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ZX Spectrum Games Code Club: Twenty fun games to code and learn
This book is ideal for ZX Spectrum fans and beginner coders of any age that want to learn or practice building simple games. Contains 20 games specifically created for this book, from Arcade classics to more wacky game ideas.
No special equipment needed! Works on...
Windows Mac Original ZX Spectrum Recreated ZX Spectrum Internet Browsers: Chrome / FF etc Linux Raspberry Pi
Ideal for Retro Computing fans that want to dust off their ZX Spectrum or an emulator and type in some code, 'old school'.
In one sitting type in a game, play it and then we will go through it. The book does not go over every single line of code, but rather summarises key components and newer sections for each game. This keeps the process fun and engaging.
An interactive learning book intended for all ages and is also useful for Code Clubs. So type in a game and have some fun!
Includes: ZX Breakout, MiniPong, Astral Invaders, Battleship War, Flappy Bird, Takeaway Ted and many more...
No special equipment needed! Works on...
Windows Mac Original ZX Spectrum Recreated ZX Spectrum Internet Browsers: Chrome / FF etc Linux Raspberry Pi
Ideal for Retro Computing fans that want to dust off their ZX Spectrum or an emulator and type in some code, 'old school'.
In one sitting type in a game, play it and then we will go through it. The book does not go over every single line of code, but rather summarises key components and newer sections for each game. This keeps the process fun and engaging.
An interactive learning book intended for all ages and is also useful for Code Clubs. So type in a game and have some fun!
Includes: ZX Breakout, MiniPong, Astral Invaders, Battleship War, Flappy Bird, Takeaway Ted and many more...
127 pages, Paperback
Published November 23, 2015
14 people are currently reading
256 people want to read
About the author
Gary Plowman
5 books20 followersGame Developer for mobile with several million downloads.
Author of ZX Spectrum Games Code Club
and The Micro Kids: An 80s Adventure
Author of ZX Spectrum Games Code Club
and The Micro Kids: An 80s Adventure
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
December 28, 2020
3.5 stars
A bit of a history lesson for the young 'uns out there ... in the 1980s, home computing was taking off, with Commodore VIC 20 and C64, Sinclair ZX81 and Spectrum, and the BBC Micro all fighting for market share (at least in the UK).
Whichever one you had, it needed software, usually on a cassette tape. Prices varied depending on the publisher, and you'd ask for some as presents or save and buy them (because of course you didn't just copy your friend's tape). This was pre-internet, so no downloads available.
In between saving up for tapes, there were books and magazines that provided you with type-in listings. This was the raw code that would put the information age at your fingertips. You worked your way through, entering each line as it appeared in the book/magazine, knowing that when you finally got to type RUN, you'd have something amazing.
Yeah, actually, that rarely happened. You'd inevitably have a typing mistake, or have missed something, and then spend ages looking between the screen and the magazine to work out where you went wrong. Or your micro would crash after spending 2 hours typing, and deciding not to save to tape just yet as you wanted to see the end result. BUT you did tend to learn things along the way, seeing how what you typed then showed on the screen and how it worked behind all of that.
This book tries to recreate that. Programs designed for the ZX Spectrum (either a real one, or using any of the multiple emulators available on Windows, Mac and Linux systems). You take your time typing them in, find the typing errors, then play the games.
I haven't typed all the programs in yet (there are 20 in the book). The ones I have done are serviceable, and ultimately a bit disappointing, so just like the good old days.
Personally, I use a text editor to type them in, then an application called "zmakebas" which converts it to the format most emulators use, and the Fuse emulator).
Kudos to the author for making a BASIC version of Flappy Bird, which runs painfully slowly as it updates the graphics. The Countdown game was enjoyable.
There are notes at the end of each game to give you a bit of a grounding in Sinclair BASIC and how the author thought to do things.
A nice retro style way to pass some time, it might only appeal to people of a certain age that remember this. I don't see it necessarily introducing a new crowd to the joys of this style of programming.
A bit of a history lesson for the young 'uns out there ... in the 1980s, home computing was taking off, with Commodore VIC 20 and C64, Sinclair ZX81 and Spectrum, and the BBC Micro all fighting for market share (at least in the UK).
Whichever one you had, it needed software, usually on a cassette tape. Prices varied depending on the publisher, and you'd ask for some as presents or save and buy them (because of course you didn't just copy your friend's tape). This was pre-internet, so no downloads available.
In between saving up for tapes, there were books and magazines that provided you with type-in listings. This was the raw code that would put the information age at your fingertips. You worked your way through, entering each line as it appeared in the book/magazine, knowing that when you finally got to type RUN, you'd have something amazing.
Yeah, actually, that rarely happened. You'd inevitably have a typing mistake, or have missed something, and then spend ages looking between the screen and the magazine to work out where you went wrong. Or your micro would crash after spending 2 hours typing, and deciding not to save to tape just yet as you wanted to see the end result. BUT you did tend to learn things along the way, seeing how what you typed then showed on the screen and how it worked behind all of that.
This book tries to recreate that. Programs designed for the ZX Spectrum (either a real one, or using any of the multiple emulators available on Windows, Mac and Linux systems). You take your time typing them in, find the typing errors, then play the games.
I haven't typed all the programs in yet (there are 20 in the book). The ones I have done are serviceable, and ultimately a bit disappointing, so just like the good old days.
Personally, I use a text editor to type them in, then an application called "zmakebas" which converts it to the format most emulators use, and the Fuse emulator).
Kudos to the author for making a BASIC version of Flappy Bird, which runs painfully slowly as it updates the graphics. The Countdown game was enjoyable.
There are notes at the end of each game to give you a bit of a grounding in Sinclair BASIC and how the author thought to do things.
A nice retro style way to pass some time, it might only appeal to people of a certain age that remember this. I don't see it necessarily introducing a new crowd to the joys of this style of programming.
October 5, 2025
That book sounds like a fantastic way to make learning to code fun and nostalgic at the same time! 🎮 The ZX Spectrum era had some truly creative games, and recreating them is such a cool way to understand programming basics. If you’re also into exploring retro gaming and emulator setups, you might want to check out this site for some great resources: http://officialps2bios.com
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews