Hints and Tips for videogames pioneers – the video!

When Andrew Hewson announced to GamesYouLoved.com he was going to bring the wisdom of the 80s and 90s game development experiences to life through a ‘hints and tips’ book – we were excited to say the least!

Not only had Team - GamesYouLoved.com grown up with playing the Hewson and 21^st Century Entertainment gaming classics across a range of different microcomputers - we had been fully aware of Andrew’s part in the UK’s gaming history which sprung up during the 80s and into the 90s.  

It was more than just making and publishing the games for Hewson. It was about a whole generation of kids like us at the time inspired to use a computer. The part Andrew played in providing articles and content for the gaming press as well as his own published books of the 80s is a testament to this cause.

There were the games too, Pinball Fantasies, Firelord Zynaps, Uridium and Nebulus –really fantastic games with amazing graphics and addictive gameplay.

The people involved with Hewson in the design, artwork and development of these games were our heroes. We wanted to know more and Andrew was there with the help of his son Rob to do the job for us.

Kickstarter provided a great forum for the project to live and really happen on a scale and was successful in its fundrasing and we at GamesYouLoved.com supported this thoroughly along with worldwide retrogaming community.

We were also privileged to hear first hand some of Andrew’s experience of Hewson in the 1980s at Play Expo Manchester - last October.

We heard about setting up the business and the early days, how Andrew marketed the business with investment in development rather than expensive advertising. Through the growth of gaming generally in the 80s, and Hewson with it into the years with 21^st Century Entertainment. This footage provided by GamesYouLoved.com in collaboration with Hewson will help formulate the bigger story to what is an amazing narrative of gaming history - which is due to be told with the forthcoming release of the book.

Part one: Hints & Tips for Videogame Pioneers - Part 1/3 - The Birth of Hewson Consultants - - part 2 and 3 to follow:

London Animicon July 2013

GamesYouLoved covered this unique event at the Rocket Complex in London embracing anime, manga Japanese culture, and a chance to dress up (cosplay) as your favourite crime-busting cartoon, movie or gaming character while enjoying an offering of everything from live music performances, gamers quiz and competitions. 

It’s so rare that this assortment of people has an opportunity to get together on such a large scale in the UK across two days, let alone with so many diverse interests catered for at once. Lots of effort has been taken to ensure that even if you have only the small interest in anime, you’ll find something to do here. The organisers have catered to reach much more than the anime world covers, this was definitely an anime themed event, but included something for everyone! The gaming room was consistently full of spectators and gamers enjoying new and the more classic titles – in fact, there seemed to be more people watching than playing! Sound effects from video games rang around the room. Some you instantly recognised from days that have passed! The room was full from the moment it opened, if you wanted in you would have to work your way through the tables in the maze of consoles and computers.

The latest animi movies were played through the day and also players took on each others skills in an array of card games!

There was also guest appearances over the weekend and GamesYouLoved.com managed to grab a few words with voice actor Mike Pollock AKA Dr.Eggman and the voice off Dr.Robotnik from the Sonic the hedgehog games! He was easy going, great to chat to, and sign autographs and felt at ease in the non pressured environment unlike at a commercial event.

London Anime Con has grown massively over the last few years and will be sure to expand it further to include all elements of anime, video gaming and cosplay. But including a Gamers’ Day in the event schedule was a great way to bring everything together, and supporting a great charity like GamesAid was a popular choice.

Maybe next year will hold an even bigger arcade or gaming experience and GamesYouLoved.com see the event grow larger than this year! A great, fun convention with a friendly atmosphere. Helpful staff and best of all no charge for autographs!

We at www.GamesYouLoved.com recommend you check this out!

We have a Facebook gallery of images here to - check it out and LIKE our page if you get a chance.
Heres the link https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.281962655280167.1073741826.170790853064015&type=1

Retrovision 2013.

Retrovision- Power UP!

"GamesYouLoved spoke to the guys who run a great retrogaming event 
Retrovision .We asked them about the experience and what inspires them in the world of gaming. We found out about their great track record of running retro events and the scene and many thoughts on what it takes to make a great event"


Retrovision is coming soon - 
Oxford 2013
Friday 20th to Sunday 22nd September. 
Folly Bridge Inn, Oxford. 

What inspired you to get involved and organise this event? 

The event is a slight play on words and the evolution of Retrovision which was the first UK retro gaming event to take place in 2002 and was organised by Markie from the YakYak forums as a celebration of Jeff Minters Llamasoft. Over the years the event has evolved to become a general celebration of all retro gaming, homebrew gaming, modern gaming and cosplay. After Markie decided to take a break from running Retrovision, Amy (Pinkfearie) who runs a charity auction at the event asked me if I would help her co-organise another event and I agreed. We then contacted Psychorob who has been an important part of Retrovision for many years and the rest of the team who helped run the last Retrovision in 2012 and they all agreed to be involved with the event. I am just a small part of the fantastic team which makes everything happen and special. It seemed such a shame to let a good thing which so many people enjoy end, so it had to happen again!

What sort of gamers come to events like this? 

The event attracts locals, regulars and newcomers. The event is unique that it is not heavily promoted locally to the general public, but only promoted on relevant forums (including YakYak, Retrogamer and Stairway to Hell), websites (such as this one), facebook, twitter and at other retro gaming events. Although some people bring their children along during the day, with it being held in a pub it is not really a family gaming event, and is more of an adults gaming event. A number of organisers from other events also normally attend as it gives them a chance to enjoy an event instead of worrying about having to run their own event. Despite having Retro in the event name it is also not just about Retro, and often has XBox 360, PS3s and Wiis running various unique games. Past more recent games have included Taiko Drum Master, Hampster Ball, Space Giraffe and Galaga Legions DX and even a radio controlled flight simulator on the PC.


Is it a really good social experience as well as gaming? 

Some people who go do not even play on the games, and just come along to meet up with friends. The Pub is kept free of computers and separate from the gaming which is upstairs, which also makes it nice to have a break from the gaming during the event. There is also a trip to a local curry house where everyone takes their Nintendo DSs along and use Pictochat while waiting for the food to arrive. There is also 5 gaming competitions held at the event, which adds to the social and competitive aspect and gives people a good reason to play some of the games. Some of the visitors who create homebrew games also bring them along for others to play and get other peoples opinion on them. Past games have included the BBC Micro homebrew game called "Mixed Grill March" which was created especially for the event by starshipcommand and is loosely based on the Wii game "Muscle March" and the PC homebrew game "Markies Revenge" which was created by Beerman.

How far do people travel to get to events like this? 

In the past people have flown in from Europe including PFVA from Portugal and limbclock from Finland just to visit Retrovision for the weekend, but people travel from all over the UK such as Bane who travels from Scotland, Psychorob who travels from Devon and Amy who travels from Doncaster. I myself live in Chelmsford which is a few hours from Oxford. - Whats a good cosplay costume - in your opinion?! Someone who has spent time and thought into making it. It does not have to be perfect, as long as you can make out who it is suppose to be, and the effort has been put in. There seems to be a lot more smaller local cosplay events happening and having retro gaming at the cosplay events is a perfect combination.



How could the retro scene work together more? 

With the increase in the number of events there does seem to be more groups emerging and politics being involved. Somehow Retrovision has always avoided that and invites people from all retro gaming forums, and the atmosphere has always been special, enjoyable and relaxed. - is music part of the event - how does that work out? In the past SID80s (featuring Ben Daglish) have performed at the event in various line ups and while enjoyable this does add greatly to the costs and increases ticket prices as a result. We are not planning any live music this year. During the event we just let sounds from the gaming systems fill the room and have also left retro tunes running through a stereo in the corner to add to the atmosphere. Friday and Saturday evenings will have Rock Band sessions on the XBox 360 and now they have discontinued releasing new tracks for Rock Band I am guessing it might now be considered Retro :-) We are also planning on creating a Podcast at the event on Sunday for the Retro Asylum Podcast.

Do you attend any other gaming or gaming related events - to help out or just for pleasure? 

I have attended many other retro gaming events as a visitor and to supply and help out. So far this year as a visitor I have been to Geek in Kent and Video Games Carnival in Aldershot. I supplied all the systems at NERG and had a large display at Silicon Dreams. I am also supplying TVs and systems for Retromania (being held by the Retro Asylum Podcast) in August, and am hoping to attend the UK Pinball Party in Daventry and CamCon in Cambridge, both events also in August which is quite a busy month. Just to conclude there is a small £10 ticket fee for the event for the entire weekend (Midday Friday to 5PM Sunday) which is used to cover the venue hire and other expenses, although the event is not being done for profit. Tickets can only be bought at the event with Cash.

What’s your take on the console market computing these days as opposed to the beginnings in the 80s and 90s? 

With only three console manufacturers on the market, there is not as much choice as there was and it seems most same-name XBox 360 and PS4 games are identical (apart from the few system exclusives) with the Wii bring in a league of its own.

I own a XBox 360, PS3 and Wii, but only use the PS3 on a regular basis, although one of my biggest frustrations is when I go to play a game I have not played for a while and it then wants to download gigabytes of updates before I can play it, and by the time it has downloaded and installed the updates you sometimes no longer want to play it. It seems more games are being released incomplete and unfinished, using the gamers as beta testers and then releasing updates to fix the bugs and issues which was never possible in the past with console gaming. I am concerned that the next generation of consoles (PS4, XBox 180) seem to be turning more into media devices rather than gaming devoted gaming consoles, and with the increased quality of the games taking more time to create that less games will be released in the future. I am finding myself purchasing less new games than I used to. There also seems to be a load of Android based gaming systems having been announced, but only the OUYA has been released so far, it will be interesting to see if it can find a niche in the current market. As 3D TV sales increase and the eighth generation of consoles are more powerful, it will also be interesting to see if the number of games being created in 3D increases. I would also really like to know what Sega would have released had it decided to stay in the Console market. The only two games I am currently looking forward to are GTA V on PS3 and Transport Tycoon on iOS. The game I am currently playing the most is "I am an Air Traffic Controller 3" on the PC. -

How have the consoles and arcades changed for you over the years? 

Growing up living in Southend I used to go to the arcades and mostly played driving games (Outrun, Hard Drivin', APB), and would also take the bus to Canvey Island which had a few arcades on its seafront. I visited Canvey Island and Southend Seafront a few years back and found it hard to find any classic arcade machines in any of the arcades as it is now almost all slot machines. I really lost interest in consoles during the Fifth Generation of systems, having owned a Master System 2, SNES, PS2 and Dreamcast before they were Retro. Things never stay the same forever so you have to enjoy the moment while you can.

What are the top 5 micros or consoles in your collection?

1. Atari 2600 (USA Sears Tele-Games) - I had a Atari 2600 growing up - a heavy sixer which I still own but is sadly no longer working. The graphics might not be the best, but the games (especially the two players games) are still extremely playable. I now own a modified Sears Tele-Games Light Sixer and the excellent Harmony Multicart. 2. Commodore 116 (Commodore Plus 4) - The Commodore Plus 4 is the computer I grew up with, so holds a special place in my heart. It had some really good games including some exclusives such as Kikstart C16 and The Magician Curse which were not released on other systems. Sadly I sold my original Plus 4 to raise funds towards the C64. The C116 is a rubber keyed mini Commodore Plus 4, but the one I own also has a 64k mod fitted so both 16k and 64k games can be played on it. 3. Commodore 64 - After the Commodore Plus 4, I had a Commodore 64 (the new case style one) from September 1991 until moving to PC in 1995. I still own this and now take it along to events. I think everyone has a special fondness for the systems they originally owned and used back in the day. 4. Sharp X68000 - One of my more recent purchases and already a big hit at the two shows it has appeared at, some of the games on the system are almost arcade quality. 5. Panasonic Q - The nicest looking retro console out there, any console collector really needs to own one of these as part of their collection. The gamecube also had a nice selection of games such as Warioware and Pac Man VS.
 


Have you ever been to overseas gaming? 

Not yet as there are so many events in the UK to enjoy, there has been no need to travel overseas to any events. However I would like to visit CGE in Las Vegas next year if it happens and work and funds allow it. I'd also love to go to Funspot (USA) at some point if the chance arises. RetroMission 2013 -

All proceeds from the Charity Auction will go towards the charities Cancer Research and Magic Moments for Autistic Kids. 

RetroMission 2013 - RV Has Evolved - Friday 20th to Sunday 22nd September. Folly Bridge Inn, Oxford. 

Info on the event via Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/events/361870973919223/ 

and the RetroGamer Forum: http://www.retrogamer.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=42173

Videos from Retrovision 2012:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h2aZTNc56Dc

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ffSCfC7Wn8Y 

Photos from RetroVision 2012: 
http://www.flickr.com/photos/mayhemers/sets/72157629988248105/
http://www.yakyak.org/viewtopic.php?p=1541502#p1541502

RetroActive brings Retrogaming and old skool movies to Leicester

Bringing Retrogaming to gamers in every part of the UK and beyond..that's a dream we all want to bring to life. So RetroActive is back to Leicester again this year. As well as running successful barcade events, organiser Richard Tewkesbury is making a splash with a mix of old skool movie classics and and retro arcade games and consoles -  making a a great day out for everyone.

We spoke to Richard Tewkesbury - Organiser of RetroActive..Based in Leicester they Host A Wide Range Of Retro Gaming And Modern Gaming Events And Tournaments Across the Country.

RetroActive have a Massive Collection Of Consoles And Games to bring to the party!

GamesYouLoved
What has been best thing about your days at RetroActive so far?

RetroActive 
Showcasing my collection for people to enjoy - I love doing that and making people happy.

GamesYouLoved
What video games and arcade games did you grow up with?

RetroActive 
As kids we first grew up with an Oric 1 computer 16k of pure power - but it did have an amazing game called Harrier Attack on it which blew my mind when I was about 6! We then had a C64 which we used to love and play Robocop, Burgertime and Chase HQ 2 - then it was an upgrade to an Atari ST which had some amazing games on it . I loved playing Super Cars 2, Speedball 2 and there was a wicked version of Double Dragon on it as well . 90's arcades were big at this time and we went away with our Grandparents each summer to Weymouth where my love of Arcades Blossomed - TMNT, Simpsons, Mortal Kombat, Streetfighter 2, Roadblasters, Assault, Final Fight, Smash TV and even crappy Pit Fighter!


We played them all to death - with £7 a day pocket money on holiday which was 70 credits at the Arcades - just about enough to complete Simpsons 4 player, that baby used to rob you blind! Good times : ) I also had a Gameboy at this point which used to be glued to my hand - Mario Land, Solar striker, F1 race and Kung Fu were my favourites. When it came out, I then moved onto the Megadrive - Streets of Rage 2, Mortal Kombat and Golden Axe were my favourites. Once i got a part time job I ploughed all my cash into getting a PC Engine Turbo Duo. I built up a massive collection of games including some of my favourites; Gunhead, Splatterhouse and Jackie Chan - but I traded all these in for a Neo Geo AES back in the day when they were £1100 to buy - a mental feat to buy one at 18yrs old but i did it inc Art Of Fighting 2 the day it came out for a mer £275 ouch! - then I moved back to the SNES with classics like Rogue Squadron, Rock and Roll Racing and F-Zero - then really I went through all the rest of the consoles, i could go on for about an hour so i'll leave it there!

GamesYouLoved 
If you could be a video game character who would it be?!

RetroActive 
Mike Haggar from Final Fight - he's totally badass!

GamesYouLoved 
What is gaming all about for you?

RetroActive 
Getting all the old consoles and games I had as a kid back together and finding out hidden gems of video gaming that i never knew about.

GamesYouLoved 
Have you ever been overseas (US and Japan) and if so whats the gaming scene over there like

RetroActive
I've been to the US a few times i went last summer and brought back 30kg's of gaming goodness back! - gaming and retro gaming is big over there, the nes and snes are soooo massive but it seems that everyone hates the genesis/ megadrive though, so there's some sega bargains to be had! every city you go to always has 2 or 3 gaming stores and theres always retro in each one - shame england isn't the same - one day i'll head over to Japan and man am i going to spend a load of cash there lol i'm going to need some massive suit cases!



GamesYouLoved 

How have the consoles and games changed for you over the years?
RetroActive 
Don't get me wrong I love my 360 and online gaming -  but I think consoles and games in a way have lost there magic a bit - I'm glad i grew up when i did I've seen video gaming from the start to today and not just ending up thinking video gaming is Fifa and COD. I miss the magic of the mental sega console add-on days and the Sega and Nintendo console wars - video games have got bigger and alot better in ways but sometimes you just want to pick up a game for 10 minutes and thats what modern gaming is missing it I feel.

GamesYouLoved Where do you see the future of retrogaming in the UK and the world?

RetroActive I think it's riding on a wave of popularity at the moment. Retro gaming though has come to a bit of a dead end with this generation of consoles. I don't think i'll ever class 360 games and Wii games as Retro. So i see another 5-10yrs of retro gaming as we know it now then it might dry but i'm sure they'll be another generation of retro PS4 and Xbox ONE collectors to come!

GamesYouLoved
What's it like running all the activity at RetroActive?
RetroActive 

It can be really stressful getting everything ready and that's the key - preparation for an event! Testing everything and test it again if your equipment is good your events going to be good! But apart from the sleepless nights its great!

For more information on the next events RetroActive have on offer check out these links:

www.facebook.com/retroactiveuk

Also their YouTube channel:

www.youtube.com/user/ukretrogameaddict

GamesYouLoved on tour - northeastretrogaming.com in Gateshead

At GamesYouLoved we want to get out there in the community to get involved with gamers like us -  talk about the thing we love and play some great games at the same time. A great way to do this is by going to one of the many retrogaming events that are establishing a new wave of arcade, console, pinball, handheld interest - across the UK and Worldwide.

The GamesYouLoved Team headed up to Gateshead, Tyne & Wear to do that very thing on Saturday 30th June. In weeks previously we had been following the journey of the organiser and brains behind this unique retro event Phillip Murphy.  Phillip had taken his passion for retrogaming and put something back into the community. As in the North East  - nothing like this had been seen before.

For the months preceeding GamesYouLoved had felt the excitement around the event and put out facebook posts, tweets and even interviewed Phillip on his quest for gaming goodness.

It was a great event in the making...

So we arrived at 7am from the early drive from 'down south' and Phil was there with the keys to open up Gatehead Stadium and nothing could prepare us for what was to happen.  The doors opened and silence...it was quiet! But we were silenced as there was rows upon rows of arcade machines and pinballs from a time gone by - a golden time of gaming when nothing else mattered except the joy of play.

We had a job to do in setting up our stand. But as the machines started to be turned on from the early arrival of the engineers and amazing people (mentioned below) who's dedication means that gamers today can get into this world. We were back to the 70s and 80s all over again.

Afterburner, Outrun, Space Harrier...and that was just SEGA...Bombjack, Phoenix, Spy Hunter....the Point Blank and OMG they have ATARI STAR WARS.!
..it was 1984 all over again....

...compose...focus...we're GamesYouLoved...come on guys

...we couldn't for a while!!  This was retrogaming at the heart of our passion and we loved what was there and what everyone who was just about to arrive was going to enjoy...this was going to be a great day.

And it truly was!  We set up our stand - fired up the Pac Man arcade machine, turned on the consoles we had brought and set out our display of flyers and lollipops and were ready to go.  Gamers from all parts of the UK came...like the bisto kids who smelled the gravy from afar. The games they had maybe forgotten or still remember but could never play now - were there to see.

The noise!! The awesome sounds of row upon row of machines pumped out..the DJ played retro tune..we played out gaming music from our own system from commodore 64 original tunes, arcade sounds to the new wave of remixed sounds from Audio Sprite

The great thing about the day fo us - was talking to gamers - what they felt about gaming and why they had came to NERG. Every story was different - some guys ran their own YouTube channel and had a massive life dedication to the gaming world.  Others played now and again and were getting into retro more and more. Some were just fairweather gamers curious for the old world of gaming. But what was true having spoken to people - was that events like www.northeastretrogaming.com had brought this passion of retrogaming alive back in them..And now it was never going to leave.

And at GamesYouLoved that was all we could ask for!



You can see our mini Tour of the show and just a few of the Gamers we spoke to
via our YouTube Channel. Click the link:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hf0JRd1BkAI


We would like to thank and recognise the following people
for their massive contribution to NERG.

The event wouldn't have been same without them:

Retro Games Party - www.retrogamesparty.co.uk
Northern Lights Pinball Show - www.ukpinball.com
Arcade Dreams - www.facebook.com/pages/Arcadedreams
UKVAC - http://www.ukvac.com/forum

Play Expo - Exclusive Pre-Event Interview

Play Expo...what an event it will be!
We spoke to Andy Brown. Director at Replay Events Ltd, Owner of Console Passion Retro Games about the vision behind the Play Expo - EventCity, Manchester on 12-13 October 2013 , and his gaming passions and why gaming is so important to us all...


What are your roles Play Expo / Replay Events? 
Director, Event Coordinator and glorified stock room boy.

What's it like working for Play Expo / Replay Events? 
Last year I quit my job of 17 years to work full time on Replay Events so that should say something about it. Nothing beats getting up every day to do a job I love, I rarely feel like I'm actually working - I genuinely enjoy my working day. All-in-all I'd say I'm pretty lucky.



What motivates you to keep running events like Play Expo? 
Multiple reasons really. Each time we do an expo we are looking for ways to improve on what we did at the last show and that is a great motivator - to better our previous event. I get such a buzz at Play Expo; walking around and seeing thousands of people enjoy themselves makes me want to carry on doing this as long as I can. Plus I get to meet lots of video game celebrities.

What do you see for Play Expo in the future? 
I see the expo continuing to grow year-on-year. Each show we add new features, increase the number of systems on the show floor, have more exhibitors and as I just said generally improve on the previous year's expo. I personally would like to see more indie games and have some live link up Q&A sessions with industry legends from USA and Japan.

What is the best thing about your job at Play Expo / Replay Events? 
See previous answer - doing a job I love!

What video games and arcade games did you grow up with?
I grew up in Blackpool so I spent a lot of my childhood playing arcade games. We had huge amusements on the seafront and one of my fondest memories is playing Space Harrier Deluxe in Mr B's for the first time - £2 seemed like £200 in those days! I played anything and everything from Galaxian to Street Fighter and I’m lucky enough to own several arcade machines these days, Toobin and Operation Wolf being my two favourites. I’m on the lookout for an Outrun at the moment if anyone has one... I had home computers around me from an early age too. I was firmly in the Commodore camp from day one - I had a Vic 20, then C64 and Amiga so I played most of the well known titles on those machines but I was particularly partial to games containing a certain mole. We also flew the Sega flag in our house, my brother had a Master System and I had a Megadrive.

If you could be a videogame character who would it be? 
Miner Willy as that must have been some kick ass party he had in Jet Set Willy.


What is gaming all about for you?
Depends on the game/genre/generation. I like losing myself in modern games that have a good storyline - I am currently playing The Last of Us which is incredible. I also like the social aspect introduced by modern consoles - the Wii has some cracking multiplayer games which can really liven up a party. If I'm playing retro it's all about the nostalgia of that game. When I have a short gaming session it's invariably on a retro game that I played when I was a kid and I'm trying to beat my top score. Though I did accept a long time ago that I am actually pretty rubbish at games...

What’s your take on the console market and the arcade market these days as opposed to the beginnings in the 80s and 90s? 
Obviously very different, I think arcades are a thing of the past these days which is a shame as it's a very different experience to home gaming. I think the iOS and handheld markets of the past few years have brought about a whole new wave of creativity which we haven't seen for a while. I have nothing against AAA titles but often I am just as impressed by a game that I can download for 69p from the app store. The free rein that small indie games design teams today is very similar to the early days of games creation and that is a good thing IMO.


For more information and to keep up to date with the latest happening for Play Expo click the below to find out more and book your tickets:

http://www.playexpo.net/

http://twitter.com/replayevents

http://www.facebook.com/ReplayEvents

http://www.youtube.com/replayexpo

Our recent winner of the Play Expo competition - Catherine Cock sent us her picture of her winning tickets and her daughter playing with our TomyTronic giveaway and retro goodies.

GamesYouLoved would like to thank Replay Events for donating the tickets for this prize :) 

Horse Racing RETRO fun! by Karl Hnat

When I was a kid growing up in the 60’s, pre the computer age we played all sorts of board games. Monopoly, Risk, Careers, Mine a Million, Cluedo, Formula One and many more. There was one game though that I  remember that was handed down from an old relation that had been around for years. The box was old and falling apart,  made of a heavy box board almost wooden from memory but maybe that’s me just getting old! The game was kept in a cupboard in the spare bedroom and we would play the game every now and then. The game was called Escalado which was a horse racing game, consisting of 5 or 6 lead horses and a track that was approximately 3 to 4 feet long . The game was played on a table and the track was attached at one end to a box with a ratchet handle that one of the players would turn. 

The other end of the track was attached to the table with clamps, keeping the track taught at all times. The horses were then placed on the starting line ready for the race to start. 

We would place bets on the horses with matches or old pennies and the bets were recorded on a betting slip that came with the game. The track was segregated into lanes and each lane had a series of wooden pegs placed on the lines to keep the horses from wandering and running in a straight line. As the ratchet handle was turned the track would vibrate and the horses would move up the track at differing speeds until one would eventually cross the line and be declared the winner. Every now and then a horse would fall of the table eventually resulting in the proverbial three legged horse. We had hours of fun playing this simple game, oh what a wonderful memory, where did all those years go!

Version shown from 1993

Review by Karl Hnat. Karl is the Managing Director of www.colourpoint.uk.com 

GamesYouLoved's Printing Partner which you can also find via our friends page

TV and FILM make up games of the 70s and 80s

Back in the 70s / Early 80 

When the evenings got lighter on a Friday after tea, my friends and I used to go the local park or common and pretend play 'make up games' based on TV and Films of the time... 

Starsky and Hutch was a favourite.

We'd hide down the river ditch to evade the enemy - pretend to catch the bad guys.

One of us used to borrow our big brothers long (way too big for us) wooly jumper like Starsky running around (thinking we were actually him! - but looking just like a kid wearing a jumble sale jumper!)

Sometime our sister would play Charlies Angels - with a cardboard walkie talkie she'd run around pretending to talk to it - crazy but fun!

We also had a mate who'd play Freddie Krueger with plastic knives on their mums glove - chase us around the mad kid!! He's quite normal now...strangely enough!!