Wednesday, March 7, 2012

Swiftly grab a Sinclair ZX Spectrum +2

I'm afraid you'll have to hurry with this one, as, at the time of posting, there are only five hours left till this hefty ZX Spectrum +2 auction ends. You'll be getting a fully working and Amstrad manufactured ZX Spectrum +2 complete with all the necessary bits and manual, but also an amazing 100+ original games. Among said games, you can find dozens of classics including such personal favourites as HeroQuest, The Great Escape, Rick Dangerous 2, Football Manager, Night Shift (!), Batman, Dizzy and Trap Door. Seller ships only within the UK.

4 comments:

  1. That was my first Speccy!

    Ah, now I feel I have to make a slight correction here, O mighty Gnome. That particular model is actually the ZX Spectrum +2A. Granted the badge only says +2 (you can thank Amstrad's cost-saving measures for that), but for all intents and and purposes, the +2A is actually a disk-based +3, housed in a black +2 casing, complete with built in cassette recorder.

    Through the simple addition of a floppy disk drive through the expansion port on the back of the computer would in effect, turn the +2A into a +3. Indeed, the Loader menu would change from ZX Spectrum +2A to ZX Spectrum +3.

    Actually, the +2A with a disc drive was probably a better option for many Speccy owners than a +3, as it meant you weren't limited to Amstrad's obscure 3" discs, and could use the much more widely available 3.25 or 5.25" floppy discs instead, depending on your particular disc drive. You could even run CPM on it, bringing a whole new world of software to the humble Speccy.

    Anyway, the +2A is a great model. Yeah, it's not as classic a design as the Sinclair-built Spectrums, but it's a fine machine nevertheless, with a proper, full travel keyboard, two joystick ports, an RS232 port for use with a Light Gun, and an expansion port for Kempston interfaces, etc. If you're looking for a decent joystick, you could do worse than track down a Cruiser, which came with a dedicated Sinclair lead for use with the Amstrad Spectrums.

    Oh, and get an RGB to Scart lead off eBay to enjoy much better quality pictures than the RF modulator allows for.

    http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Sinclair-ZX-Spectrum-3-HQ-RGB-Gold-Plated-Scart-Lead-/260830045368?pt=UK_Video_Games_Cables_and_Adaptors&hash=item3cbaaea4b8#ht_3169wt_1398

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  2. I stand in awe and thank (again) you dear Bob. Invaluable info, especially considering I haven't ever touched any of Amstrad's Speccies.

    Cheers!

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  3. Always a pleasure, O Mighty Gnome. Happy to oblige.

    Cheers.

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  4. When I get rich I'll have you hired as a special retro gaming consultant, you know :)

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