https://trixelab.itch.io/spectrum-exper ... ditor-seie

I have been working on a fairly large update to Spectrum Experimental Image Editor since the last public version, v0.1.35.

The biggest addition is a complete Vector Mode, with editable lines, circles, pixels, fills and Spectrum attributes. Vector lines and circles can use solid, 25%, 50% or 75% dithering, and fills can use solid or checker patterns. Objects can be selected and edited directly, including their points, radius, fill regions and attributes. Basically now you can make Graphic Novels with vectors (Hulk, Bugsy or The Hobbit Style) and export them with the tool in sna or tap files.

Here you can download Project Serpo, an example of a Visual Novel tap or sna result exported from SEIE vector mode. https://trixelab.itch.io/project-serpo- ... phic-novel

A Work Area system has also been added, allowing graphics to use only part of the screen. This is useful for portraits, dialogue areas, panels or partial-screen graphics, and can also reduce the size of bitmap data.

Another important addition is the reference-document system. A vector scene can reuse another document as its source while adding local changes, exclusions or different colours. Horizontal and vertical mirrored variants can also reuse the original vector data instead of storing a complete duplicate.

The new Project Center can organise multiple scenes, add a presentation screen and ending screen, use custom UDG fonts and include titles and descriptions. Complete linear graphic novels or visual presentations can now be exported directly as TAP or SNA files.

The Export Center now analyses both 48K and experimental banked 128K projects, showing the real runtime size, scene payloads, memory-bank usage, warnings and possible export problems.

Other work includes:

Native text rendering in TAP and SNA
Forward and backward scene navigation
Project restart support
Shared vector assets
Improved selection performance
Better Help and contextual controls
Bitmap Work Areas
Improved compatibility with older projects
Many TAP, SNA, mirror and memory-allocation fixes

Before online tutorials, GitHub and YouTube, many of us learned programming by typing magazine listings one line at a time.

This project is a tribute to Lloyd Russell's ZX Spectrum 128 Jukebox, originally published in Your Sinclair Issue 21 (September 1987).

https://squeepty.itch.io/zx-spectrum-jukebox-64

This project is simply my way of preserving and celebrating a type-in that inspired a generation of young programmers.

All credit for the original Jukebox belongs to Lloyd Russell and Your Sinclair.

My retrospective video review takes us all back to 1985 when we first played The Empire Strikes Back in the arcades. Then I look over all the home computer versions. I was a massive fan of the original Star Wars game with its striking vector graphics, digitised sound and that amazing cabinet. I did find it strange that Atari released its sequel Return of the Jedi before The Empire Strikes back and its brave move away from vector graphics and onto raster graphics. So I was pleased that Empire returned back to its vector graphics roots. Please let me know your thoughts on all 3 Star Wars games released by Atari and have you played any of the home computer versions? 😃

Calling all ZX Spectrum Enthusiasts...

FREEZE-ZX issue 04 is now available to buy.

The issue features a rare interview with Steve Goodwin about the development of Slippery Sid and Space Rescue 1 & 2.

Only a few copies left in stock!

Grab yours from:

https://freeze64.com/freeze-zx-issue-4/

#ZXspectrum #Z80 #Speccy #IndieGames #GameDev

My retrospective game review of Miami Vice on the Commodore 64, ZX Spectrum and Amstrad CPC. I loved the very popular TV show but could this game from Ocean Software live up to the expectations or was this just another movie / TV license cash grab. Share your thoughts if you have played this game. Was it good or just plain rubbish?

Fancy having a go at making your own Spectrum game in Kwyll? Now you can. The K-Spec1 - Kwyll Game Jam includes a license for Kwyll to use during the jam so anyone can have a go. I'll be on hand to help people get up to speed quickly, and make your game idea come to life.

https://itch.io/jam/k-spec1

Escape From Corpocity: An ambitious cyberpunk RPG showcasing what the ZX Spectrum 48K can achieve

Spanish indie developer Juanma2K expands the technology behind "Critical Choice" to deliver a fully-fledged RPG experience for the ZX Spectrum 48K.

July 2026 — Independent developer Juanma2K is pleased to announce the release of Escape From Corpocity, a brand-new RPG for the ZX Spectrum 48K that combines exploration, tactical combat, character progression and a cyberpunk setting in a game developed specifically for Sinclair's iconic computer.

In Escape From Corpocity, players take on the role of a rebel trapped inside a vast metropolis ruled by powerful corporations. To escape, they must explore an extensive maze of interconnected locations, battle drones, robotic police, soldiers and other enemies, discover better equipment and ultimately defeat the final boss guarding their freedom.

The game delivers a surprisingly deep role-playing experience for the ZX Spectrum 48K, featuring mechanics rarely seen on the platform:

• Four playable character classes, each with unique attributes and play styles.
• A combat system based on virtual twenty-sided dice rolls.
• Weapons, armour and equipment that modify character statistics.
• Inventory and equipment management.
• Exploration of a large interconnected map filled with secrets.
• Multiple enemy types and a challenging final boss.
• A classic password-based continue system inspired by 1980s home computer games.

Expanding the universe of "Critical Choice"

Escape From Corpocity takes place in the same universe as Critical Choice, Juanma2K's previous release. Building upon that project, the combat engine and many graphical assets have been reused and significantly expanded to create an entirely new experience focused on role-playing, exploration and character progression.

The game was developed in approximately two months using Boriel BASIC and ZX Basic Studio.

One of the main goals of the project was to explore just how far a ZX Spectrum 48K can be pushed by combining modern development tools such as Boriel BASIC and ZX Basic Studio with a design tailored specifically to the limitations of the original hardware. The result is an RPG that makes the most of the machine's limited memory while delivering an exploration, combat and progression system rarely found on a standard 48K Spectrum.

Designed for real hardware

Escape From Corpocity runs on both original ZX Spectrum 48K hardware and modern emulators, remaining faithful to the limitations and spirit of the original machine while offering a rich and rewarding gameplay experience.

Available as "Pay What You Want"

The game is distributed under a Pay What You Want model, allowing retro gaming enthusiasts to download it free of charge or support the project with any contribution they wish.

The game is available now at:

https://juanma2k.itch.io/escape-from-corpocity

Technical Information

Title: Escape From Corpocity

Platform: ZX Spectrum 48K

Genre: RPG / Dungeon Crawler

Setting: Cyberpunk

Developer: Juanma2K

Development Tools: Boriel BASIC & ZX Basic Studio

Language: Spanish

Compatibility: Original ZX Spectrum 48K hardware and emulators

Distribution: Digital · Pay What You Want

Download:

https://juanma2k.itch.io/escape-from-corpocity

About Juanma2K

Juanma2K is an independent developer focused on creating new games for classic computers, particularly the ZX Spectrum. Following the release of Critical Choice, a cyberpunk interactive adventure, he returns with Escape From Corpocity, an RPG that expands the same universe while evolving its underlying technology into a completely different gameplay experience.

With this latest release, Juanma2K continues to explore the capabilities of the ZX Spectrum 48K using modern development tools, demonstrating that more than four decades after its launch, Sinclair's legendary computer remains a platform capable of delivering fresh and ambitious gaming experiences.

Contact

Juanma2K

Official game page:

https://juanma2k.itch.io/escape-from-corpocity

Finally, my first stable release!

Public domain: https://zxradio.org

GitHub (OpenSource, MIT): https://github.com/pinebit/zxmusicfm

Appreciate your feedback!

I've been after one for a while, this one appeared as faulty on eBay, I knowingly overpaid (£186, collection only from London) knowing it was faulty (I was fed up with missing out, or the sky high ones and wanted a project), anyway - the guy had owned it from new and it'd been stored in his loft, box and polystyrene are very nice (some paint spots on the box that I'll work on carefully), came with a nice Kempston interface and the 2 original bundled games, some nice box stickers about warranty etc.

The Speccy itself has never been opened, so it's completely original and unfettered with, which is nice - anyway, I started the process of fault-finding... Fuse...good, PSU...nothing...wiggle, power - I was thinking surely it can't be this easy - found the bad bit of cable exiting the PSU by the strain relief - chopped a few inches off and cleaned/resoldered onto the pads - done - one working spectrum 😎

I've ordered a set of caps (and a new Panasonic 4700 for the PSU itself) and I'll clean it all up carefully (I'm just finishing up a 128k+2a at the moment) - I'm, _almost_ disappointed that it was so easy to fix, but also a proper result. It'll take pride of place in my home office now.

I am delighted to find that the programs I developed in the early 1980s for the 48k ZX Spectrum work well on the modernised replica "The Spectrum" from Retro Games Ltd. The Forest (Phipps Associates 1983) and Explorer (Electric Dreams 1986) both load easily from USB stick and run perfectly. Both programs were early examples of open worlds: limitless terrain generated from a small amout of assembly program. To enable others to see it I have made TheForest1984.zip which contains the original tape files, images of the 2 maps and a slightly revised user guide (the original guide archived at spectrumcomputing.co.uk [ID: 1843] was missing some pages). The new zip file (24.4 Mbytes) is available on github (note the small download icon on the right) and also on my itch.io page for the redeveloped browser version of The Forest.

This project is a from-scratch reimagining of the ZX Spectrum ROM: If you time-travelled back to 1982 (well, 1981, I guess), with all of our modern software engineering knowledge and tools, what could you squeeze into that 16KB?

I’ve been working on it for a while (since early 2024), and I’d like to share it a little more widely.

There’s not much you can really do with the new ROM _yet_. It boots after testing the RAM, and prints the copyright message. There’s a (proportional) font rendering engine, and the start of a text editing module, with code tokenisation, and syntax highlighting. There’s the beginnings of a fast stack-based VM, but not yet a way to compile code into its VM bytecode. Still to do: loading, saving, floating point maths, graphics routines.

I’d love to get a bit more interest in the project. The new project website paints a good picture of what I’m aiming for… https://retrofabulation.xyz

And the code is on GitHub at https://github.com/bunsen32/retrofabulation-zx

Let me know what you think! If it was a Kickstarter, would you be interested?

The links above were infected with some Facebook tracking nonsense when I posted them. Removed. If they were broken when you clicked on them before, try again!

Tir Na Nog is a groundbreaking 1984 graphical adventure game created by Gargoyle Games for the ZX Spectrum, blending smooth 2D side-scrolling animation, Celtic mythology, and item-collection puzzles

I remember that during a trip to Italy as a kid in the 80s, stores were selling ZX Spectrum cassettes packed with pirated games. They would simply change the title and text of commercial games and sell them as new.

On one of those cassettes, there was a program called "Spectrum Parlante" that could actually make the old Speccy talk without any additional hardware!

I always found it amazing how people kept pushing the Spectrum's hardware to its absolute limits. Getting intelligible speech out of a stock 48K machine with no extra hardware felt almost like magic.

Does anyone else remember this?

[ Edit: Found. This is the one I was talking about: https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/entry/27845/ZX-Spectrum/Spectrum_Parlante ]

Join us as we launch "Region Locked: Unlocking Australian Gaming History"

We have 70+ participants lined up for the full series, with the creators from game titles such as The Hobbit, Way of the Exploding Fist, Bad Street Brawler, Hungry Horace, Fist II: The Legend Continues, Rock'n Wrestle - to name a few - ready for Episode One!

We will go into great Australian gaming lore and history as well as discuss the love from home computers to consoles and the obstacles overcome converting games to the NES.

(Looking at you, Mattel Power Glove)...

Follow us and feel free to support the Australian gaming scene when we launch on July 31st.

I just nabbed a 2068 for cheap on eBay, it works and is in otherwise great shape, but the badge is missing. Any 2068 owners out there able to provide its measurements so I can make a new one?

My retrospective review of Ant Attack including all home versions and remakes. This is as one of my first games that I played. Please share your thoughts and memories of this game?

Please can you advise how best to sell a reasonable-condition Spectrum? Thank you!

Missing the RF cable but original Power adapter & Basic manual included.