ZX Spectrum Christmas games were Dundee's gift to gamers

A screenshot from Computer Christmas Card by Virgin Games. Image: Supplied.

Do you remember these ZX Spectrum games of Christmas past?

For every Christmas cracker there were dozens of Yuletide turkeys.

Dundee Timex workers at Camperdown produced the ZX Spectrum computer.

It became the most successful of Sir Clive Sinclair’s array of products.

More than five million were sold.

Thousands of children were lucky enough to discover a ZX Spectrum under their Christmas trees in the 1980s.

But Santa Claus did more than deliver computers.

Sometimes he appeared on them.

A Very Spectrum Christmas author Tom Christie has chronicled “the good, the bad, the surprising, the unabashedly surreal and the occasionally rather tenuous”.

Tom said: “Christmas was an exciting time for Spectrum owners.

“Yet while many people remember the games they received as gifts, and which they played over and over again during the festive season, what is less well remembered is the fact that the Spectrum had its own subgenre of games which focused exclusively on Christmas itself.

“It may seem counterintuitive to release titles that only sell at one particular point in the year, but Christmas games were surprisingly abundant on the Spectrum.

“They are still looked upon fondly by those who played them.”

So let’s load up the tape player and press play.

How many of these games did you find in your Christmas stocking?

Official Father Christmas Game

A game screenshot from 1989. Image: Supplied.

The Official Father Christmas Game by Alternative Software was released in 1989.

“This was the only game to be endorsed by Jolly Old St Nick himself,” said Tom.

“It involved three undemanding stages.

“Santa assembling his sleigh for Christmas Eve; selecting gifts for kids on the Nice List; and finally delivering the presents during a high-speed reindeer ride.

“It has a lot of nostalgic charm for those who grew up in the 1980s.”

The game cost £2.99 and was sold in aid of the Save the Children Fund.

Your Sinclair magazine gave the game a 43% score.

It described two of the three stages as “depressingly crap”.

Santa’s Xmas Caper

a screen shot showing an igloo, penguins and Santa's sleigh on Santa Xmas Caper — Santa Xmas Caper from 1991. Image: Supplied.

Father Christmas’s nocturnal deliveries on December 24 was also the subject of Santa’s Xmas Caper by Zeppelin Games.

“The 1991 game turned this annual tradition into a horizontally scrolling shoot ’em-up – a bit like R-Type or Nemesis, but with extra Christmas pudding,” said Tom.

“However, it proved to be one of the less popular Christmas titles.”

It cost £3.99 on release.

Your Sinclair magazine gave the game 14%.

It was editor Linda Barker’s all-time worst game.

Compendium

Sheffield’s Gremlin Graphics produced Compendium in 1987.

“It was a selection of traditional board games with a festive twist,” said Tom.

“This was the perfect opportunity to enjoy pastimes like snakes and ladders and Ludo without the usual Christmas arguments with family and friends about cheating!”

The game cost £7.99.

Sinclair User gave it 6/10.

The magazine said computerising the “rather bland collection” of games seems to have “added nothing to their already limited attraction”.

Moley Christmas

Spectrum icon Monty Mole featured in this platform game. — Spectrum icon Monty Mole featured in this game. Image: Supplied.

Gremlin Graphics also produced Moley Christmas in 1987.

“This platform game featured Spectrum icon Monty Mole,” said Tom.

“Monty is charged with the task of delivering a master-cassette to Your Sinclair magazine so it can be distributed to readers as a covermount tape in time for Christmas.

“Not an easy task for a furry rodent – especially when the action includes crossing the M1 motorway during the rush hour!”

The game was free with issue 25 of Your Sinclair.

It was a sequel to the video game Auf Wiedersehen Monty.

Special Delivery

The perils of parcel transport also featured in Creative Sparks’ Special Delivery.

Tom said: “The game followed Santa on Christmas Eve as he made his way down chimneys – dodging flames as he goes.

“Santa is then forced to avoid sleepwalking children on his way to the family’s Christmas tree to deposit their presents.”

It cost £6.95 on release in 1987.

Crash Magazine delivered a 71% score.

It said it was a “tough game to play with lively graphics and quite a lot of content”.

The Snowman

The Snowman was released by Quicksilva in 1984.

Tom said: “The Snowman brought to life Raymond Briggs’ beloved character who had shot to fame thanks to the TV adaptation on Channel 4.

“What could be more Christmassy than dashing around your garden trying to build the iconic snowman himself, complete with his hat and scarf?”

It cost £6.95 on release.

Sinclair User gave the gentle-paced platform game 8/10.

It said it was “a change from the violence of Space Invaders and the like”.

Plum Duff

Do you remember Plum Duff from 1985?

The aim of this puzzle-orientated game was to drop down chimneys and deliver presents to the sleeping children in an action-adventure style.

Tom said: “Father Christmas’s stocking-stuffing efforts were aided by on-screen letters sent by kids to the North Pole in this game from Bug-Byte Software.

“The graphics were bright and colourful.

“But the action suffers a bit from over-familiarity when you realise that every living room tends to look virtually identical to the last.

“No doubt a problem that Santa faces regularly!”

It cost £4.95 on release.

Santa

Santa from Artic Computing came out in 1983.

Tom said: “This release sectioned up the Christmas Eve deliveries into a series of mini-games, including an inventive take on the Twelve Days of Christmas song.

“There were seven separate stages to work through, from Rudolph’s reindeer racing through to carving your way through a Christmas pudding.

“The sheer variety on offer was somewhat let down by the workmanlike implementation, but you couldn’t fault the programmers for either their ambition or their enthusiasm.”

It cost £5.95.

Crash Magazine gave it a 28% score.

The magazine witheringly noted that “the tape is aimed at younger children and grandmas and probably won’t be in circulation for very long”.

Computer Christmas Card

Richard Branson joined the ZX Spectrum world in 1985.

Virgin Games released the innovative Computer Christmas Card.

“That title wished players festive greetings with a short musical sequence involving Santa, as the plan was that buyers would give the tape to friends and family as a holiday gift instead of a traditional Christmas card,” said Tom.

“Alas, this strategy didn’t quite gain the commercial traction they had hoped.

“When you receive an animated seasonal greeting from your loved ones by email these days, you realise just how far ahead of its time this idea was!”

It cost £2.99 on release.

Sinclair User gave the game 2/5 and said it was “a load of hype”.

Crisis at Christmas

a written-message clue on ZX Spectrum computer game Montrose — A screenshot from the Montrose game. Image: Supplied.

Was the best Christmas game made in Montrose?

Tom said: “My personal favourite was Crisis at Christmas from 1987.

“It was created by Tom Frost of Tartan Software, which was based in Montrose.

“This text adventure was designed for Sinclair User magazine, but became so popular it was later commercially released under the title The White Door.

“The gameplay surrounded a harried parent on Christmas Eve.

“They are desperately trying to find a Sinclair Spectrum they’ve bought for their children so that they can wrap it up as a surprise for the big day.

“Little could Frost have realised that, nearly 40 years after the game was released, people would still be waiting expectantly for a Spectrum under their Christmas tree, thanks to the new model from Retro Games Ltd which is already proving to be a must-have gift this festive season.”