Systems
View all 21 articles →The machines that defined an era.
Acorn Archimedes
The Acorn Archimedes was the most powerful home computer of its era, introducing the ARM processor that now powers most smartphones.
Amstrad CPC
Alan Sugar’s Amstrad CPC bundled a computer, cassette deck, and monitor—bringing tidy, reliable 8-bit power to the masses.
Apple II
Steve Wozniak's Apple II brought personal computing to homes and schools, establishing Apple and proving computers could be consumer products.
Atari 2600
The Atari VCS brought arcade gaming home, establishing the cartridge-based console market before hubris brought it crashing down.
Atari 8-bit Family
Atari's home computers offered superior graphics and sound to their contemporaries, yet never matched the company's console success.
Atari ST
The Atari ST married a 68000 CPU with built-in MIDI ports, making it a darling of musicians, demosceners, and bedroom developers.
Hardware
The chips and components that made it all possible.
Inside the VIC-II
Sprites, smooth scrolling, and colour on a budget—how the VIC-II (6567/6569) pulled off the C64’s signature look.
SID: The Sound of the C64
The SID 6581/8580 chip gave the Commodore 64 synthesizer-class sound, inspiring composers and hardware hackers alike.
The Amiga Custom Chipset
Three custom co-processors gave the Amiga capabilities that PCs wouldn't match for years: graphics, blitting, and four-channel stereo audio.
VIC-II Chip Reference
Complete programmer's reference for the VIC-II (6567/6569)—registers, memory layout, display modes, and hardware quirks.
People
View all 39 articles →The developers, designers, and composers who defined the era.
Al Charpentier
Al Charpentier led the MOS team that transformed the VIC chip into the sprite-savvy VIC-II, powering the Commodore 64’s graphics.
Alexey Pajitnov
Soviet programmer Alexey Pajitnov created Tetris, one of the most successful games ever made—then watched others profit while he earned nothing for years.
Andrew Braybrook
Andrew Braybrook blended arcade reflexes with design journals, showing the world how professional craft emerges from bedroom roots.
Ben Daglish
Ben Daglish composed unforgettable C64 soundtracks including The Last Ninja, blending catchy melodies with technical mastery.
Bob Yannes
Chip designer Bob Yannes created the SID 6581, giving the Commodore 64 its legendary sound palette.
Chris Hülsbeck
Chris Hülsbeck composed defining soundtracks for Turrican and R-Type, becoming Germany's most celebrated game composer.
Companies & Studios
View all 28 articles →From bedroom operations to publishing empires.
Activision
Founded by rebellious Atari programmers who wanted credit for their work, Activision invented third-party publishing and proved developers mattered.
Atari
Atari created the video game industry with Pong, dominated it with the 2600, and nearly destroyed it through hubris and shovelware.
Capcom
Japanese developer Capcom created Street Fighter, Mega Man, Resident Evil, and countless arcade classics, shaping gaming for decades.
Codemasters
From Dizzy to Micro Machines, Codemasters blended sibling creativity, aggressive marketing, and tight budgets.
Commodore
From typewriter repair to the best-selling computer ever, Commodore's C64 and Amiga defined home computing for millions.
Electronic Arts
Trip Hawkins founded Electronic Arts with a revolutionary idea: treat game developers like artists and put their names on the box.
Classic Games
View all 56 articles →The titles that pushed boundaries and defined genres.
After Burner
Yu Suzuki's 1987 fighter jet spectacular put players in a rotating cockpit for the ultimate arcade power fantasy.
Arkanoid
Taito's 1986 update to Breakout added power-ups, enemies, and boss battles, perfecting the paddle-and-ball formula.
Attack of the Mutant Camels
Released in 1983, Attack of the Mutant Camels turned the VIC-20 and C64 into neon arcades with absurd humour and serious bite.
Bubble Bobble
Taito's 1986 arcade classic turned cooperative bubble-trapping into one of gaming's most joyful experiences.
Castlevania
Konami's vampire-slaying platformer combined deliberate combat, horror atmosphere, and memorable music into an NES classic.
Commando
Capcom's vertical run-and-gun became an arcade staple and spawned one of Rob Hubbard's most beloved C64 soundtracks.
Culture & Community
View all 12 articles →Magazines, movements, and the scenes that connected it all.
CRASH Magazine
From 1984 to 1992, CRASH delivered Spectrum reviews, maps, and humour that matched the machine’s vibrant community.
Crest
Crest (founded 1988) combined technical audacity and design finesse, setting new records for C64 demos.
Demo Scene 101
Part tech showcase, part bragging rights—the demo scene turned code into performance art across the C64, Spectrum, and beyond.
Fairlight (Demo Group)
Founded in 1987, Fairlight became synonymous with high-production C64, Amiga, and PC demos that blended art, humour, and technical wizardry.
Sinclair User
Sinclair User covered the ZX Spectrum with technical depth and programming focus, complementing CRASH's gaming coverage.
The 1983 Video Game Crash
Overproduction, quality collapse, and consumer distrust crashed the North American games market—until Nintendo proved games were worth playing again.
Techniques & Technology
View all 13 articles →The clever tricks and deep system knowledge that made magic happen.
BASIC V2 Reference
Complete command reference for Commodore 64 BASIC V2
Disk Fastloaders
Fastload cartridges and custom DOS routines slashed wait times, turning the C64’s pokey disk drive into an arcade-ready accessory.
How a Cassette Becomes a Game
Cassettes were slow, cheap, and everywhere. Here’s how data marched from tape to RAM, one bit at a time.
KERNAL I/O Routines
The C64’s KERNAL ROM exposes a patchable API for keyboard, screen, tape, disk, and serial I/O—perfect for BASIC and assembly alike.
PETSCII Character Chart
PETSCII codes, screen codes, and control characters—the complete reference for displaying text and graphics on the Commodore 64.
PRINT vs POKE
Performance comparison of PRINT and POKE for screen output—and why understanding the difference makes you a better C64 programmer.
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