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ZX Spectrum games represented in Good Pub Guide

Posted: Fri Nov 17, 2017 12:48 pm
by PeteProdge
Originally published at That Other Place in July 2014.

I've only just managed to track down these entries from past Good Pub Guides...
  • The pub, 180
    Well stocked with spirits, yet has only one beer pump. The barmaid has lightning-fast skills in sliding full pints down the bar to punters, without spilling a drop.
    The pub's main income must surely derive from the popular leisure facilities, of which darts is a major focus. Regulars Desmond, Sidney, Dave, Larry, Bill, Mick, Tel and Jim take part in tournaments, all attired in the same clothing.
    Unfortunately, dogs are allowed and the bar is occasionally home to a rather badly behaved spaniel who takes delight in marking his territory. Clearly, hygiene is not a priority in this otherwise commendable pub.
  • The Ship, Target: Renegade
    Located in an unsavoury part of town, with baseball-capped youths and feral pitbulls running amock, this review took place under extreme duress.
    Upon opening the big scarlet door to enter The Ship (and I wonder if that's the same pub namechecked in Underworld's 1996 opus, Born Slippy) I was confronted by an agressive middle-aged skinhead. I'm not the fighting type, but he clearly wanted a ruckus and, in self-defence, I managed to lay him out cold.
    Of course my main priority is to review this pub and not to dwell on the considerable social disorder. The interior is very spacious, decked with green carpet and a 1950s style jukebox. A huge framed platinum disk sits on the wall, so one must assume the landlord may have been in the record industry at some point, maybe even a singer. Unfortunately I did not get to see the details close up, as I was accosted by several other violent skinheads, some of whom were wielding pool cues.
    The pub is heavily stocked with spirits of various types. Pumps are nowhere to be seen, although one presumes hard liquor is the drink of choice among regulars here. Not wishing to cast aspersions, but drink-fuelled mayhem seems to be the order of the day here. This really isn't the place for a sociology lecture, but inner city deprivation appears to play a part.
    After tackling the folically-challenged regulars, I retired to the Games Room. A nicely furnished area, with a couple of pool tables and a dartboard. Bizarrely, some novelty version of pool is preferred here, with many balls being green. The jukebox here is a CD multi-changer, a nod to a more modern age.
    Sadly, my time here was cut short as I was repeatedly headbutted by a muscular fellow who appears to be a well-feared character. I was taken to A&E and am still in recovery after this fateful visit.
    In conclusion, I can say that the venue itself is very roomy and entertainment is fairly well catered for, but I cannot ignore the anti-social violence that was dished out to me on my visit. For this reason, I warn you to steer clear.

I'm sure there are more. Does anyone else have any?

Re: ZX Spectrum games represented in Good Pub Guide

Posted: Sun Dec 05, 2021 2:37 pm
by equinox
The Bull & Bush (Tiddly Drinks)

This place purports to be a family pub, but they don't serve food and when I popped in on Christmas Eve 1987 I was appalled at the loutish behaviour. A large-nosed fellow in a cap was rather too "tiddly" and repeatedly hurled his empties into the air. One of them almost hit a dog, which I'm told was the man's own. No interest at all from the bar staff, though they were happy enough to keep serving him.

The Bull & Bush does have a rather battered juke box (left-hand end of the bar, near the portrait of Her Majesty) but don't waste your money: during my visit, there was a chap at the piano who wouldn't stop bashing out his favourites. To be fair, he played quite well in three channels, and somehow managed some percussion too.

Decor is generally rather dire, depressing and monochrome; you can tell they've tried to liven the place up for Christmas with a few balloons, but these clash horribly with everything else.

On the up side, service is extremely quick, with up to six pints served in seconds -- despite the unremitting presence of three bar-flies who barely moved from the mahogany all night. And don't get me started on that loser playing darts on his own in the corner.

1 out of 4 stars

Re: ZX Spectrum games represented in Good Pub Guide

Posted: Sun Dec 05, 2021 2:49 pm
by 8BitAG
(Off-topic from the fictional entries but here's a production from brothers, and Your Sinclair & Sinclair User adventure columnists respectively, Mike and Peter Gerrard...
Around the Tube in 80 Pubs
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Around-Tube-80 ... 548468525/
...almost a scenario for a Speccy adventure in itself... :) )

Re: ZX Spectrum games represented in Good Pub Guide

Posted: Mon Dec 06, 2021 8:43 am
by Juan F. Ramirez
Dorry's, Gremlins the Adventure

Image

Great pub in downtown area. An extensive variety of top beers but full of freak people on friday evenings after midnight.

Re: ZX Spectrum games represented in Good Pub Guide

Posted: Mon Dec 06, 2021 9:09 am
by vanpeebles
The Winchester Club! Perfect place to buy blue peter presenters, tins of warts and rubber wet suits, or get found out for selling dodgy tellys.

Re: ZX Spectrum games represented in Good Pub Guide

Posted: Mon Dec 06, 2021 9:33 am
by Mpk
Juan F. Ramirez wrote: Mon Dec 06, 2021 8:43 am The Pub, Gremlins the Adventure
DORRY'S, according to the screenshot

Re: ZX Spectrum games represented in Good Pub Guide

Posted: Mon Dec 06, 2021 10:34 am
by Juan F. Ramirez
Mpk wrote: Mon Dec 06, 2021 9:33 am
Juan F. Ramirez wrote: Mon Dec 06, 2021 8:43 am The Pub, Gremlins the Adventure
DORRY'S, according to the screenshot
Oops! You're right!

Edited

Re: ZX Spectrum games represented in Good Pub Guide

Posted: Mon Dec 06, 2021 1:31 pm
by Daveysloan
The unnamed pub in Andy Capp. It just says "Sparkling Ales" in the window iirc.

Re: ZX Spectrum games represented in Good Pub Guide

Posted: Mon Dec 06, 2021 4:30 pm
by clebin
The Red Lion - Everyone's a Wally

A pleasant-looking traditional red-brick boozer. The kind of pub you'd might find in a well-to-do market town. The interior is a let down then, with no staff in attendance and instead a curious automated Japanese conveyer belt-style system for serving pints, set to a dangerously high speed. This has apparently not proved popular with the clientele - the last customer has left their money on the bar and scarpered.

Re: ZX Spectrum games represented in Good Pub Guide

Posted: Tue Dec 14, 2021 1:29 pm
by bluespikey
The Bar In Kranos


Image

A lovely country pub, far from anywhere and about half way through your journey. Its so far from anywhere that we don't recognise your coinage. In fact we don't recognise any coinage. So please just ask for a drink and then ask for another. And another. Max out your strength whilst you are at it. The builders of the pub probably didn't realise their error, but its not like you care. It certainly makes the second half of your journey much easier.

Avoid the bars in Elantor and Carakot though. You have to pay in them.

Re: ZX Spectrum games represented in Good Pub Guide

Posted: Tue Dec 14, 2021 8:28 pm
by bluespikey
That's Mindstone by The Edge BTW. An interesting adventure game worth looking at. There's some rooms in the game that are pubs where money can be spent to increase hit points. But there's one pub which doesn't deduct any money or run out of beer. So you can max out your hit points and breeze through the rest of the game.