The Story of the Sinclair ZX Spectrum in Pixels: Volume Three – Review.

The Story of the Sinclair ZX Spectrum in Pixels: Volume Three is the last in a series of books based on the famous ZX Spectrum and the only one not funded through Kickstarter, having previously reviewed Volume One and Two we had to complete the set. If you have read those previous reviews you will know that we are huge fans, in fact we are huge fans of Chris Wilkins and his books he creates, so whats Volume Three all about I hear you ask?

Well, my first impressions are as usual, wow, a striking green cover with the ever-present Spectrum rainbow splash across it has been chosen this time, again its embossed with the word Sinclair and has the high gloss look to it. The paper and print quality are as you would expect from Fusion Retro Books, the screenshots are sharp and colourful

The content follows the same tried and tested formula of the previous volumes, first up is a fantastic article about software Compilations by Graeme Mason, I’m sure many of you have your favourite compilations, there was many but what made them special to me was the spectacular cover/box art and its great to see such an in-depth start to a book. Next up is a section on peripherals for the Spectrum before we jump straight into the games section.

The layout is again spread across two pages, within each of these spreads you get a summary of the game and screenshots of in-game graphics and loading screens. 80 odd games are covered in total, this time games like Action Biker, Yie Ar Kung Fu and Xevious get the in Pixels treatment from Fusion Retro. Also keeping in theme with the previous volumes are some Spectrum related adverts randomly placed throughout the book, these are fantastic in their own right and add a welcome break.

Lastly you are treated to more interviews, 11 in total from programmers, artists and musicians all giving their personal views on the Spectrum and how it helped launch their careers into gaming including Stuart Middleton (Commando) and Malcolm Evans (Trashman). 

Overall this is a fitting final book in the series, Chris and the team set about celebrating a computer that a lot of people hold dear memories of and this volume like the others did it proud. Another highly recommended tome from Fusion Retro Books.

zapiy

Retro head and key holder of RVG.