Frequently asked questions

Where can I get Spectrum software?

World of Spectrum is the largest archive of Spectrum software (and other material including magazines, books, emulators and utilities, as well as being home to the WoS forums, the most active discussion forum for the Spectrum).

Why doesn't World Of Spectrum have (incredibly famous Spectrum game) available for download?

Software from the Spectrum's commercial era is still under copyright, often owned by companies who are still trading. World Of Spectrum has a policy of respecting the wishes of copyright holders, and actively seeking permission for their software to be redistributed, and unfortunately the rights holders for a number of prominent software houses (including Ultimate and Codemasters) have declined permission.

What's the best emulator?

It depends what criteria you're judging them on. In practice, there's not much to choose between them unless you're concerned with hardware add-ons, development tools or obscure hardware quirks - and for the purpose of playing games, any of the choices on the Emulators page will serve you well.

How do I use an emulator?

Colin Woodcock's book The ZX Spectrum On Your PC is an excellent introduction to the subject.

How do I get program files from the PC back on to a real Spectrum?

World of Spectrum's Program Transfer page covers a number of options for transferring files back on to tape.

In addition, there are a number of recently-developed hardware add-ons which allow you to use emulator files directly on the original hardware. One popular setup is the DivIDE IDE interface, in conjunction with a CompactFlash-to-IDE converter board; files from the PC can be copied to a CompactFlash card and loaded on the Spectrum. The Spectranet ethernet interface is another option; this allows emulator files to be loaded from a PC file server, on your local network or over the internet.

Have you seen Hey Hey 16K?

Yes. Good, isn't it?