The Spectrum

I had a Spectrum in the 80s and have hankered to relive the Sinclair BASIC programming experience now I've more time on my hands.This machine is perfect for what I wanted. It has loads of games pre-installed, but that's not of interest to me.You can set it to power up in 'Classic' mode which is how it was back in the day.I bought a mini tv screen to attach and that's it, away you go.It's a bit like driving a horse and cart when you have a car in the driveway in computing terms compared to a modern laptop, but that's not the point.To me it's a great brain exercise and I love it...

Ahh, The Spectrum! Just look at it. That rubber-keyed beauty, that iconic rainbow stripe—it’s an instant Time Machine back to the early ‘80s, when home computing was new, exciting, and just a little bit unpredictable.For me, this is a personal trip down memory lane. I was a young teenager when I unwrapped my first Sinclair Spectrum 16K on Christmas morning, a machine that—let’s be honest—looked like it had come straight from Tomorrow’s World. It was my gateway into a whole new world of gaming, from Manic Miner’s precision platforming to the text-based genius of The Hobbit (which, let’s face it, was the Dark Souls of its time—if you know, you know).So, does this modern recreation do justice to that legacy? Absolutely.Here’s what makes it brilliant:✅ 48 classic games built-in – Manic Miner, Head Over Heels, The Hobbit—all absolute legends.✅ HDMI output – No more fiddling with dodgy RF cables and tuning your telly to “UHF channel 36.”✅ USB ports – You can plug in extra controllers, or even load additional games.✅ Authentic design – It looks and feels the part, though the keyboard is a little more responsive than the original rubbery keys of doom.Now, is it perfect? Well, not quite. It’s not a full-blown ZX Spectrum emulator, so hardcore retro fans might miss the option to load their own .TAP files freely. But as a plug-and-play, nostalgia-filled, Christmas-morning-experience-in-a-box, it absolutely nails it.And let’s talk about Amazon —because they’ve delivered another flawless buying experience. The Spectrum arrived quickly, in perfect condition, and well-packaged—no scratched boxes or missing cables, just good, solid service as always.So, if you grew up in the era of Kempston joysticks, BASIC programming, and waiting five minutes for a game to load (only for it to crash on the last bar of the loading music), then The Spectrum is an essential purchase.It’s not just a console—it’s a time machine. 🚀Final verdict? 4.5 out of 5. A brilliantly fun, nostalgia-packed throwback—now, if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got some Miner Willy platforming to do.

Amazing! Only pity is that Jetpac, Pssst and those original games that came with the original 48k are not included. But this is a great way to have an enjoyable trip down memory lane!

The rubber keys, the blocky graphics, the memories! 30 built in games and a USB port to add others... do it, do it now!

New ZX Spectrum

Works as expected.

I love my spectrum. I never had one when they first come out but the re-release for the modern day has made it worth it

I grew up with this and this product by retro is actually better. Seller is good and well packed . If you are Gen x like me you will love it .