What’s In Store: 30 Games for the Timex/Sinclair Computer

I used to use my Timex Sinclairs mostly for business purposes. I don’t consider myself much of a games player, and most game programs obtained from books require long and laborious typing, a process for which I don’t have (or won’t take) the time. Then along came “30 Games.”

All of the games in “30 Games” are written for 2K, the amount of memory that comes with the Timex Sinclair 1000. With the longest program extending for only 80 lines, each can be entered quickly and easily. User notes and documentation accompany each listing, clearly explaining various features of the programs and substitutions players may choose to make. Another of the book’s positive features is an appendix that explains, for the more curious or advanced Timex users, the special codes used in creating graphics on the machine.

One particularly entertaining game is not really a game at all. It’s a graphics puppet show, featuring a boy and a girl puppet that you can name and give up to 10 speaking lines each. With a few changes in the program, provided in the accompanying notes, the number of lines can be changed, as can the names of your puppets. I used this program at a birthday celebration for my three-year-old grandnephew, and it was the hit of the party. I even know of an educational director of a mental-health institution who modified the program for use in his slow-learners group. My Timex is no longer used only for business.