Even by the standards of the day, the

ZX Spectrum was no powerhouse. The

base model started at a measly 16KB

RAM, it had a basically incapable 16

colour graphic output, one-channel

sound and a rubber keyboard with a

frankly undesirable layout.

But what it lacked in finesse, it more

than made up for in charm. Charm, and

a highly competitive price point, hitting

retail in Britain at just £125. While the

Speccy, as it was affectionately known,

would fail to displace the Commodore

64 as the 8-bit computer of choice in

North America, it won the hearts of the

public in its native Britain.

In bringing reasonably-priced

computing to the masses, the Spectrum

also created a generation of coders,

gamers and enthusiasts like no other

system did before or has since, and the

humble system has been credited for

launching the UK IT industry.

A side-benefit of the system inspiring

so many coders is that it gave the

Speccy a truly fearsome library of

games – over 23,000 at last count (and

we’re refusing to do a recount). We

haven’t seen another system with the

variety of the Spectrum’s since, and it

meant that although the rival C64 and

Amstrad CPC computers had more

juice in their tank, the Spectrum was

the computer of choice for the gaming

connoisseur. In that sense, it wasn’t just

coding that the Spectrum taught; it also

taught many an owner to stand up for

themselves in the playground...

The rubber-keyed wonder that launched the careers of

hundreds of budding game developers

SPECTRUM

With its rainbow streak

and distinctive rubber

keys, the ZX Spectrum

was unmistakeable.