Memories of a casual gamer - Part 1

It all started in 1986 when I was 10. My Dad bought me my first computer, an Amstrad CPC 464. Games were loaded via cassette and some games could take nearly 30 minutes to load. Imagine that. The computer also came with a monitor, the legendary green screen monitor. Everything was displayed in different shades of green. Lovely.

Games such as Harrier Attack, Oh Mummy and Roland in the Caves soon became favourites. Jet Set Willy was also played alot. What a strange little game. It had the advantage of being a very quick game to load. And then there was The Bard’s Tale. A classic RPG of it’s day. The number of enemies I killed with a fire horn - unbelievable. (you had to be there) I can still remember some of the music from that game. I’m sure I’m not the only one.

Amiga

In 1990 I got an Amiga computer. This was a big step-up from my Amstrad and was capable of real good graphics and sound. The Amiga turned out to be a real high point for gamers in the early 1990s and produced a long line of classic games, many of which still survive in some format today. Some of my favourites included Lemmings, Cannon Fodder, Bloodwych, Double Dragon, Sensible Soccer, Sim City, James Pond, Railroad Tycoon, Hired Guns, Secret of Monkey Island and Dune 2.

The game that probably took up the most time was a turn-based strategy affair called Warlords. It was simple to learn with modest game rules but required real commitment and planning to master. I enjoyed the challenge of starting off from a small base and expanding your armies and influences through strategic play. It was a cleverly designed game and allowed the player to adopt a variety of tactics. The game had plenty of re-play value for me and will always be regarded as one of my all-time favourites.

1990 to 1995 were the Amiga years and it would be remiss of me not to mention the excellent Amiga Power. This was a magazine published by Future Publishing that became the number 1 gaming magazine for the Amiga. Reading AP every month was a pure joy. Check out the AP wikipedia site to understand why it was so great.