Essential Sites

The following sites are among the commonly referenced by members of the comp.sys.sinclair newsgroup. It it not a comprehensive list of Sinclair-related sites (see the links page for more) If there is a site you feel should be included here, please contact us and we'll try to include it with the next update.

Archives:
Almost all known Spectrum software is available online from several large archive sites. There are still thousands of 'lost' or incomplete titles, however - please check the STP Spectrum Tape Preservation), SDP (Spectrum Disk Preservation), Spectrum Instructions Project and MIA (Missing in Action) pages to see if you can help recover these. Many more software sites are listed on the links page.

  • World of Spectrum
    Maintained by Martijn van der Heide, the World of Spectrum was established in 1995 quickly became the premier site for the general Sinclair community. WoS contains more Spectrum software than any other site, and has a strict policy of distributing only those titles that are legally distributable. An enormous amount of technical information, documentation, inlay scans, game maps, and virtually every emulator ever released can be found at WoS. Recently, several Web Forums have been added and are very active. WoS is affiliated with many other 'key' sites, and is host to many current software preservation and Spectrum development projects. See the FTP Sites page for a list of current WoS mirrors.

  • The .TZX Vault
    Maintained by Steve Brown. Aims to preserve as much original Spectrum (and Amstrad CPC, Commodore 64 & VIC-20) software as possible as original tape or disk images (see .tzx and .dsk for specifications) These files can be used to re-create the original software on tape or disk for use on real machines, or one of the many emulators that support these formats. An FTP mirror of the .TZX Vault is maintained by Daren Pearcy.

  • SPA2
    With similar goals as the TZX Vault (see below), the Spanish Spectrum Archive aims to make every Spectrum program released in Spain available online as a perfect tape/disk image. Titles are listed with any instructions and inlay cards available, and can be viewed by year of release, publisher, genre or title. Available in English and Spanish Languages.

Magazines:
The following sites are dedicated to providing an online archive of the most popular Sinclair-related magazines from the 1980s and early 1990s. With the exception of ZXF, modern Sinclair magazines are listed on the links page.

  • Crash: The Online Edition
    Maintained by Matthew Wilson, this site is an online archive of CRASH, the popular ZX Spectrum magaine published between 1984 and 1992. A large number of issues are indexed, and many articles, reviews and editorials are available. A full set of all Crash issues can be ordered on 5 CDs at very reasonable cost from Mort, or viewed online at the World of Spectrum (above).

  • Your Sinclair Rock 'n' Roll Years
    A very large site with a complete index of articles, many reviews, photos and scans of all the covers for Your Sinclair Magazine. A Flash and Java capable browser is recommended for this site. Maintained by Nick Humphries.

  • Sinclair User
    An unofficial archive of Sinclair User magazine, which covered all Sinclair systems from the ZX80 to the QL throughout its 133 issue lifetime. Includes cover scans and a complete index of articles. Maintained by Dave Foreman.

  • Your Spectrum Unofficial Archive
    An online archive of Your Spectrum magazine, which became Your Sinclair in later issues. This site is very complete - every issue is indexed and has a full contents listing. Many articles are reproduced, as are the 'QL User' supplements. Maintained by Jim Grimwood. See the Sinclair history & General interest section of this FAQ for details of other sites he maintains.

  • ZXF
    A modern Sinclair magazine, published in .pdf format by Colin Woodcock. Very well written, and contains sections covering emulation, remakes, upgrades, etc. Also includes a letters page, interviews, current news sections, etc. versions suitable for printing (A5 size) and viewing online are available. Previous issues (the current issue is #4) are also available to download.

    An alternative link is available which can be bookmarked in order to avoid the popup windows that open using the above shortcut. A range of ZXF merchandise is also available.

Miscellaneous:
These sites either cover a wide range of interests, or focus on a particular theme. All are very well maintained, with well researched and comprehensive information available. There are many links from these sites to others that may be of interest to you.

  • Speccy.org
    Speecy.org is a very large, well-presented, "portal" site, with several different discussion areas, covering; Emulators, Hardware, Software, etc. Spanish Language.

  • Planet Sinclair III
    Maintained by Chris Owen, Planet Sinclair III is one of the largest Sinclair-related sites in the World. Virtually every Sinclair product ever produced is documented in great detail, many with photographs. A very complete history of Sinclair Research is given, with several chapters from 'The Sinclair Story' by Rodney Dale and 'Sinclair and the Sunrise Technology' by Ian Adamson and Richard Kennedy are reproduced, as well as popular Magazine and Newspaper articles. A large section of the site is devoted to non-Sinclair products, including the official Timex models, and many unofficial 'clones'.

  • RaWW
    RaWW.org is a large site with many different sections. Primarily oriented towards the current demo scene, with an emphasis on keeping users informed on the development status of many ongoing projects (both hardware and software). A very comprehensive links section is included, as is a list of demo parties and current emulator version numbers. The site has been recently redesigned, and is very actively maintained.

  • The Tipshop
    A tips and 'cheats' database with over 7000 entries for almost 2500 games, maintained by Nick Humphries and Gerard Sweeney. The Tipshop also contains maps for several titles, and links to the original reviews for many games.

  • The ZX Spectrum Golden Years
    This very large site, maintained by Russell Tayler, provides a fascinating documentary history of the rise-and-fall of Sinclar Research during their 'Golden Years' - 1981 to 1986. The most popular games, magazines and 'headline' events from these years are documented and illustrated. An extensive list of game reviews and summaries for this period is also provided, with screenshots of the most popular titles. All of this is accompanied by a very informative 'condensed history' of Sir Clive Sinclair, his products and accomplishments from the Sinclair Radionics days of the early 1960s.

  • Spectrum Hardware Page - Updated
    Maintained by Paul Jenkinson, this site is the definitive reference for all known peripherals, expansions and add-on devices released for the ZX Spectrum. Almost 500 items are listed with complete details and links to original reviews, magazine features or additional information where this is available online. In addition, a large number of articles have been reproduced for some of the items featured - in many cases these are not documented anywhere else.

    An entire section of the site is devoted to 'The PiMan', the main character from many games produced by Automata during the early years of the ZX Spectrum. Automata often released bonus music tracks with their titles, many of which can be downloaded from the site, as can original advertisements and cartoon scans.