ZX Spectrum page

The ZX Spectrum is a home computer created by Sinclair Research Ltd in 1982. Although it is a completely unknown computer in some places of the globe such as the United States (even though a modified version was sold there), it has probably been the second most successful 8-bit computer in Europe, and there are still some software houses that create software for it and/or its clones.

Useful links

Planet Sinclar contains interesting informations about Sir Clive Sinclair and all his products, including the Spectrum.
World of Spectrum is a huge web site containing programs, documentation about the Spectrum.
SinclairFAQ contains several FAQs, expecially the one of comp.sys.sinclair newsgroup.

My programs

I wrote several programs in the past for the Spetrum - mostly written in BASIC and pieces of code in assembly - but I lost most of them, and what I still have is not really interesting. Even though I knew the Z80 assembly and most of the Spectrum "secrets", I never wrote a full assembly program for the lack of a good assembler for the Spectrum. After several years I didn't use the Spectrum, I found a 8-bit minigame competition, and I have written a few games for that in 2002-2005. But now I am using Spectrum emulators and a cross assembler :)

Dont expect high quality: this is software for a 20 years old computer, and the code fits in 1k or 4k. Instructions on how to run these games using an emulator can be found here.
Please don't think that any of these games required a short amount of time to be written, just because they are 1k (or 4k) of code only. Optimizing the code to fit everything in usually requires at least ten times the time needed to write the same game without memory limitations.

1k minigames for the 2002 minigame compo with source

	1Kanoid (any Spectrum model) A reduced version of Arkanoid. Can you pass the 16 levels of increasing difficulty? The archive contains two versions of the game. The official competition game that works with a joystick, and a modified one, called 1kanoidk, which requires a mouse! (Clearly it is easier to play it with a mouse).
	Shisen1k (any Spectrum model) A game similar to Mahjongg. Remove pairs of tiles that can be connected by at most 3 non-diagonal lines. Since the competition, the manual has been rewritten.
	Spectris (Spectrum 48k minimum, 128k strongly suggested) Yes, another Tetris implementation, with music, sound effects, and levels of difficulty. Spectrum 128k is strongly suggested for AY music.
	Snake1k (Spectrum 48k minimum) A clone of Snake Race. Two snakes and a bouncing ball. Can you get all apples and escape from all eight stages? I slowed down the game a little bit since the competition.

1k minigame for the 2003 minigame compo

Maziacs1 (Spectrum 48k minimum)

You are at the entrance of a huge maze armed with just one sword. Your goal is to find the treasure and go back to the exit with it. But several monsters called maziacs are here to defend the treasure.

4k minigame for the 2004 minigame compo

4k Race (Spectrum 128k required - it runs like c**p in 48k mode)

(graphics: Luciano Costarelli, engine sound: Mario "Chrome" Prato)

Pseudo-3D driving game, with time limit and checkpoints.

1st Place in the 4k category among 42 games and 15 platforms!

1k minigame for the 2005 minigame compo

ZX Sudoku (Spectrum 48k minimum)

Six sudoku puzzles, selectable using key N. Move the cursor using QAOP, 1-9 insert a digit, CAPS+ 1-9 writes a smaller digit, SPACE clears the cell.

4k minigame for the 2005 minigame compo

4k Race Refueled (Spectrum 128k required - it runs like c**p in 48k mode)

(graphics: Luciano Costarelli, engine sound: Mario "Chrome" Prato)

4K Race as should have been from the beginning, with better, more involving prospective. Outrun/Super Hang-On style racing game. Run through the 7 checkpoints before time runs out.

1st Place in the 4k category!

This is a bug-fix version of the submitted game.

New: Timex/Sinclair 2068 extended version. Download the working beta here.