Spectrum Games - 3D Lunattack - Classic ZX Spectrum Game

3D Lunattack ZX Spectrum
This classic arcade game for the ZX Spectrum was released by Hewson Consultants (who pretty much always impressed with the likes of Uridium and Technician Ted - both classic games) in 1984

This was a time when anything with 3D graphics was amazing, and to be fair this was a very good and playable arcade game.

It is also notable for supporting the Currah Microspeech unit and for having a back story on side 2 of the cassette which was a conversation between the pilot and the mission leader (If my memory serves!)

It continued the Seiddab story too and was probably the best game in this series...

Skimming the surface of the moon

So, the whole deal was that those nasty Seiddabs (in a bit of trivia note that this is 'baddies' spelt backwards) had setup a base on our very own moon. Cue some arcade gaming that was quite revolutionary in 1984.

The game required you to fly in your almost cool sounding Z5 Luna Hover Fighter against the baddies which was protected by three rings of defense. It was classic arcade action all the way.

The first consisted of robotically controlled DAB tanks which fired missiles at your craft which could be destroyed by laser fire.

The second was a mountainous area seeded with aerial mines which exploded within a certain range of your craft. These could be shot down or flown around.

If you flew too close an exploding mine would damage your craft and knock you around quite realistically causing your craft to shimmy and shudder.

The third zone was dotted with missile silos, which again could be shot at with your lasers.

If you managed to reach the command zone, a lot of straffing runs were required to destroy the base which tried it's best to shoot you down with a barrage of gunfire. If you took it out then it was mission complete and in classic arcade game style you returned to the beginning to do it all again.

A classic earlier era loading screen

Your craft was also armed with air-to-air missiles which destroyed the enemy fighters before they appeared in visual range, although when they were sighted the lasers had to be used to shoot them down.

Weapon selection was automatic (and pretty cool), below the horizon it was lasers, above the horizon missiles were chosen. The transition of weapons was nicely done.

There was also a rader effect which showed you in which direction to proceed - but only when your cross-hairs were at the bottom of your view screen. This added a nice tactical element to the game which made it more than just a bog standard shoot em up arcade game.

All in all this classic game was a bit of a benchmark in 3D gaming which also included good gravity and collision effects. I played it a lot back then and it still gives me fond memories.

On Release:
The 3D sprites were quite amazing, the playability great and the cockpit graphics almost made you feel like you were really in a space-ship. This was the highest quality of 3D gaming and mags such as Crash raved about it. The little mission briefing audio on the tape was a nice bonus too.

The Test Of Time:
It's sooo basic these days, but I still quite like it. This classic game is such a retro 3D shooter that unless you played it back in the day you may not like it as I do. Still, it has aged a lot better than many other 3D type arcade games on the Speccy. Not bad, and I still give it a go now and again.

Oh, and if you get shot down you can always say 'Hewson, we have a problem'.

We recommend getting hold of the real hardware - but if not then download a ZX Spectrum emulator and download anything but this game for the ZX Spectrum. Alternatively you could try and play it online.

GENRE: Arcade Game (3D Shooter)
RELEASE DATE: 1984
RELEASED BY: Hewson
DEVELOPER(S): Steve Turner
PRICE: £7.95

Classic Arcade Action - And It Was 3D too!

Classic Games, Arcade Games and ZX Spectrum Games

Spectrum Games - 3D Combat Zone - Classic ZX Spectrum Game

3D Combat Zone ZX Spectrum
Here we have a version of the classic Atari arcade game Battlezone on the ZX Spectrum by legendary game coder Jon Ritman.

This game and Realtime's 3D Tank Duel are the best versions I ever played on the Speccy. If you are a fan of Battlezone and wireframe graphics arcade games then this version may be right up your street...

Just like the arcade original you begin the game with three lives. The game takes the viewpoint of looking outwards from the front of your tank, the battlefield complete with various landmarks and of course, enemies to evade and destroy.

The game was predominantly 'green screen' (with enemies in cyan) and used a suitable arcade style font to display current score, menu options and so on.

As far as I know there is no end to the game, you just keep going until you run out of lives. As you destroy an enemy each subsequent bad guy is more difficult to kill than the last. Again this is matching the arcade game.

There is not much else to say. For a 1983 game the 3D graphics were very impressive and it certainly wowed a lot of home gamers. The vectors move nice and smoothly and explode nicely when you score a direct hit.

If you like Battlezone and games of this ilk then you can't go far wrong and this is a great example of fine early ZX Spectrum gaming. Jon Ritman would go on to be responsible for many classic games on our favourite 8-bit machine...

We recommend getting hold of the real hardware but if not then download a ZX Spectrum emulator and download 3D Combat Zone for the ZX Spectrum. You may even be able to play it online.

It's vector-tastic.

GENRE: 3D vector graphics arcade game
RELEASE DATE: 1983
RELEASED BY: Artic Software
DEVELOPER(S): Jon Ritman
PRICE: £5.95 - UK

Classic Arcade Action:

Classic Games, Arcade Games and ZX Spectrum Games

ZX Spectrum Game - 3D Tank Duel - ZX Spectrum retro game

ZX Spectrum Games 3D Tank Duel
Realtime Software burst onto the ZX Spectrum games scene with this unofficial version of Atari's Battlezone, 3D Tank Duel in 1984.

This was the beginning of a long and successful series of games from Realtime, who became perhaps the premier developers of 3D games for the ZX Spectrum with classic games such as 3D Starstrike, Starstrike II, Starglider and Carrier Command.


3D Tank Duel was basically a copy of the famous arcade game, Battlezone and proved that a humble Speccy could be made to animate smooth moving vector graphics on a colourful backdrop.

The aim of the game was ultra simple: destroy an enemy tank before it destroys you. The view of the game was 'looking out' of your tank at the landscape which contained obstacles in the shape of oblong blocks and so on. Your radar at the top of the screen would tell you the location of the enemy tank, so you could home in on it for the kill.

You could move your tank to the left and right as well as backwards and forwards making it relatively easy to move around any obstacles in the playing area. Your display also had a square targetting reticle which would change shape and narrow if the enemy was in your sights.

In true impressive 3D, when you fired a shell you would see it flying away from you towards it's target, and would also see any shell flying towards you, getting larger and larger as it approached.

The game was 'never ending' as in once you destroyed an enemy tank (which exploded in a nice scattering of vector graphics) another tank would immediately appear. Each kill made the next enemy tougher - they were better at evading you and seemed to have a better aim. Every now and again a UFO would appear which could be destroyed for a bonus points.

If the enemy landed a direct hit on you a huge crack would splinter across the screen and you would lose a life. Losing all three lives meant game over - and back to the beginning.

On release:
3D Tank Duel was one of the first 'good' 3D games. The enemy tanks were well drawn (at the time) and moved nicely and the hills in the background added a little variety to otherwise pretty plain landscape. It was nice to finally have a playable version of Battlezone for the Speccy and 3D Tank Duel was a pretty big hit, putting Realtime Software on the gaming map in the process.

The test of time:
Here in Spectrum games we realise that those once impressive 3D graphics are now very, very simple. You would never sit and play 3D Tank Duel for any length of time as it is far too repetetive and lacking in variety, but it is a fun way to spend a spare ten minutes. It must go down as a landmark vector graphics title though.

We recommend getting hold of the real hardware but if not then download a ZX Spectrum emulator and download 3D Tank Duel for the ZX Spectrum. You may even be able to play it online.

Ready, aim, fire!

GENRE: 3D vector graphics arcade game
RELEASE DATE: 1984
RELEASED BY: Realtime Software
DEVELOPER(S): Ian Oliver, Andrew Onions and Graeme Baird
PRICE: £5.95 - UK

Odd-ball takes out a couple of enemies before meeting his doom...


Classic Games, Arcade Games and ZX Spectrum Games

ZX Spectrum Game - 3D Starstrike 2 - ZX Spectrum retro game

ZX Spectrum 3D Starstrike 2
Those vector graphics bods over at Realtime did it again with Starstrike 2 - the follow up their excellent 'Star Wars' arcade game, 3D Starstrike.

Starstrike 2 was released in May of 1986 for the ZX Spectrum after much hype and anticipation, and it delivered to us gamers in spades.

The back story to Starstrike 2 didn't really matter when you had graphics like this, but we'll have a quick reminisce anyway.


The scenario of Starstrike 2 continues from the story told in 3D Starstrike. After the Outsiders' first attack was repelled by the Starstrike fleet, the aliens regrouped an returned to their homeworlds to plot once more against the Federation (the good guys).

The Federation decided that attack was the best form of defence and a new all-purpose fighter (the Starstrike II series) was created. You were the pilot of this new craft, and had the task of taking out the defences on each of the Outsiders planets

There was a lot in this classic game, pentrating force fields, refuelling your ship, battles in orbit with alien fleets and of course, a nice variation on the famous 'trench run'. Gamers who had played the original Starstrike would be familar with conrols and weapons of the craft. As in the first game being too trigger happy would cause your blasters to overheat and you would have to wait a few seconds for them to cool.

You had one life to play with, but your craft was equiped with defensive shields which could be topped up at the end of various levels.

Starstrike 2 had a great combination of ariel combat, ground attacks and sequences to destroy a planet. The combination of brilliant gameplay and (then) state of the art graphics ensured it's status as an instant classic. Starstrike 2 was a massive and deserved hit in the summer of '86.

On release:

This game had been the subject of a lot of hype prior to it's release. Could solid 3D graphics be animated properly on a humble ZX Spectrum? Thanfully, the answer was a big yes. Realtime managed to create a game with depth, variety, action and amazing graphics. Starstrike 2 was a landmark achievment in ZX Spectrum gaming and proved just how far clever developers could push the hardware. The first time I saw this running on a friends Spectrum 48K my jaw hit the floor. Solid vectors were unheard of on 8-Bit machines until this game was released. I saved up for four weeks to buy a copy!

Crash magazine awared it a stunning 96% - a true seal of quality at the time.

The test of time:

Here in the land of Spectrum games we must acknowledge that Starstrike 2 remains a classic. Of course the graphics are nothing special by todays standards, but once you see past that there is still some good gameplay in there. The pair of us are still amazed that Realtime crammed this much in to a 48K ZX Spectrum; a truly stunning achievement. Starstrike 2 proved that Realtime were the masters of vector graphics - and it is still worth playing today. Give it a go - it's still good.

We recommend getting hold of the real hardware - but if not then download a ZX Spectrum emulator and download Starstrike 2 for the ZX Spectrum. Alternatively you could try and play it online.

GENRE: Solid Vector Graphics Arcade Game

RELEASE DATE: May of 1986

RELEASED BY: Realtime Software

DEVELOPER(S): Ian Oliver, Andrew Onions and Graeme Baird

PRICE: £7.95 - UK

Mart needs to play a few more times to get the hang of the classic arcade action again...

Classic Games, Arcade Games and ZX Spectrum Games

ZX Spectrum Game - 180 - ZX Spectrum retro game

ZX Spectrum 180
180 was released for the ZX Spectrum by Mastertronic Software (under their MAD label) back in December of 1986.

Mastertronic were budget software spectialists with most of their titles selling for £1.99, and had (slightly unfairly) garnered the nickname 'Masterchronic' due to the 'quality' of their titles.

Their MAD label (or Mastertronic Added Dimension) released games that were slightly more expensive (£2.99) and were usually better in quality.



One 'Undred an Eiightyyy!

 180 was an arcade darts game that enhanced the reputation of Mastertronic - in fact they generally went on to better things from this point forward.

The version of 180 being reviewed here is the release for ZX Spectrum 128 - which was basically the same as the 48K version except for nice music playing whilst your opponent threw his darts.

The rules of the game are the same as real darts, you start on 501 and must bring this score to zero and finish on a double. A nine dart finish was possible, just like in real life. When competing against the computer, you would face opponents of increasing skill, one after the other.

The first couple of opponents were pretty easy to defeat, and often missed relatively easy shots and finishes. However, when facing the final player you often needed to conjure up a nine dart finish to win, he was almost always that good!

The gameplay was well implemented too.

You would view the dartboard and a disembodied hand (which was nicely animated) would 'float' in front of it, ready to throw your dart(s). The trick to hitting good shots was lining the hand up correctly so that you could hit your desired target. The hand was constantly moving, so lining up a good shot required a fair amount of skill and patience - but it was implemented well and had the right arcade gaming feel to it.

Once you got the hang of making shots to trebles and doubles (and even the bullseye), there was enough satisfaction in it - there was no 'randomness' to what you were doing.

Throwing a good shot and checking out with a good finish could cause you to raise a smile. Also - and this was a big feature within the game, if you scored a maximum (with three darts) of 180 then the computer shouted this out to you in true darts and oche style!

Digitised speech (without a speech unit) on a ZX Spectrum (or any 8-bit machine) was always a big thing.

When your opponent was taking his shots then the view switched to the bar (in which you were playing), complete with pumps, taps, spirit rack and a busty barmaid!

Often whilst the player was throwing his darts (which you viewed from a 'side on' angle) humourous things would happen like pints being poured and sometimes a dog would stroll up and lift it's leg against the bar. Hilarious stuff (which did tend to wear a bit thin after a while).

The two player option added more to the game, and a lot of fun could be had playing computer darts against a friend.

Nice darts!

On Release:
180 was pretty well recieved when it hit the high street. Up until this point there had been few (and mostly poor) efforts at reproducing darts on the ZX Spectrum, and this game was the best of the bunch. There was not much depth to the game, but the humour, speech and all round gameplay made it a really good 'budget effort'. For £2.99 you could not really go wrong - and 180 went on to become a bit of a cult classic arcade game.

The test of time:
We here in the realm of Spectrum Games reckon that this is a nice little game that still has some kind of magic about it. Yes it is simple overall, yes the synthesised speech is laughable, and yes, the bar scenes become repetitive quickly - but you know what? It is actually still pretty playable! Throwing the darts takes a little bit of skill and there is some playability in there once you have played a few shots. Two player mode can be fun too. It's a good way to spend half and hour - a nice little retro game.

Catch a re-run of bullseye, step up to the oche and give it a go. One 'undred an' eeeighhtyyyy!

We recommend getting hold of the real hardware - but if not then download a ZX Spectrum emulator and download 180 for the ZX Spectrum. Alternatively you could try and play it online.

GENRE: Arcade game
RELEASE DATE: End of 1986
RELEASED BY: Mastertronic (MAD) Software
DEVELOPER(S): Binary Design
PRICE: £2.99 - UK

Mart shows a decent throwing arm...


Classic Games, Arcade Games and ZX Spectrum Games

ZX Spectrum Game - 3D Starstrike - ZX Spectrum retro game

ZX Spectrum 3D Starstrike
3D Starstrike was released for the ZX Spectrum in 1984 by Realtime Software, who were becoming known as 3D specialist games developers.

3D titles really captured the imagination of gamers back in the early 80's, and Starstrike was a superb effort. Inspired by the arcade game 'Star Wars' - this game 'borrowed' heavily from it to bring an exiting and playable version into the home.

Realtime had previously released a game called 3D Tank Duel on the ZX Spectrum (which was a fine version of Battlezone) and once again they proved to be masters of 3D gaming. This game proved that fast and colourful vector graphics could be produced effectively on the humble Speccy.

Star Wars had been a phenomenon in the arcades, and the existing fan base of this game helped to ensure that 3D Starstrike was a hit.

The game was basically divided into three sections (similar to Star Wars) which were linked via a 'tactical display' showing you what was coming next.

In the first stage you were placed in the far reaches of space and had to dog-fight numerous alien space craft (which resembled TIE fighters).

These enemy craft would hurl powerful plasma bolts at you which would drain your shields if they hit. To get through this section it was a case of destroy as many of the enemy as possible by firing your twin lasers at them, and to destroy any incoming plasma which could also be shot down with your lasers.

The fighters would spin and tumble round the screen, and on later levels would release vast volleys of plasma bolts at you.

The second stage took place over the surface of a planet which was covered with a variety of towers. Some of these towers were armed, and would hurl plasma bolts at you as you flew past. Here you could dive and climb as well as banking left and right. You had to take care and not crash into any towers or the surface of the planet.

On later levels, the tall towers would have 'yellow tops' and these tops could be shot off by accurate pilots. Destroying a certain amount of tower tops yeilded a big bonus, but was not essential in completing the stage. Perseverance and good flying would get you through.


The third stage was similar to the trench run in Star Wars. You would have to fly along a 'trench' avoiding catwalk beams spanning it and of course avoiding the deck. Laser points dotted each side of the trench too and would take pot shots of plasma at you as you streaked along.

Good reflexes were required as you weaved along, rising and dipping to avoid the obstacles whilst shooting down any plasma bolts coming your way. If you made it to the end of the trench a protective forcefield would be covering the (exhaust?) port through which you had to fly.

Disabling the field was a matter of taking out the two rotating cubes on either side of the port. If you fell at the final hurdle and failed to lower the field then you would forced back into the trench once more.

Success would see you move to a safe distance from the planet, which would then explode nicely before your eyes. With barely a moment to sit back in satisfaction and gloat over your flying skills you would be warped into deep space to repeat the entire process again. The difficulty would be cranked up each time too.

On Release:
This title gained publicity prior to release due to the comparisons to the arcade game Star Wars. When it was released people realised that it was a very good game, and Crash magazine awared it a whopping 93% (Crash Smash status) praising the fast wireframe graphics. Starstrike sold plenty of copies and gamers marvelled at the fast and colourful 3D vector graphics. The nicely drawn cockpit of your own fighter completed the picture nicely, and the tactical screens between stages added a bit of atmosphere to the game.

The test of time:
Starstrike represents a time when 3D graphics were impressive and almost mystical. The game is very simple by todays standards and has little depth, but the playability is still there and it's still enjoyable if you're looking for a quick blast on something. For a time, Realtime Software really were the ZX Spectrum's exponents of 3D graphics. Nice one Realtime.

(Starstrike is so popular that it has been remade for the PC)

3D starstrike is definately worth another look after all these years - a fine example of a vector graphics classic game.

We recommend getting hold of the real hardware - but if not then download an emulator and download 3D Starstrike for the ZX Spectrum. Alternatively you could try and play it online.

GENRE: Vector Graphics Arcade Game
RELEASE DATE: End of 1984
RELEASED BY: Realtime Software
DEVELOPER(S): Ian Oliver, Andrew Onions and Graeme Baird
PRICE: £5.95 - UK

Luke Daycrawler wimps out and plays on Easy level...


Arcade Games and Classic Games

ZX Spectrum Games - 3D Deathchase - ZX Spectrum retro game

ZX Spectrum Deathchase
If ever there was a cult classic arcade game (on an 8-bit platform), then '3D' Deathchase has to be it. Released at the tail end of 1983, this classic game is even more remarkable due to the fact that it was squeezed into only 16K of memory! (16K Spectrum) An unbelievable feat.

Micromega really struck gold with this one, and it's timing of release which coincided with the movie Return of the Jedi (and it's famous 'speeder bike' scenes) really helped sales along nicely.

Micromega would go on to release many more quality computer games for the ZX Spectrum over the next few years such as Braxx Bluff, Codename MAT and the excellent adventure game, Kentilla.


This was an arcade game that was sooo simple, yet sooo addictive. The game is all about arcade action, quick reflexes and a fast trigger finger.

You take the part of a motorbike riding mercenary, who has to pursue and destroy two other bikers (one yellow and one blue) through a forest (slightly strange circumstances, but what the heck eh?)

Besides being on the rapid side, your machine was also equipped with a forward firing gun (which only fired when you are at full speed). The 'bullets' fired could be 'steered' in mid flight by the turning to the left or right. Neat.

Anyway, it was up to you to pursue the bad guys and basically blast them to bits (giving you $1000 for each kill). Once both were destroyed then the game would switch to 'Night patrol' (adding a twist to the feel of the game) and you would speed again through the inky darkness to hunt down your quarry.

Two more kills and you would be onto the next stage, which would put you in a denser forest with more trees to avoid. Crashing into a tree meant instant death and the loss of a life.

It was a case of getting through all eight stages (both in day and night patrol) - completing stage eight returned you to level one (that's classic game ethos right there!)

The occasional tank or helicopter would also stray across the screen and could be shot for bonus dollars - but you did not have to destroy them to complete the level.


The later levels in this arcade game were thick with trees, and it would take all of your concentration to weave in and out of them - never mind trying to aim at the enemy.

Like I said, this arcade game was simple and had little depth overall, but it did keep you coming back for more due to it's supreme playability.

On Release:
This game was well received and scored a whopping 92% in Crash magazine. Spectrum gamers marvelled at the incredibly rapid 3D graphics and the intensity of the gameplay. The asking price of £6.95 was well within most peoples budgets, and 3D games at the time really caught the imagination of many. For pure arcade action, Deathchase was difficult to beat.

The test of time:
We here in the land of Spectrum games we reckon that this is a classic game that still holds appeal even today. Okay - the gameplay is simple, but it's still a total blast hurtling through the forest at break neck speed. The programmer behind the game Mervyn Estcourt etched his name in retro history with this game. Legendary.

Stick on a bit of ROTJ (before the Ewoks come into it), grab a pair of goggles and give this classic game a go. You'll feel the wind in your hair.

We recommend getting hold of the real hardware - but if not then download a ZX Spectrum emulator and download this game for the ZX Spectrum. Alternatively you could try and play it online.

Please see our other game reviews and programmer interviews. All links are in alphabetical order. Cheers guys.

GENRE: 3D Arcade Game
RELEASE DATE: Tail end of 1983
RELEASED BY: Micromega
DEVELOPER(S): Mervyn Estcourt (Sometimes credited as Mervyn J Estcourt)
PRICE: £6.95 - UK

A true classic arcade game...


Arcade Games, ZX Spectrum Games and Classic Games