Top 10 ZX81 Games

10 - QS Asteroids (1981)

QS Asteroids

QS Asteroids is a variation of the classic arcade Asteroids game.

The player navigates a space ship in deep space surrounded by a wave of asteroids.

The player has three ships and a bonus ship is awarded once 10,000 points is reached.

9 - Flight Simulation (1982)

Flight Simulation

The essential controls of an airplane include the joystick, flaps, rudder and engine power. Moving the joystick sideways affects the ailerons on the wings causing the plane to bank to the left or right. Moving the joystick forwards and backwards affects the elevators on the tailplane so that the nose of the airplane moves down or up respectively. The aerodynamics of an airplane are extremely complicated. Changing one control usually has more than one effect. For example the ailerons do not simply cause the plane to roll, but produce a sideways airflow which causes the plane to turn as well.You may learn and experience these effects in the simulation.

The attitude and motion of an airplane is shown by many instruments and navigational aids in the pilot's cockpit, as discussed below. The pilot needs to use these instruments to navigate his airplane on to the right line or vector for approach to the runway, to fly his airplane on the right heading or bearing along that vector and to approach the runway with the right speed, altitude and descent angle to land the airplane.Typically, the correct approach angle of descent should be about 3deg which implies an attitude of about 6, 000 feet at 20 miles out, 3, 000 feet at 10 miles out and 1, 000 feet at just over 3 miles from the runway. The rudder controls can contribute to the turning of the airplane.When on the ground, while taxi - ing the rudder controls also steer the direction of the airplane.

8 - 1K ZX Chess (1982)

1K ZX Chess

'Technical excellence' provides the basic ZX81 with an excellent game of chess. Plays TWO opening moves and checks that all moves are legal. The board is displayed and moves made by a graphics notation.

7 - QS Invaders (1981)

QS Invaders

QS Invaders is a variation of the classic arcade Space Invaders game.

There are three bases between the players laser cannon and the wave of alien space ships that serve as protection.

Throughout the game a flying saucer will fly across the top of the screen that offer bonus points if destroyed.

The games ends if all of the players three laser cannons are destroyed or if the alien invaders descend into the baseline.

6 - 3D Defender (1981)

3D Defender

5 - Galaxians (1982)

Galaxians

Galaxians developed by Artic Computing is a ZX81 clone of the classic arcade game Galaxian.

It's a fixed screen shooter where the player moves his spacecraft down the bottom of the screen and has to shoot at the aliens moving back and forth above him.

Aliens will at time leave their formation and swoop down towards the player try to collide with him or hit him with bombs.

When all three lives have been lost the game ends and the player gets to enter his name for a high score.

4 - QS Scramble (1981)

QS Scramble

QS Scramble is a variation of the classic arcade game Scramble.

It's a side-scrolling shooter where the player controls a space craft flying over the surface of an alien planet.

The player can move their space ship up and down and can use missiles and bombs to destroy alien and rocket targets.

The game goes ends when the player has lost all three lives or their fuel runs out.

3 - Breakout (1981)

Breakout

Breakout is a clone of the arcade game of the same name for the ZX81 and has you controlling a bat at the bottom of the screen, moving it left or right.

You must deflect a ball upwards to hit a wall above made up of bricks and hitting one turns it into a dollar sign.

Hit a dollar sign and it disappears and the aim is to remove the whole wall and make as much money as you can.

If you let the ball go past the bat then you lose one of ten lives.

2 - Mazogs (1982)

Mazogs

You will be confronted by a large and complex Maze, which contains somewhere within it a glittering and fabulous Treasure. You not only have the problem of finding the treasure and bringing it out of the maze, you must also face the guardians of the maze in the form of a host of fearsome Mazogs.

1 - 3D Monster Maze (1981)

3D Monster Maze

The games starts with the players character randomly placed in a randomly generated maze where the objective is to find the way out of the maze.

Also in the maze is a T. Rex which again is randomly placed in the maze and starts to chase player once the games starts.

As the T. Rex's gets closer to the player messages will appear on screen indicating his presence.

The game ends when the player successfully exits the maze or when the T. Rex catches the player.