CRASH Annual 2023 Review

Score

Summary: For fans of 8bit retro computers and those who want to have a look at what the scene is like these days without having to look through a load of websites.

4

Bleep bloop!

This is the third one of these I have reviewed and it seems annual means it takes me all year to read them, but then again I didn’t want to rush through them after laying out for the full set and I had other books to read.

The death of Oliver Frey weighs heavily over CRASH and ZZAP as he was the major artist responsible for the covers and some of the original people involved in the scene are starting to get on a bit these days and will not be around forever.

This book however is about the present and it also celebrates what has come before. Most of the games covered have came out in the last couple of years and I enjoyed the expanded coverage for things like the Portuguese market and some more non-Anglo stories from the scene.
I never thought it was that bad when they went to A5 books (saves on postage) but some of the text and colour choices in this and a couple of other annuals make it hard to read even in my room which has a really bright light.

There was an interesting selection of games covered and I even shared a photo of one or two of the reviews with people who are interested in the subjects covered by the games but not actually the games.

Most likely I am going to get the next lot of annuals as I enjoy reading these each year and don’t really buy any other gaming publications these days.

This one is well worth your time if you are into retro gaming and the Spectrum and are not already getting the bi-monthly version via the Patreon.

Book details:

Managing Editor: Chris Wilkins

Adventure Editor: Colin Bell

Playing Tips Editor: Nick Roberts

Staff Writer: Lloyd Mangram

Page Design & Layout: Chris Wilkins, Nick Roberts, Colin Bell

Proofing: Paul Morrison

Cover Tape: Wayne Robbins

Contributing Writers: Simon Butler, Paul Davies, Gordon King, Martyn Carroll, Craig Turner, Graeme Mason

Format: Hard cover, colour, A5, 120 pages

Contents: