comp.sys.sinclair FAQ

Magazines:
Several modern magazines are available online, each covering a variety of different topics and areas of interest. Some are 'archive' sites for original publications, while some are independently written:

• Andy's ZX Spectrum Pages
  Although not exclusively dedicated to any particular magazine (various other projects are featured), a complete archive of the cover-tapes supplied with Crash, Sinclair User and Your Sinclair has been established and made available to download. A small number of cassette-inlays are missing or can be improved - please contact Andrew Barker if you can help. Andrew is also closely involved with the MIA, STP and SDP projects.
  
  
• Alchemist News
  A long-running Sinclair magazine, published in .pdf format from issue 33 onwards (previous issues may be downloaded in .tap format for use with an emulator) by former PD House, Alchemist Research. Maintained by Andy Davis, a previous maintainer of this FAQ.
  
  
• Old-Computer-Mags - Updated
  David Tolley maintains a large archive of popular computing magazines from the 1980s. Several Sinclair-specific magazines are included, along with many multi-format publications. Each magazine is discussed in detail, with sample pages, cover images, 'extras', etc. described. Very well designed, and easy to navigate.
  
  
• Classix Fanzine
  A modern Sinclair magazine, published online by Alex Waddington.
  
  
• MicroHobby
  An online archive of the Spanish language Sinclair magazine, hosted by speccy.org.
  
  
• QL Today
  A modern Sinclair QL magazine published 6 times a year. A sample issue is available by mail. Subscriptions run to issue 6 of the year you join (i.e. rates are adjusted if your subscription starts after issue 1 is mailed).
  
  
• Your Sinclair - A Celebration
  Created by Chris Young, Phillip Lake and Matthew Garrett.
  
  

Games:
Many original Sinclair games have been remade for modern systems. In addition, there are a large number of 'fan' sites for particular game characters & series, playing tips, etc. Several companies still develop and sell original software, and others often have stock of used titles available. See the main FAQ page for details.

• ZX Software - Updated
  This site contains an enormous amount of information about the collection of software and other materials owned by Tony Barnett, who maintains this resource. Several thousand titles are listed, many with links to scans of the original cassette inlays, loading screen images, and a wealth of information related to the game or title shown. Where distribution is permitted, these titles can be downloaded directly. The site is fully searchable.
  
  In addition to this, several original documents are available online, including copies of the ZX Interface I and Microdrive manual, ZX Printer manual, etc. A brief description of several machines is given, with more to follow.
  
  There is a section dedicated to ZX81 software, with similar information to that offered for the ZX Spectrum titles listed.
  
  
• RZX Archive
  Contains a growing number of game snapshots that can be viewed with any emulator that supports the .rzx format. You can watch these games from beginning to end to pick up playing tips, to create maps, etc. Maintained by Daren Pearcy.
  
  
• Congraturations Archive
  An online archive of game-endings, playable in a variety of different emulators. You can now see the final moments of those games you were never previously able to complete. Maintained by Jamie Percival (aka 'Scribbler').
  
  
• Devilish Games
  A superb remake of Knight Lore, originally published by 'Ultimate Play The Game', has been released, and is available for download. Control keys can be re-defined, and POKEs can be entered directly from the main menu. English and Spanish language versions are included in the distribution package.
  
  
• Minion Soft
  'Atic Atac' has been remade for modern PC compatibles (DirectX 7a is required) At around 4Mb in size, it may take a little while to download if you have a slow connection. Graphically impressive, if a little fast, with atmospheric music. Other remakes are also available. Contact Minion Soft.
  
  
• Sandwell Remakes
  An updated version of Sabre Wulf, also originally published by 'Ultimate Play The Game', has been completed and released by Sandwell Software for systems running Microsoft Windows 9x, Me or 2000 - DirectX 7 is required. A remake of 'Highway Encounter' (Vortex) is in development, with several movie clips available to preview. Unfortunately the 'KL Project' (Knight Lore) has been temporarily suspended.
  
  
• Icemark
  Extremely well designed, with several different areas of interest. Chris Wild has developed versions of the 'Lords of Midnight' and 'Doomdark's Revenge' (both originally written by Mike Singleton and distributed by Beyond Software) for the PC. Full documentation is available for each.
  
  In addition to these, Chris maintains a repository of the data formats/specifications used in many of the most popular titles from the early 1980s; The Hobbit, Ant Attack, Manic Miner, Atic Atac, etc. which contains some extremely interesting information provided by several different individuals. Source code for some of the titles documented is available. Other items of interest include a large Sabre Wulf map, developer utilites and a 'Sabre Man' adventure story.
  
  
• FishyFish Maps
  Includes extremely high-quality maps (made from actual game screens) for several popular titles, including Sabre Wulf, Pyjamarama, JetSet Willy II, Knight Lore, etc. Maintained by FishyFish, author of the Professional Coat Getting Simulator remake for Microsoft Windows 9x systems (original by Russell Tayler), and the comp.sys.sinclair "tribute" version of Manic Miner.
  
  
• Ultimate-Wurlde
  Created and maintained by Rob Uttley, this large and very detailed site is dedicated to 'Ultimate Play The Game' (aka 'ACG'), one of the leading game developers during the 1980s. A complete index/softography is available, as are many rare company interviews, cassette inlay scans and screenshots from classic titles such as Sabre Wulf, Knight Lore, Atic Atac, Lunar Jetman, etc. Distribution of these titles is prohibited, so you will not find any software available for download from this site. Please respect the copyright holders request, and do not distribute these titles.
  
  

History & General interest:
These sites offer content that does not fit one of the above categories - they either focus on a particular theme, or cover a wide range of topics that will be of interest to users of all types:

• The Sinclair Story - Pending
  The full text of "The Sinclair Story" is being made available online, courtesy of Chris Millard, with the permission of Rodney Dale (the original author). This site is currently in development, and is not yet available.
  
  
• Classic 8-Bit Computers
  A very large site with a wealth of user manuals, technical guides and general documentation for a wide variety of machines and peripherals, most of which can be downloaded in either .pdf, .txt or .html format. Also contains copies of many FAQ documents. Maintained by Pete Robinson.
  
  
• ZX Specticle - Updated
  This site is extremely well presented, and includes a wealth of interesting information. Several interviews with industry figures are provided (Jonathan Smith, Mike Follin, etc.) and a very good emulators is provided, as are details of many current remakes. ZX Specticle is maintained by Darren McCowan.
  
  
• RetroSpec
  One of the largest collection of remade games from the 1980s. Development of many classic games is complete, and development status of titles in progress is provided. Well designed and easy to navigate. The remakes are of very high quality.
  
  
• Sinclair Memorabilia
  The International Vintage Electronics Museum, located in Hove (UK) and operated by Enrico Tedeschi contains a very large Sinclair Memorabilia section, with details of every Sinclair product ever made listed in chronological order, many with photographs. Several items in the museum are original prototypes donated by Sir Clive Sinclair himself.
  
  Enrico is also the author of Sinclair Archeology, a reference book which traces Sinclair through history and includes dozens of original advertisements not available elsewhere. Every single Sinclair product ever made is illustrated, and technical details or assembly instructions for many are reproduced.
  
  
• The Timex/Sinclair Showcase - Updated
  This site includes an extensive links section, and provides details of many original Timex/Sinclair systems distributed (primarily) in the US and Portugal, various peripherals and unofficial 'clones' available.
  
  Recently updated to include details of many Timex magazines, user group newsletters and Timex software. Several of the items listed include sample scans and are not documented anywhere else. Cover images are provided for virtually all of the official Timex software titles released. Maintained by Jack Boatwright, who also hosts a mirror of this FAQ.
  
  
• Timex/Sinclair Information Page
  A large reference site for the Timex/Sinclair range of computers released in the US. Includes details of many popular peripherals. See the newsgroups page for more information about the Timex TS2068 Mailing List, which is archived at this site.
  
  
• Timex Computer World - Updated
  One of the largest and most comprehensive Timex-oriented sites available, with details of virtually every system developed, particularly Timex (Portugal). Large, high-quality photographs of each system are provided, as are comprehensive software lists and technical specifications. Several prototype models are described in detail, as are numerous 'clones'. Many original Timex software titles are available to download, along with cover images and instructions. Maintained by Johnny Red. Available in Portugese and English languages.
  
  
• Demotopia
  Contains a very large number of Demos and Music files that show what can be accomplished using the modest hardware available on the ZX Spectrum. A current Demo parties calendar is maintained, with many entries from those previously completed being available to download.
  
  
• LensKey v1.0
  Created by Simon Owen. This is a tiny emulator of the LensLok hardware device used briefly as a form of copyright protection for titles such as Elite, Tomahawk, etc. during the mid 1980s
  
  
• Lil Old Sinclair Computer Technical Information Repository - Updated
  Contains HTML and downloadable versions of the ZX Spectrum 48K Service Manuals, component diagrams for various machines (including the ZX81, 128K ZX Spectrum, etc.) Maintained by Dan Crow, this site also contains contact information for those in need of spare parts or repair services.
  
  
• Sinclair QL Home Page
  One of the largest and most popular QL-related sites. Provides a lot of information about current QL software and Hardware developments, details of the various different ROM versions available and a history of the QL and a list of available software for use on a real QL or via one of several emulators. This site contains a very comprehensive list of QL links.
  
  
• SpecChums
  Maintained by Daren Pearcy, this site is home to the comp.sys.sinclair 'rogues gallery' - where newsgroup regulars can post their photographs and provide a short 'bio'.
  
  
• Speccy Intro
  John Garner has a large site with many sections covering his Sinclair interests. A lot of technical information is available, including details of various mice, Joystick interfaces, etc. A very comprehensive links to further reference information is included.
  
  
• The Type Fantastic (TTFn)
  Maintained by Jim Grimwood, this site is an index and (growing) archive of the nearly 3000 type-in and reader-submitted programs from the popular computing magazines of the 1980s.
  
  
• ZX-Team
  Maintained by Peter Liebert-Adelt, this is one of the largest and most active ZX80 and ZX81 (plus several other variants) sites available. Details of ongoing hardware projects are provided, and many original user guides and manuals have been reproduced. The ZX-Team Magazine is one of the longest-running, with many back-issues having been archived online. The site is available in both English and German languages. See the User Groups section of this FAQ for more information.
  
  

Development Projects:
The Sinclair development community is very active, with many upgraded and expanded versions of the original software and firmware having been produced. Full ROM disassemblies have been produced, allowing you to creative control of how your original hardware or emulator behaves. The following represtents a small selection of completed or ongoing development projects - you will find details of many more related projects by following links from these sites:

• +3e ROM v1.11
  Garry Lancaster has developed a replacement ROM for use with the ZX Spectrum +3 or (black) ZX Spectrum +2a. Many enhancements are included, including BASIC extensions for managing hard disks, support for partition sizes of up to 16Mb (via a suitable IDE Interface - diagrams are available to download), direct access to .z80 snapshot files, and an improved editor. The ROMs can be dowloaded for use with many common emulators or purchased as ready-made replacements for your original ROMs. Both the ROM and site are available in English and Spanish.
  
  
• SE Basic v0.80a
  The aim of the SE Basic Project is to create a universal Open Source update to Sinclair Basic to fix the bugs, improve the editor, and resolve hardware conflicts between various versions of the ZX Spectrum, while maintaining compatibility with the majority of Spectrum software and allowing for platform independence.
  
  
• SEA Change ROM
  An adaptation of the original ZX Spectrum ROM, this version offers many enhancements and bug-fixes. Also available at this site are complete assembly listings (with very detailed comments) for many original Sinclair ROM files. The SEA Change ROM was written by Geoff Wearmouth.
  
  
• ZXVGS Operating System v0.31 - Updated
  Designed and developed by Jarek Adamski, this replacement Operating System offers a large number of enhancements over the Sinclair original. Visit the ZXVGS pages of his site, available in Polish and English languages, for more information.
  
  

Hardware Projects:
Many people still produce hardware expansions and countless more describe the various modifications that can be performed on original Sinclair hardware (at your own risk!) Please see the following sites for details of these projects:

• Peters Plus (Sprinter)
  The Sprinter is a modern system, built around the Zilog Z84C15 CPU and the Altera PLD. The design allows for multiple systems to be simulated, including the ZX Spectrum. Several different system configurations can be enabled directly, with user-defined configurations also being available if required.
  
  The Sprinter is available as a complete system with case, etc. or as a board that can be fitted to your own case. For a full review of the Sprinter, and an interview with the designers, please read the second issue of ZXF magazine. Several forums, introductory, FAQ and reference documents are available from the Peters Plus web site.
  
  
• ZX Spectrum SE
  Based on a design by Andrew Owen, this is a full replacement for the original ZX Spectrum, initially designed around Timex TC2048 hardware, and fully compatible with the ZXVGS Operating System. ResiDOS, by Garry Lancaster can also be used - future versions of this system will support this natively. Although based on the Timex TC2048, any Spectrum hardware can be adapted to a ZX Spectrum SE - contact Jarek Adamski for details.