Spy Hunter

A REALLY MEMORABLE ENCOUNTER

» ZX SPECTRUM » 1985 » US GOLD

It’s funny what pops up in your head and how your synapses work together to pull out memories you’d long since forgotten about.

A Facebook post showed up in my feed the other day, and it was from an old school friend who was suffering from a rare illness and had decided to start blogging about it, so that others would have a better understanding of what he was going through. My first thought was a sad one; I vividly thought about his wife and young family, and the challenges they must now be facing – my second was Spy Hunter on the ZX Spectrum. That’s quite a leap, so let me paint you a picture with my memory brush.

When I attended Alderney Middle School, my friend Richard used to live in the road directly across from it. Because of this fortuitous location he would often go home at lunchtimes and a couple of friends (myself included) would tag along with him. Several of my friends had Spectrums and Richard was no different. I discovered many fantastic games on those lunch excursions, including Jet Set Willy, Sabre Wulf and US Gold’s conversion of Spy Hunter.

I loved Spy Hunter in the arcades, and the Spectrum version did a surprisingly good job of capturing the thrills and spills of the original machine. When Richard first got the game, he proudly told us how good it was, and there was no reason to not believe him (he had great taste in games, after all). His excitement for Spy Hunter was immense and it was further amplified by the excellent loading screen shown here that we all watched as we waited for the game to load. For me, that opening image casting a glow over our expectant faces is a perfect example of how a loading screen could whet your appetite for the main event, and it perfectly captured the carnage that the Spectrum port offered and Richard was promising us.

When I was finally able to take my turn, it quickly become obvious that Richard had purchased another corker, and seeing the vindicated expression on his face was just as satisfying as playing the game. Stay safe Richard, stay well and thanks for that lovely memory.

You can read more about Richard’s journey here: bit.ly/richtstory.