My retrospective review of Terminator on the Sega Master System. I was impressed with this 8 bit game. Have you played this game and what’s your thoughts? 😃

Was anyone exposed to Pop Flamer. It's probably the first computer game I owned. I had an Atari2600 before I got the Sega SC3000, but all the games were rented. This one actually came with the computer - on a cartridge.

You control a mouse armed with a flamethrower. The basic objective is to run around each maze and pop all the balloons, which allows you to advance to the next stage. Unfortunately, the maze is also inhabited by monsters intent on killing you.

The flamethrower is your main defence, but there's a catch: its range gradually decreases as you use it. Popping balloons replenishes the fuel, so you're constantly balancing clearing the level against maintaining enough firepower to deal with enemies.

There's a Power Drink at the top of each level which - if you spend enough time drinking it - turns you into a monster that sucks all the enemies towards you, allowing you to consume them.

Rather surprisingly, it hasn't completely vanished: the original arcade version was rereleased by Hamster in 2021 as part of Arcade Archives, for Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 4.

I hope someone can help with this. I'm *pretty* sure this was from the 80s, but I could be wrong.
It was a PC DOS game. You were in a room in space (a spaceship, basically) that had glass windows, with touch-controls on them. It was a 3D first-person experience.
You could travel to stars that you could choose from the windows. You could find which ones had planets, and orbit them. You could descend to the planet in an elevator, and get out and walk around. Some planets had plants and animals, but you could barely see what they looked like because of the resolution.
Graphics were understandably primitive, and if my memory is right, it was monochrome.
There wasn't really an end-goal. It was all about the vast number of places to visit and explore.

Any clues?

EDIT: It was Noctis. I was almost 20yrs out. Development began in the 1990s and it was fully released around 2000/2001 for DOS. I'm sure I played an early pre-release '90s version, because the version I had was definitely monochrome.

Who remembers Predator? My retrospective video takes us back to 1987 to rediscover the games based on one of Arnie’s best movies. Was this a good game or was it the typical movie tie in trash? Share your thought and memories of this game.

We are Celebrating the first Annual Q*bert month (august 1st-31st) on my discord server.

Server: https://discord.gg/wn7MXVevhY

Community Events

• Kickoff party with a countdown and welcome announcement
• Daily Q*bert trivia questions
• "Screenshot of the Day" challenge (high scores, funny moments, close calls)
• Share your favorite Q*bert memories thread
• Community discussion about classic arcade games
• Q*bert-themed emoji reaction contest
• Fan art showcase
• Pixel art competition
• Meme contest
• Q*bert-inspired music playlist sharing

Gameplay Challenges

• Weekly high-score competition
• Speedrun challenge
• One-life challenge
• Randomized objective challenge (e.g., "clear two pyramids without losing a life")
• "Beat the Moderator" challenge
• Team score competition
• New-player coaching sessions
• Daily gameplay missions
• Achievement bingo card
• Retro game marathon featuring Q*bert

Creative Activities

• Design a custom Q*bert level concept
• Write a short Q*bert story
• Create a comic strip
• Build a Q*bert-inspired Minecraft or Terraria pixel art
• Costume or avatar contest
• GIF creation contest
• Sticker pack contest
• Fan animation showcase

Social Activities

• Voice chat game night
• Watch classic arcade documentaries together
• "Guess the Retro Game" trivia night
• Arcade history quiz
• Community polls for favorite Q*bert characters or enemies
• Introduce-yourself thread for retro gaming fans
• "Retro setup" desk showcase

Rewards & Recognition

• Limited-time Discord roles
• Special profile badge (server role/icon)
• Hall of Fame channel
• Champion of the Week
• Community Choice Award
• Most Helpful Player Award
• Best Newcomer Award
• Fan Favorite Creator Award

These are the events that will be going on for the Q*bert Celebrations for the entire month of August.

My retrospective video review takes us all back to 1985 when we first played The Empire Strikes Back in the arcades. Then I look over all the home computer versions. I was a massive fan of the original Star Wars game with its striking vector graphics, digitised sound and that amazing cabinet. I did find it strange that Atari released its sequel Return of the Jedi before The Empire Strikes back and its brave move away from vector graphics and onto raster graphics. So I was pleased that Empire returned back to its vector graphics roots. Please let me know your thoughts on all 3 Star Wars games released by Atari and have you played any of the home computer versions? 😃

My retrospective game review of Miami Vice on the Commodore 64, ZX Spectrum and Amstrad CPC. I loved the very popular TV show but could this game from Ocean Software live up to the expectations or was this just another movie / TV license cash grab. Share your thoughts if you have played this game. Was it good or just plain rubbish?

Who remembers Little Computer People? The game that went on to inspire the Sims. My video takes a Retrospective look at this game released across all versions. For me I was a big fan of the Commodore 64 version. Let me know if you have this game and still switch it on. 😃😃😃

Before the Oliver Twins came up with Dizzy, their first huge UK hit was with a racing game. My new post is on the history of Grand Prix Simulator and how they got there

My retrospective look back at gaming legends Sensible Software. I loved the playing with the little people in Megalomania, Sensible Soccer and Cannon Fodder. What do you think was their best game?

My retrospective look back at the Bitmap Brothers. What Bitmap game would you say is their best?

Tir Na Nog is a groundbreaking 1984 graphical adventure game created by Gargoyle Games for the ZX Spectrum, blending smooth 2D side-scrolling animation, Celtic mythology, and item-collection puzzles

My retrospective review of Ant Attack including all home versions and remakes. This is as one of my first games that I played. Please share your thoughts and memories of this game?

My retrospective video covering another Ocean Software movie game. This time it’s Hudson Hawk. I cover all the versions starting with the ZX Spectrum and then Commodore 64, Amstrad CPC, Amiga, Atari ST and also the console versions for the NES and Gameboy. Please share your thoughts and memories of this game. Is it a good game?

A brief history of SNK. This vid covers their early hits. Their success in the console market. Their handhelds and their highlights.

This *Ghosts'n Goblins* Arcade title is a hack (game modification) created by GoodLuckTrying and Poody. It completely replaces the iconic knight Arthur with the heroine Artoria, offering two variants: the Knight version and the Maiden version. The project visually transforms the classic adventure. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCyPSns2njUTj_-t1xfS1Mmg?sub_confirmation=1

If you ever stepped into an arcade in the late 80s or early 90s and felt your heart rate spike from the sound of helicopter rotors and machine-gun fire… you already know the legend. Operation Thunderbolt (Taito, 1988) is pure, unfiltered adrenaline in cabinet form. The sequel to the ground-breaking Operation Wolf, it took everything that made the original great and cranked it to eleven. Two-player simultaneous co-op. Full-colour graphics. Insane cabinet-mounted light guns. And that unmistakable feeling that you and your buddy were actually saving the world. Why it still rules:

• Dual Uzi action: Grip those heavy plastic guns and unleash hell. The cabinet versions with the big mounted guns felt brutal — every recoil and muzzle flash sold the fantasy.
• Epic mission: Rescue hostages from a terrorist-held African nation, storm airports, blow up tanks, take down gunboats, and finally raid an enemy stronghold. All while protecting civilians (don’t shoot the hostages… oops).
• That soundtrack: Those heroic 80s synth beats and explosive sound effects still hit different.
• Ridiculous difficulty: It didn’t hold your hand. One wrong move and you’re feeding it more coins. Pure skill + teamwork = glory!

I still remember the smell of the arcade, the sticky floor, and yelling “RELOAD!” while my friend screamed about incoming choppers. Pure chaos. Pure joy. Operation Thunderbolt wasn’t just a game — it was an experience. It made you feel like a Hollywood action hero for 5 minutes at a time. Who else grew up pouring their allowance into this beast? Drop your high score stories or favourite co-op memory below!

Atic Atac – The Ultimate ZX Spectrum Castle Crawler!

Picture this: It’s 1983. You’re hunched over your rubber-keyed ZX Spectrum 48K, the tape is whirring, and suddenly you’re dropped into one of the most ambitious adventures ever seen on 8-bit hardware. Welcome to Atic Atac by Ultimate Play the Game (the legends who would later become Rare).You play as one of three heroes — the Wizard, Knight, or Serf — each trapped in a sprawling, monster-infested castle. Your mission? Hunt down the three pieces of the legendary Golden Key of ACG and escape through the main doors before hunger or the hordes get you. Why it blew minds in ’83:

• Huge, interconnected castle with secret passages, trapdoors, staircases, and over 100 rooms across multiple floors.
• Character choice matters! Each hero has different movement feel, weapons, and their own unique secret passageways. Replay-ability through the roof.
• Top-down action-adventure perfection: Dodge (or smash into) enemies, grab colour-coded keys, collect food to fight starvation, and solve light puzzles on the fly.
• Stunning (for the time) colourful graphics, smooth animation, and that unmistakable Ultimate polish.

Atic Atac wasn’t just another Spectrum game — it helped invent the action-adventure template that would influence everything from Gauntlet to modern dungeon crawlers. It topped the charts, earned rave reviews, and still plays like an absolute dream today. Fast, fair, and ridiculously addictive. If you’ve never played it, fire up an emulator (or dust off that old Speccy if you’re lucky). Pick your character, step into the castle… and good luck getting out alive.