by André Luna Leão
“…even though it is widely understood that knowledge is an iterative and cumulative process, let’s be realistic: until now, there was nothing that truly did justice to the richness of what happened in terms of software for these systems in Portugal since the early 1980s! It is therefore not too bold to consider this book the most comprehensive survey ever conducted in this field.
[…] All of this was made possible thanks to the painstaking work carried out over many years by many individuals, whom the author had the intelligence to mobilise and lead in order to expand the community’s knowledge.“
Foreword by João Diogo Ramos
ILLUSTRATIVE PAGES
(subject to minor adjustments)
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
André Luna Leão first came into contact with the ZX Spectrum in 1983, when, during the holidays at his grandparents’ house, his cousin showed up with the computer. He was immediately captivated by one of the games he often saw his cousin and uncle playing: “Football Manager”. From that moment on, strategy games (wargames) and sports management titles became a lasting passion, one that stayed with him even as he moved on to the 16-bit era around 1990.
In September 1985, his mother gave him a computer as a birthday present — the TC 2048 — which he still owns today in perfect condition, along with a cassette player, a Neptun 156 monitor, and a batch of tapes, including one of his all-time favourites: “Formula One”.
He distanced himself from the ZX Spectrum world in 1990, storing the computer on a shelf as he began university. At that time, he acquired a PC (a 386) to assist with his academic work. It wasn’t until around 2003 that he discovered it was possible to run old ZX Spectrum programs on modern PCs using an emulator. From then on, he gradually rekindled his old passion.
At the end of 2015, he decided to create the blog Planeta Sinclair (first post in January 2016) as an outlet for his imagination and a space to write reviews of the games he liked most (and also those he didn’t). It wasn’t long before he began writing for magazines such as “Espectro” and “Jogos 80”, and occasionally for publications in other languages, such as “The Spectrum Show”.
He is also dedicated to translating games into Portuguese. Notably, he translated the catalogue of Team Siglo XXI / Topo Siglo XXI, which was later released in Portuguese. He has also translated games from other authors, including titles by Dave Hughes — with whom he maintains a partnership through “Spectrum Computing” — and the epic “Castlevania: Spectral Interlude”, developed by the renowned SaNchez (Alexander Udotov) and his team.
André is frequently invited to beta test numerous games and to serve as a judge for some of the most prestigious ZX Spectrum-related competitions.
BOOK DETAILS
276-page book, printed in full colour on 80–100g paper, perfect bound.
Softcover with spot varnish on the title and embossing on the computer image.
Vertical format, approximately 22×16 cm.
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