Spectrum Computing

Right then, later than usual, but here we go...

Pac-Land by Grandslam


Pac-Mania by Grandslam


Painter by A 'n' F Software


Panama Joe by Sinclair Research


Pang by Ocean


Panic by Mikro-Gen


Panic Dizzy by Code Masters


Panzadrome by Ariolasoft


Paperboy by Elite


Paris-Dakar by Zigurat Software


Penetrator by Melbourne House


Pentagram by Ultimate


Peter Pack Rat by Silverbird


Perico Delgado Maillot Amarillo by Topo Soft


Percy The Potty Pigeon by Gremlin


Peter Beardsley's International Football by Grandslam


Phantis by Dinamic Software


Phantomas by Dinamic Software


Phantomas 2 by Dinamic Software


Phantom Club by Ocean


Pheenix by Megadodo Software


Pinball by Sagittarian Software


Ping Pong by Imagine


Pipe Mania by Empire


Pippo by Mastertronic


Pitfall II: Lost Caverns by Activision


Planets, The by Martech


Platoon by Ocean


Plotting by Ocean


Pogo by Ocean


Pool by CDS Microsystems


Popeye by DK'Tronics


Power Drift by Activision


Project-X: The Microman by Compass Software


Pssst by Ultimate


Psycho City by Players


Psycho Pigs UXB by US Gold


Psytron by Beyond


Pud Pud by Ocean


Punchy by Mr Micro


Puzznic by Ocean


Pyjamarama by Mikro-Gen


Pyracurse by Hewson


Pyramid, The by Fantasy Software

Pyjamarama for me. Defined a genre and make Mikro-Gen a big company. The mix of adventure and arcade, the well-defined objects and rooms, ... definitely a classic.

Gah, another tricky one. Puzznic, Plotting and Pang are all great games but the Speccy doesn't have the best conversions of them. Which leaves me torn between The Pyramid (which I loved) and Popeye (which still seems impossible). So I'm going to have to go with Popeye, because it still amazes me that it could be accomplished at all on the humble Speccy (and is a fun, if tricky game too).

Oof big list.

For me Paperboy, Pyjamarama are the best of the more polished games, but I enjoy/ed Penetrator, Pippo, Pyramid more, and they have plenty of rough edges.

Speccy Pang is alright, but I got to know the great Amiga version so well that I don't think I can vote for that here.

Went for Popeye. Always impressed the hell out of me and was one of the few games I managed to complete.

Damn, a good spread in this one, tough choice.
I was gonna go for Pyjamarama, but Popeye has stood the test of time more for playability i think. Its a game i can go back to and play over and over whereas Pyjamarama was a bit of a chore to complete and its not a game i ever went back to. Played it to death on release though, till it was well and truly figured out, and is truly a classic.... but Popeye is just sooooo playable.

Popeye it is. I can still play and enjoy this one today!

Voted for Ping Pong.

Maybe we here bigger classics like Pyjamarama or Pssst but I suppose Ping Pong gave me most fun ot of it.

Maybe it's technically nothing special but...

The tune at the beginning is great. Later good multichannel beeper tunes became a standard but when Ping Pong was released it was a kind of shock that Spectrum is capable of such effects.

And the game is incredibly playable. The difficulty is allright. It starts quite slowly on first level and becomes intensely crazy yet possible on the later ones.

I also like the cheering crowd effect.
Try it out if you forgot how it feels.

1. Panzadrome
2. Pssst
3. Pippo
4. Project-X
5. Pitfall II

I have a sneaking feeling that Popeye will be the unexpected victor here. As hitm4n notes, it remains genuinely playable, if a little clunky -- and it looks as visually impressive to me today as it did back then. It was one of those rare games that I liked to show off to my C64-owning chums, to 'prove' how good Spectrum graphics could be. Man, if only Bifrost/Nirvana existed back then!

For me it had to be Ping Pong! Superb intro music, nice applause sound effect and a brilliant game to boot. Still play this game today.

Other notables would be The Pyramid, as it was one of the first games I played on the speccy and Pippo as it's a brilliant budget game.

I was just thinking as well that there are some great loading screens in this list.

Am surprised how highly rated Popeye is. I thought it was OKish but for me there are lots in the queue before it.

Possibly the most difficult decision so far - a number of games that I loved playing, particularly Pyjamarama, Ping Pong, Pyramid, Pssst, and (probably the best Speccy rendition of) Pinball. Also, I seem to be remembering other games not listed post-poll that I quite liked, like Project Future.

My douze points goes to Penetrator. For me its only weak point is the 'prod P to fire' key orientation, but I've never found the game too tough so I can overlook that.

We all know how its authors wowed us with The Hobbit, the remarkably innovative way the game was structured released in those very early days and acting as a benchmark for other games in the genre. I think the Mitchell/Pegler inventiveness is shown in taking a reasonably-standard-but-nice-to-play scramble game, and adding a few small but interesting features to lift it up a notch:

- a short but nice 'attract mode'
- training mode/allowing the player to choose their level
- fireworks
- the danger level, linked to the radars and affecting the behaviour of the missiles
- leaving the author's landscape editor within the program so you could design your own levels

I thought the last of these was a great idea back then, being able to design levels and get your mates to play them.

I remember playing Ping Pong back in the day and although I don't remember much about how it was played, I did really enjoy it. I just tried it again just now and it seems to be totally unplayable. Shame really, but I wouldn't have voted for it as another game on the list was and still is bloody brilliant.

I have a soft spot for Project Future and would probably have voted for it if it was there.

Morkin wrote: ↑Wed Jul 25, 2018 5:18 pm
- fireworks

Yes, a very nice feature!

Went for Pyjamarama in the end. Like Everyone's a Wally it's one of those Speccy defining games that is so crammed full of character that it doesn't need to worry about colour clash.

Yeah, it's a fair winner (supposing no one will vote any contender in the last minute!)

Juan F. Ramirez wrote: ↑Thu Jul 26, 2018 6:48 am

Morkin wrote: ↑Wed Jul 25, 2018 5:18 pm
- fireworks

Yes, a very nice feature!

Especially the way the last few suddenly sped up because it took less processing time

Well, there you go. Pjyamarama wins - narrowly - with 7 votes.

Hot on its tail, Popeye, with 6 votes.

Ping Pong is third (5 votes) and Penetrator is fourth (3 votes).

Pac-Mania, Panzadrome and Paperboy are joint fifth.

Then yer also-rans with 1 vote each: Painter; Pang; Perico Delgado Maillot Amarillo; Pippo; Pitfall II; Platoon; Pssst; Puzznic and Pyracurse.

Oh, and something else to address - I haven't been here for well over a week. Well, I've been freelancing for much of the past year and also have been hunting for a permanent job. I started last week. It's all to do with technology, nothing Spectrum-related unless you count the tape-based storage; IBM Spectrum Storage and the fact I drive past Kempston to get there. I'll be instigating these polls around 11am on Sundays because my work life is focused and can't really pop onto this forum during the 9-to-5. Also last week, a death in the family, which a lot of my time is spent dealing with.

Will be starting the O discussion on Sunday, then.

There are no howlers in this list but I'm glad one of the Wally Week games got a top spot.

Ta for the update Prodge, and for continuing with these polls when there's clearly a lot of other stuff going on.

Bloody hell, well over halfway, time flies

Lets not do O again. May i suggest Q instead

Lots and lots of Q games.

hitm4n wrote: ↑Fri Aug 10, 2018 8:58 pm Lets not do O again. May i suggest Q instead

Aaaargh! My bad, as the Americans say.