Advantages: Literary tens of 1,000's of games to download, Great site, Lots of useful utilities and emulators.
Disadvantages: None that I can think of.

...If like me, you have been computing for over a decade, then surely you owned one of the greatest computers of all time (well it was at the time), I am talking about the old Sinclair Spectrum (in its various formats, which where the ZX81, 48k, +2 or +3). Well anyway, whilst searching through various categories on CIAO, I came across a link to a site “World of the Spectrum”, which can be found at http://www.void.jump.org/. It is totally dedicated to the old “Speccy”, and WOW, the site is superb, with literary 10’s of thousands of links to various games, utilities, databases, emulators, etc. What’s the use of this?, I hear you say, we don’t own a spectrum anymore, I hear you say, well folks, that where your wrong, as alls you do is download one of the many “Emulators” on this site... Read review

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Advantages: Great story, great gameplay, great everything!
Disadvantages: Can be a little infuriating at times, if you want all the souls it's gonna take you some time!

...If I said to you that this is the second most highly rated (by IGN) game on the DS at the moment, rating higher than Advance Wars, Kirby and Meteos and only behind Mario Kart, what would you say? You would probably be exceedingly shocked, seeing as most of the media coverage has been on those other games. However, the team at Konami really delivers with this one, taking the classic 2D platform hopping, soul-stealing Castlevania formula, that is perfectly suited to the handheld design, and pumping it so full of Juice that you could use it to power a rocket! This game puts you in control of the "Dark lord but I'm really a nice sorta guy", Soma Cruz, (Not related to Penelope although that would explain some things), who was the hero from the smash hit GBA game Aria of Sorrow (good to see the Konami team can come up with original names... Read review

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Advantages: Great site
Disadvantages: some links dont work

...like Jet Pac, Attic Attack, Manic Miner and The Hobbit. To play the games, you need to find oand download them separately. They are stored as ROM files. They are mainly shareware available for download across the web and the emulators vary in size from about 150k to about 2 Meg. Do not get fooled by the size of the emulator. It does not mean it is better because it is bigger in size. I have tried many emulators and found some good ones. Here are my ratings on the Spectrum Emulators and their varying attributes and locations. Z80 Version 4.0 ---------------- A good emulator that supports both .Z80 format games as well as .sna snapshots. It also comes with Sound. The problem with this is that it speedu up the emulation speed to 500% after 10 minutes! Its totally unplayable then. You need you to register your copy to get a code... Read review

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Advantages: Timeless classic gameplay makes up for age
Disadvantages: dated graphics, out of production

...ah, the sega megadrive! what a classic! the old debates on whether the super nintendo was better, Sonic the hedgehog, fifa soccer - life couldn't get better than this! Although the graphics and sound have been overshadowed by the likes of playstation and n64, the gameplay still remains intact - Sonic is still as playable as ever, NHL hockey is still as addictive, and Road Rash is still a classic. Like all console systems there were some dud games, but there were some gems that are still available in 2nd hand shops if you're prepared to shop around. Some games had great graphics for a 16-bit machine (Sonic 3 springs to mind) but overall, it does look very dated, but it has heaps of rainy-day nostagia. It was never perfect when it was a leading console, but now it doesn't matter. You can now in fact pick up a megadrive second hand... Read review

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Advantages: Unwind to this CD, Chill Out, Relax, Suitable for all occassions, Excellent recording, Stunning sound!
Disadvantages: Only 13 tracks...leaves you wanting more...

...Gothic Flamenco is a rare Masterpiece, full of Emotive Music and Distinctive Sound. This album really is something quite exquisite... It will literally melt the stresses of your day away or simply lift your mood and make you smile on a cloudy day. Plug in the headphones, turn it up and let the Beautifully Intricate, Rich, Melodic Waves of Sound, wash over you... Prepare to lose yourself in the rich, warm tones of ' Blazing Hot Sun '... Feel the passion in the tender, intricate notes of ' Supreme Love '... Be secure in the familiarity of ' Gypsy Gathering '... In ' Gothic Flamenco ', G P Hall brings to you a Breathtaking selection of Surreal, Raw, Organic, Sincere and Captivating Melodys, which simply cannot fail to Capture your Heart, Soul and Imagination. Featuring a spectrum of sound, suitable for all occassions, from Chill Out... Read review

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Advantages: Dusty is the most soulful English female ever
Disadvantages: too many filler album tracks

...Blue for You is a budget releas on spectrum, and as is usual for these cds you pays your money you takes your choice. The good news is that all the songs are original recordings, the bad news is that by spanning the period from 1964 to 1972 without including all the hits the quality of the songs is variable. The theme of the album is lost love, and what all these songs have in common is Dusty's soulful voice letting you know how much she's hurting. The wide time period shows how Dusty's music changed over a decade from from much beat pop to more thoughtful numbers. The problem is that a lot of the later numbers sound as if they belong on a movie soundtrack rather than on a cd in their own right. There are several excellant songs here Bacharah and davids " I just don't know what to do with myself" or Goffin and Kings "will you love me... Read review

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Advantages: Journey to heaven
Disadvantages: Bring back pretty memoirs

...Here is something I wrote from my heart. EDEN On a pretty morn, I woke with a silent knock on my window, silhouetted, shimmering behind the curtains were the golden rays of sun. Drinking the morning breeze along with my tea, I sit on my porch admiring and engulfing the green velvety meadows spread like a carpet, vigorous colors, enhanced fragrance, endearing the roses bathed in the dewdrops. Humming of the birds mumbling through the melodious water of the brook, wandering through the pebbles, reflecting the spectrum of the sky above, glittering with the morning smile, diminishing all traces of blackness. Alone, I just sit closing my eyes, engrossing in the beauty, engraving the memoirs. CHERISHING MEMOIRS Beauty of the nature enchanted by innumerable colours, breath taking views ceasing the heartbeats, foretelling many secrets... Read review

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Advantages: A wide selection of vinyl in their catalog and a record search facility.
Disadvantages: Some items may be highly priced due to their rarity.

...~Hard to Find Records was established in 1991 by Birmingham DJ Jason Kirby. Originaly it was a small mail order company but a year later the first shop was opened, and the rest is history. Now ten years on 'Hard to Find Records' is one of the biggest DJ Superstores in Europe. ~They specialize in all types of new, old and deleted vinyl and CD's, covering the whole dance music spectrum. Whatever your into your sure to find something here from House, Garage, Techno, Electro, Disco, Funk through to Soul. With over a thousand customers logging on daily from all accross the globe, most of them DJ's, collectors and vinyl addicts. ~The website is set out in a very easy to use format with the best search engine available. Just type in a word or name relating to the Artist or Label your looking for and your away. You will be given all... Read review

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Advantages: Graphics and sound.
Disadvantages: Repetitive game play.

...This was the very first game I bought for x - box and I must say that initially I had mixed feelings about the game. To be honest at first it didn't really appeal to me because I was expecting a totally different game. I was looking for a slick, first person arcade type shooter but what i got was totally different. Therefore Full Spectrum Warrior sat on the shelf for quite some time until I picked it up again a week or so ago. My desire for a slick shooter was satisfied with Halo 2 and a couple of others so i could now fully appreciate Full Spectrum Warrior and on the second sitting I was impressed. Full Spectrum Warrior is a real time strategic squad game. You are put in charge of two four man squads and must work your way though various missions to restore order the fictional Zekistan (Afghanistan?) and get rid of the evil dictator... Read review

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Advantages: Chance to relive youth, new gamers find history of games
Disadvantages: low on flashy pages.

...menu, with choices of different types of spectrum programs, ranging from games to text adventures, compilations to demo tapes. Basically anything that was released on the Spectrum is available in this section, with almost everything downloadable. Now this would be pretty pointless if you cant use them on your computer, this is where an Emulator comes in. An Emulator is a program that makes your PC believe its a different system, their are emulators for most computers and consoles, which give a good chance to try all those games from various older machines from the comfort of your PC screen. The Spectrum has a wide variety of Emulators available, with ones that run on Windows, Dos, Gameboys, Playstations and various other systems, these are all available from the Emulator section of the site, and vary in size, but are rarely more than 2 meg... Read review

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