The Haunted Generation

In 1982, even the TARDIS had a BBC Micro computer attached to its central console. And if the Doctor himself was wasting long, idle afternoons in the time vortex playing Lunar Lander (while Adric, Nyssa and Tegan crossed their arms and rolled their eyes) then there was really no hope for the rest of us grotty Earthlings. Bedrooms all over the country were becoming overwhelmed by battered boxes of early computer equipment, bought under the dubious auspices of “helping with our homework” before being turned over full-time to the more pressing task of completing 3D Monster Maze before morning registration.

One of said bedrooms belonged to Romford youngster James Watson (pictured above, on left) who recently unearthed photos of his own 1982 central console, taken – he reckons – on a “terrible quality” disc camera. But, so long as we can make out a souped-up ZX81 computer teetering on top of the 1982 Whizzer and Chips annual, then who cares? Over to you, James…

“I remember buying my first ZX81 from a ‘bring and buy’ area, most likely at the Second ZX Microfair in Westminster in January 1982. I was ten years old, and a friend at school with a father who was a computer programmer asked me if I wanted to go with them. He was attending as a vendor of sorts. Using the Christmas and birthday money I’d been saving for years, I paid £50 to buy it. I didn’t carry such huge sums of money on my person back then, so instead I got my friend’s father to buy it for me with a cheque, in lieu of me giving him the cash.

My new ZX81 came with its own DK’Tronics ‘real’ keyboard, a kit-made 16K RAM-pack and all the required leads. I can’t remember much else about the Microfair other than buying the games Krazy Kong and Hopper on cassette, both from PSS Software. I then went back to my friend’s house and we copied a number of games onto a blank tape for me, one of them being Simon Lane’s Hitch-Hiker – a real adventure! No one these days would attempt a hand-drawn map of it… but I did, back then. And, even at that age, I was struck by how you weren’t always ‘hit’ by the computer. The game had a random number generator, so you could get very lucky and have several ‘it just missed your leg’ experiences, even when fighting the legendary Galactic Cop and his Kill-O-Zap gun.

Looking back, I didn’t really notice that the ZX81’s graphics were black and white only, or that it had no sound. I was too busy playing Krazy Kong and making it look like the gorilla was doing a poo by jumping at just the right time underneath it. I also found a snap of my bedroom taken around the same time; I love the ‘Scrambler’ wallpaper – possibly influenced by Top Trumps, as I remember one of the packs was called ‘Scramblers’. And although the quality is terrible, I can still make out a few of the toys and games on top of the wardrobe. Crossfire, the Powertrack slot-racing set, the Starbird Command Base, Demolition Derby, and a TCR Zig Zag Jam Car set.

After the ZX81, I went on to own the Spectrum 128K – in original plain black – then an Amiga, before finally getting my first ever ‘real’ PC. Ah, happy times…”

Thanks, James. The Dark Room is a collaborative effort. If anyone would like to contribute their own childhood photos from the era, I would be utterly delighted – please drop me a line using the “Contact” link at the top of the page. Thanks so much.

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