You really need to know who to blame! Here is our panel of games reviewers – all kids (at heart)
Perifractic aka CHRISTIAN SIMPSON is a husband (to Ladyfractic), father of 3 (furbabies), and actor-writer with a problematic love of retrocomputing. So problematic in fact that the only way to quench that thirst was to start a You Tube channel called “Perifractic’s Retro Recipes” so he could play with those beautiful vintage machines every day (usually the C64 of course — where his favourite game is Ghostbusters mwahahah!). He’s been
Still gaming in his (very late) 40s and hubby to equally mad gamer Shelly and their massive consoles collection, former staff writer ROBIN HOGG flew the Newsfield nest for rather different climates and is now breaking bits of planes for a living, which is ironic as he did much the same flying his beloved flight simulators at ZZAP! Towers. Halcyon days, he says with no hint of rose tint on his glasses (just don’t mention Operation
A ZZAP! 64 reader since Issue 4, PAUL MORRISON unsuccessfully applied for a reviewer’s job at the mag when just 17. Proving that dreams can come true, Paul is finally an official ZZAP! staffer, but can be found writing about 8-bit games in various other places, too. A gamer since the 1970s, and briefly the MAME World Record holder on Yie Ar Kung-Fu, when he’s not welded to his keyboard for writing purposes, Paul enjoys nothing
It was a warm weekend morning sometime in March 1984 when two parents gave their son a Commodore 64 and had no idea what they would unleash. More than thirty five years later, MAT ALLEN is a notable member of the Commodore community and scene under the handle ‘Mayhem’, part of the GameBase64 preservation project, with arguably the most complete Commodore cartridge collection known. He has contributed to ZZAP! 64 during
CHRIS WILKINS has been around in retro circles for some time — first dabbling in retro events, then retro magazines, and then retro books with none other than the editor of this very ‘issue’ of ZZAP! 64. He has now settled into producing yearly publications of yesteryear Newsfield magazines that are aptly called Annuals. He got his first 8-bit computer back in 1982 after nagging his parents for an arcade experience in the bedroom — he had to wait a good few years before that actually
ANDREW FISHER — The writer behind Professor Brian Strain’s technical column in the pages of Commodore Force (incorporating ZZAP! 64), Andrew worked on fanzines and diskmags (including the long-running Scene World) through the 1990s and 2000s before becoming a regular in the pages of Retro Gamer. His retro gaming collection grew over the years, but the C64 remains his first love. In recent years he has composed making retro music since before it was retro, and you may even recognise him from small roles in big movie franchises, though he says nothing was as exciting as being part of the ZZAP! 64 team. As a writer and original ZZAP! subscriber we know he’ll be right at home here at ZZAP! Towers. http://perifractic.com
Thunderbolt). Favourite games? Armalyte as he is a massive Gradius fan, and Project: Stealth Fighter which happens to be his all time favourite C64 game. On a final note (guilty conscience?), Robin would like to refer readers to the title of his tips section of old if they found any tips and pokes didn’t quite work as planned. Excuses, excuses. more than chatting with like-minded folks and assuring them that Paradroid is, indeed, the best game ever. Outside gaming, when he isn’t dealing with a moody teenager or helping his youngest son with yet another maths problem, he can often be found sobbing into his Newcastle United scarf or insisting that 1980s rock music is still miles better than all that modern rubbish. both its original era and the two fan-made magazines, together with several other Commodore related publications, and once again brings his own brand of insight, wit, experience and judgement to the table in assessing some of today’s popular releases.
Be afraid, be very afraid...
happened. These days Chris plays on the current gen systems but finds himself collecting all the systems he wished he’d had as a kid. There is always the next purchase — there is still so much to collect. (I have a very understanding wife!) music for new C64 titles, acted as a game tester and curated a website dedicated to SEUCK. In 2008 he published his first book dedicated to C64 games and has contributed to several retro books since (as writer & proofreader). He is delighted to be involved in the ZZAP! Annuals and the relaunch of the mag.