ZX Dreams Vol. 2 Review By Britt - Author – Graeme Mason Publisher – Fusion Retro Books 📖 #RetroGaming

I covered ZX Nightmares, the original book in this series back in 2023, and was so taken by it that I followed it up with an interview with the author, Graeme Mason. It remains one of my favourite books on gaming (being one of the few to genuinely make me laugh out loud whilst also being incredibly insightful) and is sadly out of stock on the Fusion Retro Books at present, because so many incredibly wise folks snapped it up upon initial release! 

I remember seeing some noise on the internet that there would be a follow-up (ZX Dreams) which got me excited, and then for reasons I still can’t fathom – it completely passed me by, I can only assume that I was buried deep in some preposterous 90-hour JRPG review for GF and time had all but ceased to hold meaning. Whatever the reason, I recently noticed that a second volume of ZX Dreams had been released, and jumped at the chance to cover it here at GF.

The cover (and included dust jacket) feature a handsome gentleman in a white t-shirt lying in bed, lost in the realms of sleep as various instantly recognisable 8-bit characters dance around his head. From Trap Door characters through to Dizzy via the racer from Super Hang-On – it hints at the titles to be covered inside these hallowed pages. Also included is a white-ribbon page-marker to keep your page – and you will need this, because, like all the best books about gaming – you’ll probably find yourself pausing to jump online and watch some footage of / spend a bit of time playing the game currently being discussed in ZX Dreams, as Mason’s words bring the experience to life, and often add context and intrigue to each title.

Beginning with a foreword from Raffaele Cecco and an introduction from the author himself, the colourful contents page then lays out the chapters that make up the rest of the book:

• Simply Wonderful – awesome games
• Brilliant Budget – notable budget titles
• Amazing Arcade – arcade conversions to the Speccy
• Lovely Licenses – licensed games

At over 260 pages, ZX Dreams Vol. 2 covers a lot of ground, and each game is given space – although Mason’s writing is so engaging, I’d have happily carried on absorbing it, should there have been double the amount of text for each entry. Each section is laid out in the same uniform format with the left-hand side of the double-page spread entry for each game featuring the cover of the game and a handful of screenshots, whilst the right-hand page features the current chapter title at the top, game title, publisher, an introductory paragraph to set the scene which is followed by the meat of the text, broken up by -often tongue-in-cheek – mini-headlines and a sprite from the game at hand. This setup works perfectly and the long-running jokes such as Mason grimly clinging onto the Spectrum far beyond its natural lifespan and deep into that which lies beyond life (Death? - Ed) adds a sense of charm and humour to the proceedings.

Whilst the writing style is warm, informative and genuinely amusing, at a couple of points there is evidence that this series may be running a tad out of steam, especially in the section titled ‘Brilliant Budget’ whereby a couple of entries feel a tad average, although in the acknowledgements himself, Mason states that he has no plans at present for a third volume of the series.

As with ZX Nightmares, I thoroughly enjoyed my time with ZX Dreams Vol. 2, and was so caught up in the warmth of the text that I – after finishing the book - again picked up ZX Nightmares and I am again making my way through it for the third time (as is my partner, so it’s lucky there are multiple page-makers on that one!). This really is a must-read for fans of Clive Sinclair’s most beloved creation, as it so expertly and succinctly dives into the keystones of the library of games, and makes them jump off the page. Whilst I can understand that we don’t have an upcoming third volume of ZX Dreams, I dearly hope Graeme Mason is currently tucked away as we speak, compiling a spreadsheet of some sort for a future book for his fans to devour. Very much a huge recommendation from us here at GF!

Purchase Link