way through the dangerous mineshaft avoiding the dangerous creatures and lava, and find out where the miners are located before you run out of energy. To help on your mission, Roderick Hero has several useful types of equipment. A prop pack will allow you to hover and fly around the mineshaft and (hopefully) avoid the many dangers within. Your helmet features a short range microlaser beam which can be used to destroy the bats, spiders, snakes, and other creatures you'll encounter in the mines. From time to time, your path through the mine may be blocked by stone or lava walls. You begin each mission with six sticks of dynamite which can be used to destroy these obstacles (be careful you don't blow yourself up, though!) If you run out of dynamite, your laser beam can also be used to destroy the walls, though this will take longer and use up more energy. As the levels progress, the mine shaft will become longer and more maze-like, creatures will more frequently block the path, and lava walls and pools will appear which are dangerous to the touch.

31.12.1989

J.R.R. Tolkien's War in Middle Earth is the 16-bit game with additional adventuring features compared to the 8-bit version, loosely depicting the events of the One Ring from the Shire to Mt. Doom. The game starts with the three hobbits: Frodo, Sam, and Pippin surrounded by nine individual units of Nazgul near the Shire. Although the first task is to travel to Rivendell, the player is free to decide how heroes and armies progress, despite the in-game conventional storyline.

13.01.1982

In 1982, a sequel to the incredibly popular Pac-Man was introduced in the form of his girlfriend, Ms. Pac-Man. This sequel continued on the "eat the dots/avoid the ghosts" gameplay of the original game, but added new features to keep the title fresh. Like her boyfriend, Ms. Pac-Man attempts to clear four various and challenging mazes filled with dots and ever-moving bouncing fruit while avoiding Inky, Blinky, Pinky and Sue, each with their own personalities and tactics. One touch from any of these ghosts means a loss of life for Ms. Pac-Man. Ms. Pac-Man can turn the tables on her pursuers by eating one of the four Energizers located within the maze. During this time, the ghosts turn blue, and Ms. Pac-Man can eat them for bonus points. The Energizer power only lasts for a limited amount of time, as the ghost's eyes float back to their center box, and regenerate to chase after Ms. Pac-Man again. Survive a few rounds of gameplay, and the player will be treated to humorous intermissions showing the growing romantic relationship between Pac-Man and Ms. Pac-Man, leading all the way up to the arrival of "Junior".