Arcade-to-home conversions in the 1980s often left a lot to be desired. Especially on the ZX Spectrum. And especially if it was Double Dragon.
Arcade-to-home conversions in the 1980s often left a lot to be desired. Especially if you were gaming on the humble ZX Spectrum.
While the arcade games of that era were a riot of beautiful sprites, colour, and sound, the home computer experience was… different. The graphics were simpler, the colours clashed, and the audio was usually a series of sad beeps trying their best to resemble music or sound effects.
My favourite arcade game in the late 1980s was Double Dragon. Not necessarily because it was the best – although it is now considered a classic – but because it was the first arcade machine I could claim to know inside out. I had a firm grasp of level layouts, enemy types, and combat intricacies. Tucked away in an east London working men’s club, my friend Adam and I spent happy Sunday afternoons dealing out flying kicks and baseball-bat hits. There was nothing we enjoyed more than stepping into the shoes of Billy and Jimmy Lee while our parents stood at the bar, sipping gin and tonics and putting the world to rights.
Arcade conversions to home computers were common, and I owned a number of ZX Spectrum ports, including Paperboy, Renegade, and OutRun. I was perfectly happy with their quality, as I only knew the arcade originals by reputation. The cuts and concessions made to get them running on Sinclair’s modestly powered home system were mostly lost on me.
So when Double Dragon came to the ZX Spectrum, I was all in. Here was a game I knew, loved, and couldn’t wait to play at home. I remember going to WHSmith in Romford town centre to buy it. I recall getting the bus back, poring over the oversized cardboard box and its glorious artwork.
