Spectrums (was Re: Collections of (physically) large computers)

[aliensrcooluk at yahoo.co.uk]

 --- Adrian Graham <witchy at binarydinosaurs.co.uk> wr
ote: 
> On 1/11/06 11:05, "Jules Richardson"
> <julesrichardsonuk at yahoo.co.uk> wrote:
> 
> >> You do. It saved them having to fit a tokenisin
g
> routine into the ROM.
> > 
> > to nit-pick:
> > 
> > a) didn't the later Spectrums (128, +2, +3) with
> '128 BASIC' let you type the
> > commands without the keyword system?
> 
> Yep, from the Investronica 128 (the first
> 'toastrack' edition with the Big
> Metal Heatsink) to the +3, 128 mode let you just
> type and make your own
> mistakes.
>  

Yes, you could type the keywords, but no you
couldn't make mistakes (atleast, not on my
Spectrum 128 +2) as you were forced to
correct any syntax errors before you could
type in the next line of BASIC. Or atleast
that's the case for 128K BASIC.

I never used the 48K BASIC mode.


>> snip <<

> > Heck, back to Spectrums, I remember that the +2
> had a built-in calculator
> > application... (what were the other main menu
> options? 128 BASIC, Spectrum
> > BASIC, Calculator, but I'm sure there was at lea
st
> one other)
> 
> Tape tester.....
> 

Err. not on my Spectrum. From top to bottom
it was:


Loader (load in tape games - equivalent to
typing Load "", IIRC)
128K BASIC
Calculator
48K BASIC

> -- 
> Adrian/Witchy
> Binary Dinosaurs creator/curator
> Www.binarydinosaurs.co.uk - the UK's biggest priva
te
> home computer
> collection?
> 
> 

For the record I still have my Spectrum in it's
original box. I had the light gun games 6-pack
version sold in the early 90's. The games were:


Robot Attack
Operation Wolf (published by Ocean)
Missile Ground Zero
Bullseye
? (some target range in the wild with 4 levels?)
Toy Bizarre


My mum, however, put it somewhere "safe"
sometime last year. It has the SNES game
Super Mario World (with all 96 levels accessed)
in with it too which I wanted to play earlier
this year to a) recharge the battery back-up
and b) cause it's great fun to play.
Needless to say we couldn't find it :(


The Spectrum manual, thankfully, is on my
shelf here in my bedroom. I read it through
thoroughly (start to finish) atleast twice
in the early 90's as I wanted to make great
games.
Just as back then, I still have lot's of
imagination and idea's for games and software.
Thanks to my Amiga and AMOS BASIC I have
been able to realise some of them. I do have
plenty more stuff to come :)


Regards,
Andrew B
aliensrcooluk at yahoo.co.uk