Games for your family

[SteveSmith]

The only time my dad went near a computer pre-2000 was to play Tomahawk once on the Speccy, back in the day. After it had loaded, he decided to use the joystick, so he plugged in the joystick interface... That was the end of that Spectrum, and the end of my dad's (already miniscule) interest in computers.

Ouch! I guess you went mad at him? And was the Speccy promptly replaced?

Unfortunately, he went mad at me for not telling him that it was the golden rule never to plug something into the edge connector when it's turned on. Thankfully it was promptly replaced though.

[Ast A. Moore]

I’d say this is grounds for replacing the dad. Promptly.

[stupidget]

Before we had a Speccy we had a Dragon 32 and that was used by the whole family, well I say whole family but my sister was 14 so all she was interested in was Sisters of Mercy, Simple Minds, Killing Joke and Goth blokes. During the 8 months we had a Dragon 32 my mum, dad and me would spend ages playing adventure games with Mansion Adventure 1 being the one we spent hours and hours on, with the main issue working out how to open to door on the first screen. After several days we realised it was 'prise door with iron bar'. After 2 dead Dragons we got the money back from Boots and bought a 48k speccy. One of the first games we had was The Hobbit and again we spent ages on that, but, once my dad found out a bloke he worked with could supply a tape crammed full of 'backup' games I would write down my wish-list and get a tape once a month. This was the end of the family involvement until my sister was doing her O Levels and had the Revision Software of Merchant of Venice which really annoyed me as I was desperate to play Wanted:Monty Mole

[PeteProdge]

The only time my dad went near a computer pre-2000 was to play Tomahawk once on the Speccy, back in the day. After it had loaded, he decided to use the joystick, so he plugged in the joystick interface... That was the end of that Spectrum, and the end of my dad's (already miniscule) interest in computers.

I once removed a joystick interface from my brand new Spectrum +2 while it was still on. Nothing bad happened at all. Of course, NEVER DO THIS. I was clueless and extremely lucky that it was unscathed from my ignorance. I had no idea you shouldn't do that. A friend told me afterwards that it was a miracle my Speccy survived.

[WIWC]

My dad and my uncle used to play Psion's Flight Simulation. Only serious stuff for them.

My sister used to play a couple of game: Conquestador/Las Tres Luces de Glaurung being her favourite.
She also wouldn't mind a go at Cobra, IIRC. Oh, and Zombie Zombie! We used to like to build stuff, a comfy home, instead of killing the zombies. And of course she probably tried Skool Daze too.

I had my mother playing Psion's Space Raiders with me a couple of years ago, testing my newly bought Grey +2. She was pressing the fire key.

Oh, I forgot: I had another uncle playing the ski event of some sport game, I don't remember which one. Has World Games a ski event? Anyway, he was a ski enthusiast, a skier and ski master (or bound to become one), so I had him try it, and he liked it.

[WIWC]

Our "computer room" was our dining room/kitchen table. Our entire family took it in turns to play through Arkanoid... We played it so much that everyone in the family was able to get through the entire game and beat the boss level.

SORRY I CAN'T BELIEVE THAT.

Or, I could believe it if you used "infinite lives".

[uglifruit]

My family gaming memories including everyone trying Manic Miner (and, bizarrely, chanting "Manic Miner" in time with the flashing loading screen$ as it loaded).

The real family time-hoover was Scrabble though. Thinking back, I don't know why we chose to play it on the speccy rather than just getting a physical copy!

[8BitAG]

Our "computer room" was our dining room/kitchen table. Our entire family took it in turns to play through Arkanoid... We played it so much that everyone in the family was able to get through the entire game and beat the boss level.

SORRY I CAN'T BELIEVE THAT.
Or, I could believe it if you used "infinite lives".

Believe what you like, but our entire family... me, my sister, my mum and my dad... could all beat that game in the end.

I wouldn't even have known how to do POKEs back then.

[Morkin]

The real family time-hoover was Scrabble though. Thinking back, I don't know why we chose to play it on the speccy rather than just getting a physical copy!

Hey, dictionaries were expensive back then...

[DouglasReynholm]

My dad never touched the Spectrum at all. My mum played Bubble Bobble with me, once, at that was at my insistence.

I'll play Bubble Bobble with you anytime Pete, but only the arcade version!

The only time my dad ever touched my Speccy was to unplug it if ever unattended (more than 30 seconds). He was the original 'like Blackpool illuminations in here', which is British for 'you are using too much electricity'. He finally learned to stop doing it after pulling the plug on a program I had just spent 2 hours putting into a rubber keyed 48k.

[PeteProdge]

My dad never touched the Spectrum at all. My mum played Bubble Bobble with me, once, at that was at my insistence.

I'll play Bubble Bobble with you anytime Pete, but only the arcade version!

Pfft, Bubble Bobble is one game where practically every conversion of it is damned good. I've never come across a bad version, and I've tried it on old consoles and all sorts.

Yeah, the Speccy only has 80 of the 100 levels, but still, it plays very much like the arcade.

Obviously, the arcade is king, but I can't find a version that sucks - unless it's when they try to 'update' it.

The only time my dad ever touched my Speccy was to unplug it if ever unattended (more than 30 seconds). He was the original 'like Blackpool illuminations in here', which is British for 'you are using too much electricity'. He finally learned to stop doing it after pulling the plug on a program I had just spent 2 hours putting into a rubber keyed 48k.

I could get away with that by having the telly switched off. You forget how quiet a Spectrum is. Come the 1990s, with 'serious' computers, the fan made it clear it was definitely on.

[DouglasReynholm]

Pfft, Bubble Bobble is one game where practically every conversion of it is damned good. I've never come across a bad version, and I've tried it on old consoles and all sorts.

Sorry to sort of get off topic momentarily, but yes and no. The conversions were mostly good at getting the base gameplay, (dare I say it) the C64 being 'best'. The problem was that some (caveat - I haven't played all the conversions, but a few, including the Spectrum) of the ports didn't get the feel of the original's 'if this then that' (edit: or 'state machine' if you will) specifically when it came to the current score, and the order of collection and placement of the special objects. Most the ports IIRC didn't get the source to work from (as we know, rare then anyway) and replaced quite a subtle gameplay system with something much more random. I've played a lot of the arcade and none of the ports I played truly hold a candle, solely for that reason.

Possibly the X68000 version might be most faithful? I know Taito have certainly lost the code since, but I don't know if any of the port developers back then got it anyway.

Sermon/rant over.. but to broadly bring this back on topic, I love playing the game with my son 33 years after I first played it just not on the Speccy

[PeterJ]

When my late father and I built the ZX81 he took an interest in BASIc. Those official manuals are just the best! We also got an input output card from Maplin again as a kit which we controlled some relays with.

Once I got the Spectrum he was not interested in it at all. I was the 'mistake' so my siblings were much older and not interested either. Dad was pleased that I enjoyed the Spectrum though.

Maybe surprise is a better word than mistake!

[Joefish]

My brother and I once got two joysticks and a DK'Tronics interface for Christmas. Then later my brother had a strop and pulled the interface out while I was playing Sabre Wulf and said it was his (he got to unwrap it on Christmas morning). It locked up the Speccy, but fortunately it was alright after a reset. Close one.

Most exasperating was my Gran when she was with at Christmas one year. She gave me Jason's Gem as a present, then when I put the Spectrum on the telly to play it started complaining loudly for my Mum to hear, "Do we have to have this rubbish on?". I'm guessing now that Mum actually bought the game and Gran hadn't the faintest idea what it was she had actually given me that year.

[Klepto]

I remember my Dad became obsessed with a budget Choplifter type of game. I don't remember the name of it but it scrolled left and right, had a helicopter and I think you were flying over a landscape with sand and palm trees. I would like to know the name of it to be honest. Then, when I had moved on the Master System he developed an obsession with Out Run (best 8-bit version I think).

[uglifruit]

Oh, you've just reminded me - as a family we also played the Mastertronic shooting gallery game "Rifle Range". I remember my dad being very enthusiastic about it, and me wondering why he didn't order JetPac.

[Klepto]

It's strange how most Dad's didn't really care about games but would develop a strange fascination with one particular game. Usually one you would not expect.

Back in 84is I wanted a Speccy because my friends across the street had one. My birthday was coming up and they knew I wanted a computer. So they got me the Commodore 16 . I did have some fun with it, although I think I only had it about 6 months and my friends across the street sourced me a rubber 48k . But I remember my dad being obsessed with the painting program that came with the C16, which as you can imagine was very basic.

[popeymon]

My Dad liked Tank Trax by Mastertronic and nothing else, although he would have liked Galaxians by Artic if I had it then - because it was such a good version of the arcade Galaxian, which he played. He liked the two player game where we could fire at each other's tanks using the simple controls. Sort of relaxing game. He wasn't good at the fast controls (including Galaxian) so Tank Trax was ideal.

My sister liked Atic Atac, I think because of the graphics and sound.

[popeymon]

Oh, you've just reminded me - as a family we also played the Mastertronic shooting gallery game "Rifle Range". I remember my dad being very enthusiastic about it, and me wondering why he didn't order JetPac.

Not a bad game that, for the £1.99. Perhaps he liked it because it reminds him of the real thing?

I hope that you did not miss out on Jetpac!

[dfzx]

When I spent my teenage life savings on a 48K rubber key model from Boots my Dad looked at it and said "well they had bigger ones than that in there!" He was genuinely annoyed I'd spent my money on a physically smaller computer than was necessary. That was the only comment he ever made on it, other than to repeatedly tell me I'd never get a career in computers and I should learn a proper trade. I'm typing this from my desk at IBM.

My Mum loved playing Space Raiders. That was the only game she ever played, and she always used the same strategy: sit behind a block, blast a hole in it, and keep firing until the enemy fire destroyed the block and she got hit. Time and again I tried to teach her to play out in the open and dodge incoming bullets, and time and again she scuttled back behind a block to do it her way. I recall being interested in how she always got a very similar final score, determinism of computers not being something I was familiar with back then.