Explore every episode of the podcast ZX Speccy Stories

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.

MY OLIVER TWINS INTERVIEW

You can watch my original interview with The Oliver Twins here:

Watch my Oliver Twins interview on YouTube⁠

THE OLIVER TWINS

Visit the official website of Philip and Andrew Oliver and explore their games and history:

The Oliver Twins – Official Website⁠

YOLKFOLK.COM

The home of all things Dizzy, including games, history, fan projects, news and the wider Yolkfolk community:

Yolkfolk.com – The Dizzy Fansite⁠

WONDER EGG – DIZZYAGE ON iPHONE & iPAD

Fancy playing DizzyAGE adventures on your iPhone or iPad?

Wonder Egg is a free fan-made app that lets you discover and play DizzyAGE games on iOS. It even comes with Dizzy and the Other Side built in.

Download Wonder Egg from the Apple App Store⁠

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Welcome back to ZX Speccy Stories!

I’m Andy Godoy, and in this episode I’m heading back to the streets for one of the most iconic beat ’em ups of the 1980s — Double Dragon.

I’ll be talking about the ZX Spectrum version, how it looked, how it played, and whether it really captured the magic of the arcade original.

And, as always, this isn’t a technical review or a complete history of the game.

It’s my Double Dragon story.

The memories.

The music.

The sprites.

The frustration.

The excitement.

And that feeling of finally having an arcade game sitting in your own home… even if it wasn’t quite the arcade game you remembered!

So get ready to step into the streets, grab a baseball bat and watch out for the Black Warriors.

Billy and Jimmy are waiting.

Did you play Double Dragon on the ZX Spectrum, C64, Amstrad or another home computer?

Did you love it?

Did you hate it?

Or did you spend most of your time wondering why the arcade version looked so much better?!

8-Bit Memories • Classic Games • Honest Stories

Welcome back to ZX Speccy Stories!

I’m Andy Godoy, and in this episode I’m sharing my memories of one of the biggest movies and video games of the 1980s — Ghostbusters.

Before we get to the ZX Spectrum game, I’m going back to the beginning and talking about the film that started it all. Directed by Ivan Reitman and starring Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Harold Ramis and the often-underappreciated Ernie Hudson, Ghostbusters was absolutely huge when it arrived in 1984.

I’ll talk about discovering the film as a kid, the ghosts, the proton packs, the Ecto-1, the Stay-Puft Marshmallow Man and, of course, that unforgettable Ray Parker Jr. theme tune.

Then we get to the game.

I remember my cousins Alex and Mario having different versions of Ghostbusters on their home computers, and one particular weekend when Mario loaded up the Commodore 64 version.

That famous “Ghostbusters!” sampled speech.

The laugh.

The theme tune with the bouncing karaoke ball.

And then the game itself…

Running your own Ghostbusters business, buying equipment, loading up the Ecto-1 and heading out into a top-down version of New York to deal with paranormal activity.

As a kid, it felt huge.

I’ll talk about the different versions I experienced, including the Amstrad CPC, Commodore 64 and Atari 2600, before eventually getting my hands on the ZX Spectrum version.

And I’ll be honest…

I wasn’t completely blown away by the Spectrum version at first.

But coming back to the game years later changed the way I looked at it — and I’ll explain why.

I’ll also talk about the famous Angry Video Game Nerd episode and how his hatred of the NES version actually made me appreciate Ghostbusters and the Spectrum version even more.

This isn’t a technical review or a complete history of the game.

It’s my Ghostbusters story.

And I’d love to hear yours.

Did you play Ghostbusters on the ZX Spectrum, C64, Amstrad, Atari or another computer? Did you love it, hate it, or somewhere in between?

8-Bit Memories • Classic Games • Honest Stories

Welcome back to ZX Speccy Stories!

I’m Andy Godoy, and in this episode I’m sharing my memories of one of the greatest and most addictive games ever to grace the ZX Spectrum — Chuckie Egg.

For me, Chuckie Egg was almost like having an arcade game in your bedroom.

Back in the 1980s, arcades were the place to be. Huge machines, amazing artwork, fantastic sounds and, most importantly, games that were incredibly easy to pick up and play but incredibly difficult to master.

And Chuckie Egg captured that feeling perfectly.

I’ll talk about discovering Chuckie Egg at school on the BBC Micro, playing it at my cousins’ houses and experiencing it across different computers before it became part of my own ZX Spectrum memories.

I’ll also talk about why the game still has such a special place in my heart more than 40 years later — the simple gameplay, collecting those eggs, avoiding the birds, learning the screens, chasing high scores and that constant feeling of:

“Right… one more go!”

We’ll also take a look at the fascinating story behind the game, including its teenage creator Nigel Alderton, the game’s early Eggy Kong origins and how a simple idea became one of the most enduring British 8-bit classics.

But ultimately, this isn’t a history lesson or a technical review.

It’s my Chuckie Egg story.

And I’d love to hear yours.

Did you play Chuckie Egg on the ZX Spectrum, BBC Micro, Commodore 64, Amstrad or another computer? Did you ever manage to complete all 40 levels? And how high could you get that score?

8-Bit Memories • Classic Games • Honest Stories

Welcome back to ZX Speccy Stories!

I’m Andy Godoy, and in this episode I’m sharing my memories of Bruce Lee, one of the classic games from the early days of the ZX Spectrum.

As with the first episode, this isn’t a history lesson or a technical deep dive into how the game was programmed. This is my story with Bruce Lee — the memories, the games, the films and the journey that made this such a memorable part of my childhood.

Before we get to the ZX Spectrum game, we’re going back to the beginning with Bruce Lee himself.

Growing up in the 1980s, martial arts and kung fu films were huge, and Bruce Lee was the ultimate martial arts icon. I’ll talk about some of my favourite films, including Enter the Dragon, Fist of Fury, Way of the Dragon and Game of Death, and that unforgettable fight between Bruce Lee and Chuck Norris in the Colosseum.

I’ll then take you back to the first time I discovered Bruce Lee the game at my cousin Alex’s house, seeing the Amstrad version and that incredible artwork for the first time.

From there, we’ll look at my experiences with the different versions, including the Amstrad CPC, Commodore 64 and ZX Spectrum, before eventually coming back to the game that became part of my own Speccy memories.

And we’ll also take a look at the modern ZX Spectrum version, which gives this classic a fresh new look while keeping the spirit of the original.

This isn’t just a story about a game.

It’s a story about Bruce Lee, 8-bit computers, martial arts films, childhood memories and the games that stayed with us.

I’d love to hear your story too. Did you play Bruce Lee on the ZX Spectrum, Amstrad or Commodore 64? Where did you first discover it?

8-Bit Memories • Classic Games • Honest Stories

Welcome to the very first episode of ZX Speccy Stories!

I’m Andy Godoy, and this isn’t a history lesson or a technical deep dive into how RoboCop was programmed. Instead, I’m sharing my personal journey with one of the ZX Spectrum’s greatest games.

In this episode I talk about:

• My first experience watching Paul Verhoeven’s RoboCop on VHS.
• Discovering the arcade machine and hearing it before I even saw it.
• The excitement of reading previews in Crash and Sinclair User magazines.
• Playing the Commodore 64 and Amstrad CPC versions.
• Saving my pocket money to buy the big-box Ocean release.
• The incredible Bill Harbison loading screen.
• The amazing 128K music and sampled speech.
• My memories of playing the game as a kid and why it still means so much to me today.

This isn’t just the story of RoboCop…

It’s my Speccy Story.

I’d love to hear your memories too. Did you own RoboCop on the ZX Spectrum? Did you play it in the arcades first? Let me know in the comments or on social media.

Thank you for listening to the first episode of ZX Speccy Stories. If you enjoyed it, please follow the podcast and leave a rating—it really helps others discover the show.