ZZap! 64 Annual 2020 – Review.

The ZZap! 64 Annual 2020 is based on a gaming magazine of the same name that was published here in the UK between 1985 – 1992. It was the magazine of choice for C64 owners not only for its frank and honest reviews but also because of the humour people like Gary Penn and Julian Rignall put into their writing.

Following on from the success of ZZap! 64 Annual 2019, Fusion Retro Books decided to produce another annual, and wow they have hit bullseye yet again. Roger Kean has once more agreed to take the helm as the editor and Oliver Frey, again overseeing the graphical style as well as creating a brand new cover in the style of the early issues of ZZap magazine.

The annual is only available in hardback form and it’s packed with 120 pages of essentially brand new games for the C64. But let’s focus on the glorious cover art for a second, you can see this to the right, I am sure you will agree it looks absolutely stunning, I could look at it for ages, the level of detail for a book cover is something to behold.

All of the reviews are written by the same team of individuals from the 2019 annual – a mix of well-known names from ZZap back in the day Robin Hogg, Julian Rignall, and many known C64 journalists from the busy Commodore 64 retro scene Mat Allen, Paul Morrison, Andrew Fisher.

Features included in this annual include an in-depth chat with Andrew Braybrook of Uridium and Paradroid fame. An in-depth look at the ups and downs of one of the most famous and most loved Software Houses from back in the day – ULTIMATE PLAY THE GAME.

Overall there 26 games reviewed, these are in-depth reviews though, spread across multiple pages, three of these games got awarded the famous Sizzler award but I will not spoil your enjoyment by revealing them here.

If you’d like to get hold of your own copy (and if you like the C64 then you really should) you can buy the annual directly from the Fusion Retro Books website for £15.

Review Score
  • 8/10
    RVG Rating - 8/10
8/10

Summary

Yet another great annual from Chris and his team at Fusion Retro Books.

zapiy

Retro head and key holder of RVG.