Florin's Haul of ZX Spectrum Games by Paul Davies takes its name from the character Florin, who starred in a game called Spellbound back in 1985. This was one of the many Spectrum games that captured the imagination of a young Paul Davies who, in later years, took the character's name as his writing tag. The subject of his writing? The ZX Spectrum, of course, the continuation of which has led to this cracking little tome published by Fusion Retro Books.
A 194 page (roughly A5) hardback book, Florin's Haul is Paul Davies' love letter to the many varied games of the ZX Spectrum. With a foreword written by Spellbound's creator, David Jones, and an introduction that firmly establishes Davies' credentials for writing the book, the author's enthusiasm for the topic is openly on display even before we get to the actual games.
Naturally, we start off with Spellbound. After all, this is the game the author "acquired" his writing tag from, and a game he really really does love. As with quite a few of the entries here, he sets the scene with a brief intro to the world events, films and TV programs of the year the game was released before getting to the game proper. Then he describes the title, how it played and what it was that appealed to him, the description aided by some lovely colour screenshots, including the title screen and some in-game action.
Davies writes from the heart and it feels like he could be in the pub describing his favourite game over a couple of beers. He comes across as eager and, dare I say it, almost evangelical in his fervour describing Spellbound. To carry the religious links further, this title feels like it was an epiphany for the lad. No wonder it's the first game to be covered in this book.
This is followed by an Arcade Games section, featuring the likes of Operation Wolf, Rampage and Chase HQ. Again, there are screenshots galore and a distinct lack of cynicism, the author looking at each title with fresh eyes, unconcerned about the effects that the passage of some near 30 to 40 years has had on these titles. There is self-deprecating humour galore, humour that continues to the next section of the book.
You cannot talk about Spectrum games without a Willy popping up somewhere. And so it is that Manic Minor, Jet Set Willy and Jet Set Willy 2 get some proper loving. After reading this section, I put the book down for a couple of hours, as I just had to get my hands on some hot Willy action (safely via an emulator, you understand) before a sense of propriety returned and I laid down the Willy for some pulped-wood enjoyment. That means continuing to read this book, you dirty-minded so and so's.
HARD! (Stop sniggering at the back!). HARD is the next section. Cheers, Yoda. We're now in the world of Spectrum games that would make any Dark Souls (or should that be Elden Ring? It's so hard to keep up with the youngsters these days) fan weep. The likes of Airwolf, Dynamite Dan and Navy Moves amongst others get a thorough airing and whilst you might think that such difficult titles should be left to the sands of time, you would be mistaken. I did try to play Airwolf and can confirm that it's fudging hard! I would never have played it if it hadn't been mentioned in this book so I feel I am a better person for having not seen that elusive third screen. As it is, each game in this section gets a rating out of ten for hardness (his words, not mine!) and I can find no reason to disagree with the author here.
Those of you with a nervous disposition and a fear of your joystick breaking at the most inopportune moment (seriously, stop sniggering back there! Honestly, pure filth you lot!), what follows will have you coming out in hives. Yes, it's Daley Thompson time. I cannot emphasise enough to the younger readers of this blog (so you thirty somethings then...) just how much joystick waggling Daley Thompson took(!). Daley Thompson's Decathlon had plenty of track and field action to put your wrist in an ice pack, whilst Daley Thompson's Super Test was not just a test of your skills. Oh no, this was a game to test the tensile strength of budget plastic. A test many a joystick failed. A moment of silence out of respect please...
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Anyway, back to the haul, and it's not over yet. There is the "Other Games" section, and this takes up nearly a hundred pages, all specially arranged (I know this because the author says so), covering games like Jetpac, Skool Daze, Aliens and 3D Deathchase. Oh, there's more, much more, but I can't be bothered to list all of the titles and it appears neither could the author - he said there is a contents page, but there isn't. How does this affect you, gentle reader? Well, you'll need to buy the book to find out what other titles fall under his gaze. Whilst not all titles get the introduction regarding its year of publication, they do get a great write up by Davies, warts and all. He might be a dedicated fan of Sinclair's Wonder Box but he also fair and just in his approach.
What we have here, in Florin's Haul, is a loving, slightly irreverent but highly entertaining look at a hefty number of 8-bit games. Some are classics, others less so, but all are noteworthy and are given the affection and attention they deserve. This is a worthwhile and high quality book on the subject and I have no qualms in recommending it.
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