You're NOT fired: The story of Amstrad's amazing CPC 464

[TL]

30 years ago, a budget micro shocked a nation - with how good it was

It was a home computer that embodied so many contradictions. It was launched months after the British microcomputer boom of the early 1980s had peaked. It was a rush job: the machine that was revealed to the press in the Spring of 1984 hadn't even existed nine months previously. It was one of the best-produced British micros of its era, yet it came from a company then known only for dirt-cheap hi-fi products. It shipped when its manufacturer said it would.

The invite to the launch, which took place at 11.30am on Thursday, 12 April 1984 at the Westminster School, London, teased attendees by promising they would get to meet Einstein, Archimedes, William Shakespeare, Monet and Ravel. In fact, it was the Amstrad CPC 464 - "CPC" for "Colour Personal Computer" - to which they were introduced.

Read the full article at The Register

[WiggyDiggyPoo]

Fascinating and thanks for the link.

CPC464 was my first computer which I got in 1987, colour as well (thanks mum/dad!)

He won't thank me for it but this is my younger brother playing it at Christmas:



I used the computer daily for about 5-6 years, progressing from games to simple programming - one of my first and only was a kind of snake game of the type that became popular on Nokias years later.

Some of my favourite games:

Grand Prix Simulator

Couldn't find a decent vid, so here's just the excellent theme music!
https://youtu.be/0jKyFeVDfH4

Dynamite Dan

Featuring some of the strangest enemies I have ever encountered, I never got beyond running around rooms before eventually (usually!) drowning in the river at the bottom of the levels.

https://youtu.be/CkXiaTO53tA

Rolling Thunder

Probably considered a poor version but at the time, I loved it!

https://youtu.be/2-zHo5MLtuQ

Friday 13th

This came on a compilation tape, no instructions and I spent hours wandering around enjoying the different music in different areas until eventually the guy in black killed me.

https://youtu.be/XqWapCbY4xA

The computer itself is long gone, although in a recent rummage I did find my original Robocop, another compilation tape with a few games on and a very battered looking Cheetah 125+ joystick.

Happy days 

[TL]

Great story their Wiggy!  

I had Friday 13th on the Spectrum and loved it, even though the graphics on it were terrible!