The ZX Spectrum shouldn’t have been that big of a deal. It was a budget and underpowered personal computer released at a time when the personal computer industry had more options than most people would ever need. At the very least, the ZX Spectrum’s audio cassette media format and bizarre methods of software distribution should have made its library of supported games little more than a novelty.

Instead, the ZX Spectrum became one of the most important video game devices ever made. The little computer that could found its way into a surprising number of homes and helped launch the modern British video game scene in the process. It may seem like a strange story, but when you look at some of the games that helped define the ZX Spectrum, it all starts to make a little more sense.