The concluding part of our round-up of the best Spectrum games ever made

12.
Stop The Express ■ Year: 1983 ■ Publisher: Sinclair Research Ltd
If we’re honest, 12th seems a little meagre for this sublime Hudson title, but the reasoning is this: there really is an abundance of top-notch games on the Spectrum. Chunky arcade-style graphics, quirky premise and compulsive playability sum up all the factors that make a classic retro game, and Stop The Express succeeds in ticking all those boxes. Playing a shaggy-haired blonde chap in green pyjamas, it was your job to stop a train by fighting your way from one end to the other.

Stop The Express, 1983

Trying to put a leaf on your track were ‘train gangsters’ who could be felled by grabbing and kicking ‘snake birds’ at them. Brilliant. After you’d traversed the first ten carriages from the rooftops, the game put you inside the train, where you had to avoid more dagger throwers and the ectoplasm of trundling ghosts. Stop The Express is a simple and beautiful Speccy game. We believe a “Congraturation! You sucsess!” is firmly in order here.

11.
TLL ■ Year: 1984 ■ Publisher: Vortex Software
If you’re the sort of Spectrum owner who’s constantly hounded by C64 and Amstrad owners, show them Vortex Software’s amazing them shut up faster than a superglued clam. Created by Costa 'Delflektor' Panayi, Tornado Low Level (to give it its full title) is an insanely slick looking title that features some of the smoothest and flicker-free scrolling you’re ever likely to see on Sir Clive’s humble 8-bit. Taking control of a Tornado jet, you’re simply required to fly around and participate in strategically placed missile strikes. There are no actual enemies and nothing to shoot at; it’s just your fighter, a constantly dropping fuel supply and plenty of hazards – trees, houses, telephone wires – to avoid.

It sounds simple, boring even, but this couldn’t be further from the truth. TLL requires a cool nerve, insane gameplay skills and a hefty pair of balls – you have to fly dangerously close to the ground to bomb your targets – and is not for the faint-hearted. Those feeling the need for speed, however, will discover a title that’s not only graphically amazing, but, more importantly, has the actual gameplay to back it up. Stunning. Simply stunning.

10.
Starquake ■ Year: 1985 ■ Publisher: Bubble Bus
Stephen Crow’s Starquake may share many similarities with a typical Ultimate release – brilliantly drawn visuals, engaging gameplay, strong main character – but extended play soon reveals it to be something quite different.

Starquake, 1985

Essentially a cross between a shoot-’em-up, platformer and an adventure game, Starquake is a fun title that casts you in the form of BLOB (Bio-Logically Operated Being) who must find the missing parts of his crashed spaceship.

Fortunately, in order to make traversing the huge – 512 screens – planet easier, BLOB has a number of handy abilities. As well as being incredibly fast – the game pelts along at a cracking pace – he can create platforms, which last for a limited time, to reach out of the way areas, or he can simply jump on to a nearby hoverboard (although this makes it impossible for him to pick up items). There are even handy teleports to use, therefore making the gigantic world far more manageable.

With its beautifully drawn visuals, clever mishmash of genres and addictive gameplay, Starquake manages to deliver an experience that’s quite unlike any other Spectrum release. Visit the World Of Spectrum website today to discover its magic for yourself.

… continued