ZX Speccy Stories ep11 – Altered Beast: From Arcade Dream to Spectrum Disappointment

Welcome back to ZX Speccy Stories, the podcast celebrating 8-bit memories, classic games and the stories that stay with us. For Episode 10, I’m taking a trip back to one of the most iconic games ever released for the ZX Spectrum: Manic Miner. I first played this classic on my ZX Spectrum +2 after a friend at secondary school gave me a cassette filled with games. I can’t remember what else was on that tape, but I’ll never forget loading up Manic Miner, hearing that brilliant title music and discovering just how tough the first cavern could be. At the time, I was more interested in arcade conversions, but Manic Miner slowly won me over. From its colourful graphics and wonderfully animated characters to its precise platforming and unforgiving jumps, there’s something special about this game. And I still can’t believe I once thought Miner Willy had a 1950s quiff instead of a mining helmet! I’ll revisit my childhood memories, talk about rediscovering the game through emulation in the early 2000s, and remember playing it on the Game Boy Advance and Xbox 360. I’ll also explore Pac-Manic-Miner-Man, Jim Bagley’s fascinating arcade-hardware version. And, of course, we’ll talk about the legendary Matthew Smith, the teenage programmer behind Manic Miner, the game’s remarkable success, the complicated story of royalties and publishing, and how Smith became such a mysterious figure in the history of British gaming. Even now, I still love Manic Miner. I’m still terrible at it, but that’s part of the appeal. Every jump demands skill, every mistake teaches you something, and every successful cavern feels like a proper achievement. Was Manic Miner the ultimate example of platform perfection on the Spectrum? For me, it’s certainly up there with the very best. Join me for another trip down memory lane as we celebrate a true 8-bit classic.

Welcome back to ZX Speccy Stories! In Episode 9, I’m talking about Bomb Jack, one of my favourite games ever! My story starts at a local park funfair, where I first spotted the arcade machine. It looked interesting, but it didn’t grab me at the time. Then my cousin Alex showed me the Amstrad CPC version, followed by my cousin Mario’s Commodore 64 version. I liked them, but somehow Bomb Jack still hadn’t won me over. That all changed years later when I discovered arcade emulation. One day, while scrolling through hundreds of classic arcade games, I stumbled across Bomb Jack again. This time, something clicked! Before long, I was hooked on collecting bombs, chasing high scores and trying to master those flashing-bomb bonuses. I’ll be chatting about the original arcade game, the brilliant ZX Spectrum conversion, my memories of discovering it all over again, and why its simple but addictive gameplay keeps bringing me back. I’ll also talk about the fantastic modified Spectrum version that adds in-game music! Try the modified ZX Spectrum version with music here:
https://vtrd.in/release.php?r=d563a47da28bd2ad7ca22c8b137747a7 For me, Bomb Jack is one of those games that’s easy to pick up but incredibly difficult to master. It’s a proper score-chaser, and when you’re in the zone, there’s nothing quite like it. So join me for another trip down memory lane as I revisit a true 8-bit classic. ZX Speccy Stories — 8-bit memories. Classic games. Honest stories.

This time on ZX Speccy Stories, I’m going on a RAMPAGE! Rampage was one of those fantastic arcade games where the premise was beautifully simple — become a giant monster, climb buildings, smash them to pieces, eat people and generally cause absolute chaos! But how did that huge Bally Midway arcade experience make its way onto the humble ZX Spectrum? In this episode I take a look at the original 1986 arcade game, the three monsters — George, Lizzie and Ralph — and what made Rampage such a fun and memorable coin-op. I also talk about Bob Pape, the programmer behind the ZX Spectrum conversion. Bob’s story of creating Rampage is fascinating, and his book It’s Behind You: The Making Of A Computer Game gives a brilliant behind-the-scenes account of what it was actually like developing games in the 1980s. The book includes his experiences working on both Rampage and R-Type. Then, as always, I get into my own memories of Rampage, the arcade experience and the ZX Spectrum version — and why these old arcade conversions are such an important part of my Speccy memories. And if you’ve ever wanted to know what was really going on behind the scenes when these games were being made, Bob’s book is well worth checking out. Read Bob Pape’s It’s Behind You: The Making Of A Computer Game
It's Behind You – The Making Of A Computer Game⁠ ZX Spectrum Rampage information and downloads
Rampage – World of Spectrum⁠ ZX Speccy Stories — 8-bit memories, classic games and honest stories from growing up with the ZX Spectrum. If you played Rampage back in the day, I’d love to hear your memories of it!

Hello everyone, and welcome back to ZX Speccy Stories! In this episode, I’m taking a trip back to the colourful world of Popeye on the ZX Spectrum — a game that still amazes me when I look at it today. As a kid, I was already a huge fan of Popeye from the classic cartoon reruns on television. So when I walked into Woolworths with my dad and saw that unmistakable Popeye artwork on the front of the Spectrum game, I knew I wanted it! But nothing prepared me for what happened when I finally loaded it up. Huge, colourful graphics. A massive Popeye sprite. A screen that looked more like a cartoon than a ZX Spectrum game. And behind this incredible achievement was programmer Don Priestley, whose approach to Spectrum graphics produced some of the most distinctive-looking games of the era. I’ll talk about discovering the game, seeing those screenshots on the back of the box and wondering how on earth a Spectrum could produce graphics like that, the gameplay, the enemies, the puzzles, and why I became such a big fan of Don Priestley’s work. And, as always with ZX Speccy Stories, this isn’t a technical history lesson — it’s my story and my memories of the game. Now, nearly 40 years later, at the grand old age of 49, I’m going back to Popeye once again to see if I can finally conquer a game I never managed to finish all those years ago! 8-bit memories. Classic games. Honest stories. Have you got memories of Popeye on the ZX Spectrum? I’d love to hear your story too!

Welcome back to ZX Speccy Stories! For Episode 6, we’re heading back to 1987 and taking a trip into the world of Dizzy – The Ultimate Cartoon Adventure. This is a particularly special game for me. I’ve been playing Dizzy since it was originally released, and somehow, at 49 years old, I’m still playing it today! Created by the legendary Oliver Twins, Dizzy became one of the most recognisable characters of the 8-bit era and spawned an incredible series of adventures. In this episode I’m looking at where Dizzy came from, how the Oliver Twins created the character, the puzzles, the one-item inventory, the difficulty, the memories of playing it back in the day – and why I still keep coming back to it nearly 40 years later. I’ll also be talking about something I’m incredibly proud of: I’ve had the opportunity to interview the Oliver Twins twice, and I’ll be sharing some of my memories and stories from those interviews. So grab your Spectrum, put the kettle on and get ready to go egg-ploring! This is Dizzy. This is my story.