The best Speccy game by Imagine Software (original incarnation): vote

PeteProdge · Post by **PeteProdge** » Sun Dec 03, 2023 11:42 am

There's no better takedown on Imagine's demise than this brutal write-up from Stuart Campbell, which wipes out the myths put forward by Bruce Everiss.

Anyway, we come not to mourn what was the Liverpool-based incarnation of the Speccy software brand that had the best logo ever. We're here to celebrate all twelve tangible ZX Spectrum games put out by this software house before they were gobbled up by their rivals along the M62:

Ah Diddums

Alchemist

Arcadia

B.C. Bill

Cosmic Cruiser

Jumping Jack

Molar Maul

Pedro

Schizoids

Stonkers

Zip-Zap

Zzoom

(And the original poll combining ALL of Imagine's games was concluded in 2019, here.)

Stefan · Post by **Stefan** » Sun Dec 03, 2023 12:55 pm

1 no
2 thank
3 you

Mpk · Post by **Mpk** » Sun Dec 03, 2023 1:19 pm

Stefan wrote: ↑Sun Dec 03, 2023 12:55 pm 1 no
2 thank
3 you

Harsh.

1 Stonkers
2 Jumping Jack
3 Alchemist

I enjoyed blazing along the horizon blowing up the little dudes in Zzoom as well, but apparently I wasn't supposed to?

Hank Scorpio · Post by **Hank Scorpio** » Sun Dec 03, 2023 2:50 pm

1 Jumping Jack
2 Zzoom
3 Stonkers

uglifruit · Post by **uglifruit** » Sun Dec 03, 2023 3:20 pm

BCBill
Zzoom
Jumping Jack

Juan F. Ramirez · Post by **Juan F. Ramirez** » Sun Dec 03, 2023 4:01 pm

1 Alchemist
2 Jumping Jack
3 Stonkers

PeteProdge · Post by **PeteProdge** » Sun Dec 03, 2023 4:03 pm

Stefan wrote: ↑Sun Dec 03, 2023 12:55 pm 1 no
2 thank
3 you

So it's definitely not Stonkers.

worcestersource · Post by **worcestersource** » Sun Dec 03, 2023 5:18 pm

1. Zzoom
2. Alchemist
3. Jumping Jack

Was there ever a way to make Zzoom play for a long time? I recall health being topped up a bit after each level but never enough.

Turtle_Quality · Post by **Turtle_Quality** » Sun Dec 03, 2023 8:50 pm

1 Jumping Jack
2 Arcadia
3 Stonkers

hitm4n · Post by **hitm4n** » Sun Dec 03, 2023 10:24 pm

A great bunch of games here... Got lots of enjoyment from lots of these.

Ah Diddums
Alchemist
Arcadia
Jumping Jack
Zip Zap
Zzoom

Another tough top 3.

Alchemist was the best for the "figuring it out" part.
Jumping Jack is the game i'll go back to more than any other here.
Ah Diddums was a fave back then, but not so much now, but fond memories.
Gonna go ZZoom for third, so thats....

Alchemist
Jumping Jack
Zzoom

Matt_B · Post by **Matt_B** » Mon Dec 04, 2023 3:15 am

1. Stonkers
2. Alchemist
3. Zzoom

Juan F. Ramirez · Post by **Juan F. Ramirez** » Mon Dec 04, 2023 7:36 am

Stonkers leading the poll!

PeteProdge · Post by **PeteProdge** » Mon Dec 04, 2023 9:09 am

Juan F. Ramirez wrote: ↑Mon Dec 04, 2023 7:36 am Stonkers leading the poll!

It might have been when you wrote that, but as I write this, it's 2 votes behind Jumping Jack.

So, right now, when it comes to the best Speccy game by the original incarnation of Imagine Software...

Spoiler

...it's definitely not Stonkers.

Vampyre · Post by **Vampyre** » Mon Dec 04, 2023 11:27 am

1. Jumping Jack
2. Zzoom
3. Alchemist

bluespikey · Post by **bluespikey** » Mon Dec 04, 2023 11:32 am

I know it was very early days in the Spectrum, and indeed video games in general, but its still hard to see how this line-up of games made Imagine the EAGames of 1983.

1. Arcadia
2. Zzoom
3. Alchemist

Alchemist really doesn't stand the test of time. I remember an epic game of adventure and magic. But from the recent video from @RoseTintedSpectrum , you don't need most of the stuff in the game anyway.

Tan Coul · Post by **Tan Coul** » Mon Dec 04, 2023 8:34 pm

1 Zzoom
2 Arcadia
3 Jumping Jack

p13z · Post by **p13z** » Mon Dec 04, 2023 10:28 pm

1. Jumping Jack
2. Zzoom
3. Stonkers

RWAC · Post by **RWAC** » Mon Dec 04, 2023 11:15 pm

1. Zoom
2. Alchemist
3. Jumping Jack

DoDesKaDen · Post by **DoDesKaDen** » Tue Dec 05, 2023 8:00 am

1. Jumping Jack
2. Alchemist
2. Stonkers

RWAC · Post by **RWAC** » Tue Dec 05, 2023 9:14 am

PeteProdge wrote: ↑Sun Dec 03, 2023 11:42 am There's no better takedown on Imagine's demise than this brutal write-up from Stuart Campbell, which wipes out the myths put forward by Bruce Everiss.

That was a hugely entertaining read, thanks Peter

toot_toot · Post by **toot_toot** » Tue Dec 05, 2023 11:05 am

Alchemist is probably the best game from a technical perspective, but despite being known for churning out rubbish like Pedro, there’s some decent games in there. I went for Jumping Jack, because it’s such a great pick up and play game (despite my reflexes being nowhere near as good as when I was a kid). But Stonkers, Molar Maul and Zzoom still hold up really well.

Imagine actually released some decent games! Who would have thought??

Morkin · Post by **Morkin** » Wed Dec 06, 2023 11:06 am

1. Arcadia
2. Jumping Jack
3. Alchemist

Bolton80 · Post by **Bolton80** » Wed Dec 06, 2023 1:53 pm

I'm probably the only person who really enjoys Cosmic Cruiser, but even I didn't vote for it as the best

My top 3...
Jumping Jack
Zzoom
Cosmic Cruiser (but Arcadia is actually better)

Nick · Post by **Nick** » Wed Dec 06, 2023 9:53 pm

1. Cosmic Cruiser
2. Jumping Jack
3. Zzoom

I know Cosmic Cruiser seems to be generally thought of as one of Imagine's weaker games, but I actually found it quite fun, especially when one of the crewmen you're trying to rescue starts floating off into space and there's a mad panic to try an rescue them before an alien takes them back to the ship.

PeteProdge · Post by **PeteProdge** » Mon Dec 11, 2023 10:38 am

We have the results, and these games are on a shelf in order, so I'll read out the results from their spines:

For Any ZX Spectrum
For Any 48K Sinclair Spectrum
For Any 48K Sinclair Spectrum
For Any 48K Sinclair Spectrum
For Any ZX Spectrum
B.C. Bill, Cosmic Cruiser and For Any 48K Sinclair Spectrum

Hmmm, great logo, but I never did like the inlay template. Let's do this properly!

Jumping Jack came top of the original-incarnation games when I did an all-of-Imagine games poll in 2019 and that's the case here, 16 votes makes it the winner.

Alchemist is second, with 11 votes.

Third place goes to Zzoom - 9 votes.

Fourth place? It's definitely Stonkers, with 8 votes.

Arcadia is in fifth with 4 votes.

B.C. Bill; Cosmic Cruiser and Molar Maul all have 1 vote each, making them joint sixth.

If we hop back to the 2019 phpBB poll and strip out the Ocean-owned games, the results would read like this:

3 Jumping Jack
1 Alchemist
1 Arcadia
1 B.C. Bill
1 Shizoids
1 Stonkers
1 Zzoom

The proportional results of this new poll:

Jumping Jack 31
Zzoom 23
Alchemist 14
Stonkers 11
Arcadia 10
Cosmic Cruiser 4
B.C. Bill 3

And if we go back to 2019, take the proportional results but delete all the Ocean-owned games, we're left with this (admittedly mathematically flawed) conclusion:

7 Jumping Jack
3 Alchemist
3 Arcadia
3 Zzoom

Still, Jumping Jack is top in all cases. It can go and join Target Renegade in the VIP bar for a champagne celebration.

Spectrum Computing