The ZX Spectrum guide

01 How to Play ZX Spectrum Games Online You can play ZX Spectrum games in any modern web browser, on a computer, tablet or phone. Here is how it works, how to control the games… 02 Load Your Own ZX Spectrum Tape Files Got a Spectrum game as a TAP, TZX or Z80 file? Open it in Speccy and it loads through the real Sinclair ROM, without ever leaving your… 03 ZX Spectrum File Formats: TAP, TZX, Z80 and More Explained Spectrum games turn up as TAP, TZX, Z80 and a dozen other file types. Here is what each one holds, why they differ, and which to use. 04 ZX Spectrum History: The Computer That Started British Gaming How a small, cheap computer with rubber keys became the machine a generation of Britons learned to play and program on, and why it's still… 05 Every ZX Spectrum Model, Compared From the rubber-keyed 16K of 1982 to Amstrad's +3 and today's remakes: how to tell the Spectrum models apart, and what each one can run. 06 ZX Spectrum 48K vs 128K: What's the Difference? The 128K Spectrum added memory and a real sound chip. Here is what that changed for games, how to tell which one a game needs, and which to… 07 ZX Spectrum Graphics and Attribute Clash Explained Spectrum colours are set for each 8×8 block, not for each pixel. That one design decision explains colour clash, monochrome games and the… 08 How ZX Spectrum Tape Loading Worked LOAD "", press Play, and wait five minutes of screeching. Here is what was actually happening, and why those loading screens became an art… 09 ZX Spectrum Joysticks: Kempston, Sinclair and Cursor Explained The Spectrum had no joystick port, so a handful of interfaces fought it out. Here is what Kempston, Sinclair and Cursor mean, and how to… 10 The Best ZX Spectrum Emulators for PC, Mac and Mobile Want to play Spectrum games outside the browser, or need disk support and debugging tools? These are the emulators Spectrum fans and… 11 The Spectrum by Retro Games Ltd: A Buyer's Guide Retro Games Ltd's full-size remake of the ZX Spectrum plugs into a modern TV. Here is what it does well, what it doesn't, and how it… 12 The ZX Spectrum Next Explained The Spectrum Next is a modern computer that recreates the Spectrum's hardware and adds faster speeds, new graphics and an SD card. Here is… 13 Buying an Original ZX Spectrum: What to Check A real 1980s Spectrum is a joy, but forty-year-old electronics need care. Here is what to look for, the faults that come up most, and how… 14 How to Write a ZX Spectrum Game Today People are still writing new Spectrum games, and it has never been easier. Here are the routes in, from BASIC to Z80 assembly, the tools to… 15 ZX Spectrum Glossary: Terms From A to Z The words Spectrum fans use, from attribute clash to Z80, explained in plain English with links to the guides that go deeper.