A Look at Home Micro Computer Games the UK Retro lifestyle.

So I figured seeing as online seems to be so American focused when it comes to retro games I would make a few videos showing some of my proper old Home Micro stuff .....not sure if anyone is interested in them but you dont know till you put stuff up do you.

Big slice of my childhood right there. I’ll watch the vids when I get chance.

rinks wrote:Big slice of my childhood right there. I’ll watch the vids when I get chance.

Thanks chap.... thats exactly why I decided to make these short videos. I thought other people might have some fond memories of these games and the whole Micro computer thing.

Nice videos, certainly brings back memories.

When my nan died in 2015, I found my old Speccy and games in her loft, which included all bar Gryzor from the above.

My dad called home one night and said “put the radio on as they are going to be playing a game tonight” I forget the station and the game but recording a game over the radio was pretty cool.


I also remember getting a music magazine with a Thompson Twins flexi disc on the cover where we recorded the Thompson Twins Adventure Game from.


Crazy days back then.

I remember Horace Goes Skiing too, like with Hungry Horace, i was under 5 and so didn't actually get to play at the time, but it was good fun to watch my older brother have a blast with it.

I think he might have also had Gryzor, but i don't think i ever saw that one being played (the main games i used to sit and watch were Bubble Bobble, Rainbow Islands, Donkey Kong, and Paperboy).

Christopher wrote:Nice videos, certainly brings back memories.

When my nan died in 2015, I found my old Speccy and games in her loft, which included all bar Gryzor from the above.

My dad called home one night and said “put the radio on as they are going to be playing a game tonight” I forget the station and the game but recording a game over the radio was pretty cool.


I also remember getting a music magazine with a Thompson Twins flexi disc on the cover where we recorded the Thompson Twins Adventure Game from.


Crazy days back then.

The whole being able to record a game over the radio thing was super super cool.

Vermilion wrote:I remember Horace Goes Skiing too, like with Hungry Horace, i was under 5 and so didn't actually get to play at the time, but it was good fun to watch my older brother have a blast with it.

I think he might have also had Gryzor, but i don't think i ever saw that one being played (the main games i used to sit and watch were Bubble Bobble, Rainbow Islands, Donkey Kong, and Paperboy).

I am pretty sure I saw Paperboy when I was going through my games so I might do a video on it at some point

kerr9000 wrote:So I figured seeing as online seems to be so American focused when it comes to retro games I would make a few videos showing some of my proper old Home Micro stuff .....not sure if anyone is interested in them but you dont know till you put stuff up do you...

Great work, kerr! It's good to see some focus on the earlier computer gaming scene; it was very big in UK/Europe and, as you say, lots of YouTube vids about 80s/early 90s gaming focus on the American console scene instead.

Christopher wrote:...My dad called home one night and said “put the radio on as they are going to be playing a game tonight” I forget the station and the game but recording a game over the radio was pretty cool...

Now this is intriguing! I don't recall this at all... but, from searching online, it seems that it was indeed a thing... seemingly more popular in eastern Europe than the UK.

Christopher wrote:...I also remember getting a music magazine with a Thompson Twins flexi disc on the cover where we recorded the Thompson Twins Adventure Game from...

Yes! I remember this, too, Christopher! The mag was Computer & Video Games and it was back in October 1984. I recall getting the disc but not playing the game... and, from looking it up, this was because it was only for the Spectrum (with a later mail-in for a C64 version) and I had a Vic at that time. Hey, here is the mag cover:

Christopher wrote:Nice videos, certainly brings back memories.

When my nan died in 2015, I found my old Speccy and games in her loft, which included all bar Gryzor from the above.

My dad called home one night and said “put the radio on as they are going to be playing a game tonight” I forget the station and the game but recording a game over the radio was pretty cool.


I also remember getting a music magazine with a Thompson Twins flexi disc on the cover where we recorded the Thompson Twins Adventure Game from. 0


Crazy days back then.

I've never heard of this! What a great and quite futuristic use of really old tech.

Our Amstrad was a disk drive only model, but one day I found a SPIF (I think) to 3 Phono cable in our house, and a portable tape player that had the 3 Phono out on it. Without knowing it would actually work, I plugged it in to the Amstrad, and put a tape from Amstrad action in, folowed the loading command instructions on the tape sleeve, and to my amazement it actually worked! We now had tape games! My dad couldn't beleive it. Child curiosity supremacy

jawa_ wrote:

kerr9000 wrote:So I figured seeing as online seems to be so American focused when it comes to retro games I would make a few videos showing some of my proper old Home Micro stuff .....not sure if anyone is interested in them but you dont know till you put stuff up do you...

Great work, kerr! It's good to see some focus on the earlier computer gaming scene; it was very big in UK/Europe and, as you say, lots of YouTube vids about 80s/early 90s gaming focus on the American console scene instead.

Christopher wrote:...My dad called home one night and said “put the radio on as they are going to be playing a game tonight” I forget the station and the game but recording a game over the radio was pretty cool...

Now this is intriguing! I don't recall this at all... but, from searching online, it seems that it was indeed a thing... seemingly more popular in eastern Europe than the UK.

Christopher wrote:...I also remember getting a music magazine with a Thompson Twins flexi disc on the cover where we recorded the Thompson Twins Adventure Game from...

Yes! I remember this, too, Christopher! The mag was Computer & Video Games and it was back in October 1984. I recall getting the disc but not playing the game... and, from looking it up, this was because it was only for the Spectrum (with a later mail-in for a C64 version) and I had a Vic at that time. Hey, here is the mag cover:

Oh it was a games mag, I’d assumed it was a music one from my memory of seeing the Thompson Twins on the cover.

I never recorded a game off the radio, but I did with the TV! There was a weekly computer show (or maybe just a section within another programme) and they said in advance that there would be a Spectrum game played over the air. Stupidly it was during school time, and we didn't have a VCR, so I had to leave detailed instructions with my mum to turn the TV on and press REC and PLAY on the tape recorder at the right time. And then she had to stay quiet - I had to record it over the mic, because the TV had no audio line out!

Remarkably it all worked, and I got the game Pud Pud. I guess that was my first ever download.

Victor Mildew wrote:...Our Amstrad was a disk drive only model, but one day I found a SPIF (I think) to 3 Phono cable in our house, and a portable tape player that had the 3 Phono out on it. Without knowing it would actually work, I plugged it in to the Amstrad, and put a tape from Amstrad action in, folowed the loading command instructions on the tape sleeve, and to my amazement it actually worked! We now had tape games! My dad couldn't beleive it. Child curiosity supremacy

Yeah, I believe it was the CPC 6128 that you had, Victor (surely not the I'll-fated CPC 664!?). Adding a tape deck was a must; even though disks were great, they were pretty expensive in UK/Europe and, of course, most games arrived on tape.

For most of my 8-bit Commodore years (1984 through 1989) I used cassettes but, in the early 90s, I picked up a 1541-II disc drive for my C64... alongside a Datel Action Replay IV cartridge which enabled most disc games to be loaded in under ten seconds. Incredible stuff and I got the bundle - with some (original) games and all in excellent condition - for ten quid at a car boot sale. One of my all-time great gaming purchases!

rinks wrote:I never recorded a game off the radio, but I did with the TV! There was a weekly computer show (or maybe just a section within another programme) and they said in advance that there would be a Spectrum game played over the air. Stupidly it was during school time, and we didn't have a VCR, so I had to leave detailed instructions with my mum to turn the TV on and press REC and PLAY on the tape recorder at the right time. And then she had to stay quiet - I had to record it over the mic, because the TV had no audio line out!

Remarkably it all worked, and I got the game Pud Pud. I guess that was my first ever download.

Top stuff, rinks! Huge props to mother rinks for completing the recording, too!

I can't quite think what TV station would have done this... Pud Pud was a full commercial game published by Ocean! Perhaps the BBC was trialing the download process in partnership with Ocean or something?

jawa_ wrote:

rinks wrote:I never recorded a game off the radio, but I did with the TV! There was a weekly computer show (or maybe just a section within another programme) and they said in advance that there would be a Spectrum game played over the air. Stupidly it was during school time, and we didn't have a VCR, so I had to leave detailed instructions with my mum to turn the TV on and press REC and PLAY on the tape recorder at the right time. And then she had to stay quiet - I had to record it over the mic, because the TV had no audio line out!

Remarkably it all worked, and I got the game Pud Pud. I guess that was my first ever download.

Top stuff, rinks! Huge props to mother rinks for completing the recording, too!

I can't quite think what TV station would have done this... Pud Pud was a full commercial game published by Ocean! Perhaps the BBC was trialing the download process in partnership with Ocean or something?

It was almost certainly BBC, probably BBC2. It would make sense for it to be The Computer Programme, but might have been another daytime educational show.

Yes a CPC 6128. Lots of happy times playing that, going to the newsagents with my pocket money and buying some random 4 games in one tape for £3.99 off the rotating display they had by the door. Those were the days

Here's the box of amstrad stuff just after I'd rescued it from dad's place. I'd decided to leave it when we'd finished clearing his house, and then I just had this "what the strawberry float am I doing?!" Moment sat at home, and realised I had to go back and get it. Something like a 4 hour round trip but it was worth it.

Database!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=szdbKz5CyhA&t=287s

Victor Mildew wrote:Yes a CPC 6128. Lots of happy times playing that, going to the newsagents with my pocket money and buying some random 4 games in one tape for £3.99 off the rotating display they had by the door. Those were the days

Here's the box of amstrad stuff just after I'd rescued it from dad's place. I'd decided to leave it when we'd finished clearing his house, and then I just had this "what the strawberry float am I doing?!" Moment sat at home, and realised I had to go back and get it. Something like a 4 hour round trip but it was worth it.

Ah! I recall the story, Victor! The 6128 was a great machine; all the classic 464 games plus you had that additional 64k. A lovely colour monitor, too - it was quite an expensive bit of kit!

And, yeah, newsagents selling games . In my town there were four shops like this and me and a pal would go round them - looking at the racks! - before deciding on what game to buy.

Funny to think that was our main home computer for a long time. Wasn't until Dad got a Pentium 2 pc that it was replaced. This was my main gaming machine until we got a megadrive. I went Amstrad > megadrive > PlayStation.

rinks wrote:Database!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=szdbKz5CyhA&t=287s

rinks, brilliant work! I've heard of Database but I don't recall seeing it. What a neat idea... although it feels pretty funny to think that the BBC were playing those download noises on a core broadcast channel .

I do miss those days of having quite techie stuff on TV and in computer magazines. It was mainly pretty geeky folk that were into the gaming scene back then... it's good, of course, that the market has evolved to be more welcoming to a much broader range of tastes nowdays, but we have lost much of the tech detail which I found to be enjoyable.

Victor Mildew wrote:Funny to think that was our main home computer for a long time. Wasn't until Dad got a Pentium 2 pc that it was replaced. This was my main gaming machine until we got a megadrive. I went Amstrad > megadrive > PlayStation.

It's amazing to think of the technology jumps there. Just thinking about the improvements from, say, my Vic-20 in 1984 to the PlayStation in 1995... a staggering leap.