At the first UK Amstrad Group meet, Jo Cook shared the story of how Amstrad became such an important part of her life.
Starting with her first CPC 464, Jo talked about favourite games, helping her dad run Merline-Serve, writing for WACCI and eventually contributing to Amstrad Action while still a teenager.
The presentation also includes memories of Future Publishing, the Amstrad Action team, reviewing software and hardware, and how those early experiences helped shape Jo’s later career in journalism, training and learning and development.
It is a funny, personal and sometimes emotional look back at Amstrad, family, writing and community.
A lot of great feedback has been received about the fantastic time had by all, at the inaugural UKAG meet and there were many highlights for me. One that made me particularly happy was the opportunity to buy two new games for my CPC 464.
Imagine that: the chance to buy multiple new games, on cassette, in 2026!
We had hopes that the UKAG buy and sell table would have some treasure and sure enough, one of our fantastic community brought a batch of new games, from Spain, personally, for attendees to buy.
Naturally they all sold out quickly, for the sum of £10 each, exactly what I used to pay for new cassette games in the 1980s.
Dark aliens
The two games on offer were:
Alien – The Xenomorph
The Dark Knight – Shadow of Madness
Both of these sail pretty close to the wind in terms of copyright… They’re best regarded as retro gaming tributes to great fiction characters!
Alien is the most recent of the two. Pleasingly you get to play as the Alien for once. You work through screens one at a time, retrieving your eggs, navigating jumps and ladders and avoiding being shot by mean astronauts.
I immediately messaged my sister on the day, we grew up watching the Alien movies at too young an age, and she always sympathised with the Alien. When Alien: Isolation was released, she pointed out that Fluffy (her nickname for the Alien) was just scared and confused, separated from her hive and queen.
So it’s 8-bit Sympathy for the Alien, I love the premise! It genuinely plays well too. The controls are smooth and responsive, making it possible to duck astronaut laser shots, pop up and immediately retort with an acid spit in a split second. The Alien is comprised of only a few pixels but the animation is nicely realised, details such as its long tail waving around during walking show the effort and refinement here.
I’m Amstradman
It was a treat to buy and try The Dark Knight – Shadow of Madness. This was another side on, screen flipping jump and shooter, but with some twists. Playing as an unknown superhero bearing no resemblance to any fictional property, hostages have to be located and rescued, while jumping, climbing, avoiding chemical drips and more.
The mechanics are unique and define the game, there is a smooth double-jump available, but only one per jump. You can throw a… character styled “boomerang”… but only once, you have to wait for it to return to you, and if thrown carelessly, it can jam on a platform or wall on the way back, requiring travel over to collect it back.
This all creates a more thoughtful, strategic experience, while still being fun, pick up and play action. The controls deserve a mention – so smooth! The jumping and double-jump is reminiscent of happy old platform experiences such as Super Mario Land on the Gameboy, which is a definite compliment.
Novaknight
Chris, aka Novabug, stalwart of the Amstrad scene and YouTuber extraordinaire joined me in trying The Dark Knight out – he filmed me playing it and tried it himself. Look out for it in a future episode on Novabug’s fantastic YouTube channel (and subscribe if you haven’t already!). We both loved the game, we can’t both be wrong!
Both games were a treat to play and it was so novel to pick up new Amstrad CPC games in 2026, and tapes at that. I hope this continues, I was mainly a gamer on my Amstrad, so I will always be on the lookout for new titles.
These are two terrific little games, genuinely enjoyable to play in their own right, with real refinement and polish in their controls, responses and gameplay. Both also are as good as any graphics and sound as I have ever seen on the Amstrad CPC. And I’m saying that as a green screen owner! Both games looked fantastic on my GT64 green screen and CTM64 colour monitors. Alien suited the eerie green glow and the title screen for The Dark Knight just popped on the green screen monitor. That also leads me to think that both games have been tested, developed and refined with care and passion for the scene.
Holy utility download Amstradman
Definitely get hold of a copy of each if you can. It’s easy to download them, though much more exclusive to get a physical copy – the kind of thing you only find at a UKAG meet!
Coming home from UKAG 2026 with two new Amstrad games was the icing on the cake for a fantastic day.
Do let us know if you’ve tried these games and if there are any other new titles the UKAG team should check out. Our machines continue to punch above their weight, 40 years on!
Speaking of the design and manufacture of the Amstrad CPC, architect of the machine, Roland Perry said, “We can make it twice as good if you spend another 5p on the components,” to the senior decision makers at the consumer electronics company back in the 1980’s.
And so they did!
“That’s where we’ve got the 27 colours from,” continues Roland.
“The 27 colours is six resistors! It’s absolutely nothing, it’s brain power, a very talented engineer who was on my team, but only six resistors.”
The interview
Roland Perry, who was responsible for the CPC development, was interviewed at our inaugural public meetup on the 21st June 2026.
The interviewed looked at what it was like working with Alan Sugar at Amstrad, including later being a consultant on the UK version of The Apprentice. Roland commented that Alan was:
“Very straightforward, plain speaking, honest… He in real life is absolutely the same as he is on that show, it’s not an act but it’s absolutely what he’s like”.
When taking his team to a Sinclair user show, Roland shared the vision of having an Amstrad version, which is team thought was just dreams. Low and behold, a year later Amstrad achieve that dream, “because everybody just threw their entire heart and effort” into the project.
Roland’s later work included being responsible for all those CompuServe and UK online CDs on magazine covers to get you on the internet, important work around the law for coercive control and more that you can see in our recording.
The video
You can watch the interview, hosted by our very own Jo Cook, including discussing the CPC mini and Roland’s advice for young programmers today.
The dust has just about settled on out inaugural UKAG meet of 2026, and a fantastic time was had by all. But don’t take our word for it (which you can, we made videos too!), instead see what respected members of the retro community thought.
There has been some wonderful coverage of the day, that the UKAG team have all enjoyed watching:
Mark Fixes Stuff – 2 mins 24
Our old friend Mark, from the fantastic Mark Fixes Stuff channel, kindly dropped in on our event, filming a great report from the day. Thanks Mark!
Novabug – 18 mins 53
In depth chat and a kind review from Chris aka Novabug, stalwart of the Amstrad scene. Brilliant to have had you there on the day and thank you for your strong support for UKAG, from the very beginning.
Retro Asylum – 19 mins 46
It was great to have Chris from the terrific Retro Asylum channel join us also. He got stuck in and spoke to everyone, trying out virtually every system, game and utility in the day – great stuff and that’s what events like this are all about. Thanks for the good company Chris!
Retronaut – 22 mins 54
A great report from Retronaut – we’re glad to have converted him into an Amstrad enthusiast! Look out for his chat with our Honorary President Roland Perry, for details on Old Number 2 – the ANT prototype shown at UKAG 2026.
Novabug’s UKAG 2026 Livestream – 5 hours 25
Novabug, you have truly surpassed yourself, kindly immortalising and livestreaming almost our entire event on the day – over 5 hours of retro Amstrad goodness! Be warned that there are some… hilarious but mature humoured comments from viewers during the stream. It was great to have so many enthusiasts join us remotely as well as in person, thanks to Chris.
Sad you missed out?
Thanks to everyone who joined us on the day, or via the livestream above. UKAG will be exhibiting at VGE Nottingham on July 18th and we hope to have another day of Amstrad fun and friends. Come and say hello if you can make it!
It’s always great to see you, with or without your own Amstrad retro kit!
We will let you know when we have more events planned. The first to know are those on our WhatsApp community, so you are welcome to join that.
What is a meetup like?
If you haven’t been to our meetup, or a retro event before, you might be wondering what happens. You come along, reminisce, play with old machines, and do whatever takes your retro fancy!
This is a short 1 minute overview video of our inaugural event in June 2026:
And this is a longer 8 minute version with more detail:
We’ve had our first public Amstrad user group meeting, and it was amazing! We didn’t really know what to expect. At one point, if there was more than the seven of us we would have been happy – and there was the best part of 40 retro geeks nerding out!
The UKAG organising group are over the moon and think it was a success all round. We’re debriefing, thinking and planning for the future – definitely watch this space and our Facebook page for more.
The day
We had a few events running, including a couple of high score competitions, some talks, and of course lots of chat around computers.
Lots of people had purchased table tickets, and they didn’t disappoint with the items they brought along. Our very own Adam brought along his stock CPC 464 and 6128. He and others played newish Batman and Alien games. And yes, you can see an M4 board on the back of the 6128.
There were lots of others with all sorts of Amstrads, including an NC100 and NC200, a CPC mini, a prototype and much more!
See what you missed!
If you couldn’t make the day, no problem at all – we have a video with the highlights for you to see what we are all about:
We will have the full Roland Perry interview and Jo Cook presentation coming soon as separate videos.
And if you want to share a shorter overview with your friends, it’s just here.
If this has whet your appetite, UKAG will be at the Video Games Expo in Nottingham on the 18th July 2026! We have partnered with VGE to get UKAG on the road.
Thank you so much every body for coming and making it a special day!
One of the best things about a retro computing meetup is the glorious uncertainty of what will turn up on the day.
Yes, there will be Amstrad CPCs. Obviously. But there’ll also be modern add-ons, original joysticks, development projects, repairs, games, books, boards, cables, probably at least one mystery box, and a fair amount of “I’m sure I had the right lead for this somewhere…”
Ahead of the 2026 UK Amstrad Group meetup, some of our members have been sharing what they’re planning to bring, both in videos and in our WhatsApp community. It’s already shaping up to be a brilliant mix of playing, tinkering, developing, fixing and chatting.
TechNick’s Amstrad kit
TechNick is planning to bring a lovely selection of hardware, including his trusty CPC 6128 and possibly a GX4000 too. He’s also got a PicoGUS up and running, along with a tape drive, Gotek, Multiface II and M4 board.
That’s a great mix of original Amstrad kit, modern expansions and sensible backup options. Because anyone taking disk drives and tape drives to a retro event knows that “just in case” is not over-preparing. It’s survival instinct.
On the games and software side, TechNick mentions Buggy Boy, Advanced Art Studio, Advanced Flight Trainer and Elite, so there could be racing, drawing, flying and space trading all happening on one setup.
Very normal. Very Amstrad.
Adam’s meetup bag
Adam’s video starts with something rather special: his CPC 6128 signed by Roland Perry, who was in charge of the development of the original system and is now UKAG’s honorary president.
Roland will be at the meetup too, so Adam mentions that if you ask nicely, he might sign your system on the day, for a donation to charity. We cannot promise there won’t be a queue!
Adam is also bringing his CPC 464, which is ideal for cassette games, along with the joystick he used through the 80s. He also mentions buying a Manta Ray joystick after Rod Lawton, editor of Amstrad Action, said they were great. These are the little details that make retro computing so personal. It’s never just a machine, is it?
Also in Adam’s kit are an M4 board, some recent eBay wins including Klax, Lotus and Castle Master, unopened games that really ought to be tried at last, a light pen, and a BASIC book as he continues learning some programming.
Development, repairs and a bit of collaborative coding
Dave, “the old fart behind Typhonsoft”, in his own words, has booked a table and will be bringing his Linux box and monitors. He’s planning to spend the day talking about and working on Amstrad development projects.
He has two CPC projects on the go at the moment and hopes the meetup might give him a useful push to make more progress on them. As Dave put it, it’s a chance for “a spot of the old collaborative development”.
That’s exactly the kind of thing we’d love to see at the meetup. Not just finished projects, but work in progress, shared ideas, problem-solving, curiosity and people getting stuck into making things.
Chris Green is also preparing for the day, with a bit of shopping ahead of the meet. He’s picked up a DDI-5 for his 464, and one of his planned jobs at the event is to dismantle a CPC 464 keyboard and replace a broken key plunger.
Have you seen the CPC Mini? Yes, it’s a real thing!
Well Simon Green will be bringing his along for you to have a play with.
So if you like seeing the insides of machines, learning how repairs are done, or just standing nearby saying “ooh, careful with that bit”, there should be something for you too.
So there’ll be a chance to get a retro fix in a slightly different form too. Computer games, board games, tabletop games and retro hardware have always influenced each other, and it’ll be great to have a few things on hand that people can sit down and play together.
Bring yours, play ours, or just come and chat
All of this shows why the UK Amstrad Group meetup is shaping up to be such a fun and varied day.
Some people will bring full setups. Some will bring games, joysticks, expansions, books, repairs, projects, or mystery items from the loft. Some will come to play. Some will come to learn. Some will come to chat. Some will probably do all of those things before lunch.
You don’t need to bring anything to be part of it. But if you do have a CPC, GX4000, games, magazines, add-ons, projects, demos, repairs, or something Amstrad-related you’d love to show people, we’d love to see it.
Join us at the UK Amstrad Group Meetup 2026
The UK Amstrad Group meetup takes place on Sunday 21st June 2026.
There’ll be classic machines, modern expansions, games to play, repairs to watch, development projects to talk about, board games to try, people to meet, and plenty of retro Amstrad chat throughout the day.
Book a standard ticket, grab a table ticket if you want to bring your own setup, and come and be part of it.
Whether you’re bringing a signed CPC 6128, a trusty 464, a Linux development box, a keyboard repair job, a Pac-Man board game, or just yourself, you’ll be very welcome.
Computer games, board games, tabletop games and pixel art all have a habit of borrowing from each other. Sometimes that inspiration is obvious. Sometimes it is delightfully cheeky. And sometimes it results in a board game that is absolutely, definitely, legally not Pac-Man. Honest.
In our first video on the UKAG channel, I takes a look at three tabletop games that scratch that retro gaming itch when plugging in things feels like a bit too much faff. There is a physical version of Pac-Man, the cooperative card game Level Ten, and the wonderfully presented 8Bit Box, which looks and feels like a board game console.
Same but different
It is all about that familiar retro feeling, but in a slightly different form. No loading screens. No tape errors. No fiddly cables. Just cards, cubes, pixels and a table full of nostalgia.
The video starts with Pac-Man, complete with the familiar ghostly gang of Blinky, Pinky, Inky and Clyde. There is a nice strategy-game twist to it too, with shades of Quoridor-style play as players use the board and barriers to outwit each other.
In the game I played with Simon, he took on the role of Pac-Man, trying to grab all four power pellets, while I controlled the ghosts and attempts to stop him. You move one or two spaces trying to catch each other and use up Pac-Man’s lives.
Next up is Level Ten, a cooperative card game where players help Izzy work through ten levels across five different video game worlds. It is full of cute pixel art, simple rules, limited communication and a proper “one more go” feel.
Finally, there is 8Bit Box, a clever board game system styled like a retro console. The base set includes three games: Pixoid, which is absolutely not Pac-Man, Out Speed, a space racing game, and a sports-style game that works much better than taking long turns each. The whole concept is great fun, especially the controllers with multiple uses.
Come and have a go
The best bit? These games will not just be on screen.
I will be bringing them along to the UKAG meet on Sunday 21st June 2026, where you will be able to sit down, have a play and get hands-on with some retro-inspired tabletop gaming.
So, alongside the Amstrads, chats, demos, community atmosphere and general retro goodness, there will be a chance to try something a bit different. These games are a lovely reminder that retro gaming is not only about the hardware. It is also about the ideas, the design, the artwork, the competition, the cooperation and the memories they spark.
Whether you are a long-time Amstrad fan, a board gamer, a pixel art appreciator, or someone who just likes shouting at a wooden Pac-Man, come and have a go.
Sometimes the Amstrad community gets a lovely surprise. Sometimes it gets an enormous one.
This week, Sir Alan Sugar, the man behind Amstrad, shared a post on X linking to The Retro Hour podcast episode featuring UKAG founding member Jo Cook, along with this very UK Amstrad Group website. For a community built on enthusiasm, nostalgia, practical tinkering and a huge amount of shared history, that is a rather special moment.
The Retro Hour said of the tweet in a direct message:
“You’re not going to believe this one.”
And we almost didn’t until we saw it with our own eyes!
Podcast celebrating 42 years of the Amstrad CPC with special guest Jo Cook, who takes us deep inside the Amstrad scene of the late 80s and 90s. From growing up with a CPC464 and helping run the legendary King Arthur’s Domain PD library and Merline-Serve, to writing for Amstrad… pic.twitter.com/6lDNpjO1SH
For UKAG, this is fantastic promotion. We already know how much affection there still is for the Amstrad CPC, PCW, PC, GX4000 and the wider Amstrad range, but having Lord Sugar himself acknowledge the podcast and the UKAG website puts that enthusiasm in front of a much wider audience.
It is also a reminder of why UKAG exists.
Beyond the 80s
The Amstrad story didn’t end when the original machines left the shelves. It carried on through the people who bought them, coded on them, repaired them, wrote about them, swapped disks, ran clubs, made friends, and kept the scene alive.
Today that same spirit continues through online communities, modern hardware projects, archive work, repairs, new software, events, meetups and good old-fashioned chat about why these machines still matter.
UKAG was created to bring those people together. So, to everyone who has followed the link, listened to the podcast, found the website, joined our WhatsApp community, bought a meetup ticket, or simply thought “I had one of those!”… we welcome you to our little retro corner.
To Lord Sugar, thank you for giving the Amstrad community a very welcome boost. We promise not to let it go to our heads too much, although we may need a little lie down. We hope you are happy to see your creations live on, through enthusiast owners such as our group, as well as our events.
The Amstrad scene is still here. Still friendly. Still busy. Still wonderfully enthusiastic. And now, thanks to one very well-timed post, a few more people know about it. We’ll see you at our event, coming up very soon!
Now, Sir Alan, how about a CPC Mini, we reckon that would really sell…
AUA is a group of friends and enthusiasts of retro Amstrad machines from the 1980s. We started as a Facebook group around 2017, as a meeting point for users interested in this system and the possibilities of these machines.
The Amigos y Usuarios de Amstrad (Friends and Users of Amstrad) support all initiatives related to the development of new hardware, software, and anything connected to this system.
Within this framework, cooperative projects have been carried out such as DES (Dandanator Entertainment System), as well as support for other smaller, but equally important, initiatives.
We also collaborate with other retro computing events such as:
We participate and provide our machines so that everyone can enjoy, remember, and play with them again.
Given how we experience modern technology today, with flat screens, always-connected mobile devices, computers, and all the technology around us, we must not forget where it all comes from: the first mass-market home computers of the 1980s.
As retro enthusiasts, we also want to showcase new video games and hardware expansions, and demonstrate that these machines do not need to be discarded if found at home. We can encourage people to recover and revive them using modern hardware and today’s active scene. This is not just a passing trend—quite the opposite.
Our events
AUA began in 2019 with the Run”AUA event, organized at La Casa+Grande in Rivas-Vaciamadrid, with support from various media outlets that helped promote it.
Attendance was immediate, and we had a very enjoyable day with more than 20 AMSTRAD systems on display, where people could enjoy games, programs, and these magical machines from the 1980s. We were also joined by the Association of Classical Computing Users, who brought several systems for exhibition.
At the 2024 RetroAlacant event, we had over 70 Amstrads between Amstrad CPC (all versions), Schneider CPC, PCW, PC, NC and Mega PC and at the 2025, three CPC64 protos + PCW sample case and some documentation… Three Amstrad CPC464 prototypes in the same event 🙂
Our events include the following sections:
– Repair Workshop: We repair, solder, replace memory modules, floppy disk drive belts, and most importantly, we bring your Amstrad back to life. – Game competition in a real machine. – WorkShop about expansions, like DES, Dandanator, M4. – Machine exhibitions. – Book, hardware and Games presentations about Amstrad machines or another retro computers.
Association
AUA was legally established as an association in 2024 and currently has seventy-five members, not counting Roland Perry who is member number zero and an honorary member.
