The Story of the ZX Spectrum in Pixels Volume 3 by Chris Wilkins – review

As I have stated in previous reviews for this particular series of books, us Spectrum fans have never had it so good. What with the world and his dog all falling over themselves to produce new hardware, ‘recreated’ hardware and new software for our ageing micro, it is almost like being back in the 80s. Feeding off this nostalgia gold rush there has also been a sudden upsurge in the amount of print featuring our dear old friend, some of which has been much better than others. Chris Wilkin’s previous two offerings firmly fall into the ‘much better’ category with ‘The ZX Spectrum in Pixels Vol. 1‘ and ‘The ZX ‘Spectrum in Pixels Vol. 2‘ getting full scores in my previous reviews.

Now endowed with a green cover, ZX Spectrum in Pixels Volume 3 has now completed the trilogy and it is time to see if the series can pull off a hat-trick of perfect scores…

Inside Volume 3

The third volume follows the tried and tested format of the previous books, with a great article by Graeme Mason that covers ZX Spectrum software compilations in some depth, followed by a short feature on the various peripherals that made the Speccy such a versatile machine to own. The book also features an intriguing article with regards to music on the Spectrum, something that is often overlooked by those who have had no exposure to its underrated AY chip and only remember its awful beeper.

The usual double page spreads of in-game graphics, loading screens and inlay artwork for over 80 games follow, along with a short synopsis of each game in question giving details of gameplay and a little of the history behind each title. Another motley bunch of software titles are featured with many of the Spectrum’s later offerings on show, such as Turrican (1990), Night Shift (1991), Addams Family (1992) and the last ever licensed game ever released for the ZX Spectrum – Dalek Attack (1992) bringing up the rear.

Nine more fascinating memoirs from the likes of Malcolm Evans (New Generation Software), Brian Beuken (Imagine) and Ian Andrew (Incentive) wrap up another information-laden publication. The book is also sprinkled throughout with Spectrum related adverts which helps keep the nostalgia juices flowing.

As with the other books in the series, print quality is good for a publication of this kind with the double-page games graphics looking particularly crisp and colourful.

In summary

The third Spectrum in Pixels book picks up where Volume 2 left off and is certainly no disappointment. It is a great finale to this particular series featuring the computer that defined a good chunk of my own childhood. The only gripe I have is that there isn’t a fourth volume in the pipeline.