Last updated
8 Jan 1998
sinclair@nvg.ntnu.no
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The New Sinclair Spectrum 128K +3...
With Built-In Disc Drive!
Amstrad
plc promotional brochure, 1987
Even Better...
Following in the footsteps...
The Spectrum was famous from the first day it
appeared. Five years later, its fame has spread. Millions
of Spectrum owners know the reason; the combination of
colourful graphics, creative sound and great value have
guaranteed an unparalleled range of software. Today,
there are more Spectrums and more Spectrum programs than
ever before. And today there is a Spectrum with more
features and more power than ever before. The ZX Spectrum
+3. The Spectrum +3 has everything that made the family
famous. It includes 128K of RAM and the enhanced sound
capabilities of the Spectrum 128K +2. It has the advanced
keyboard and built-in joystick ports of the 128K +2. Most
of all, it has the original Spectrum's inexhaustible
appetite for software. But it's the new features that set
the Spectrum +3 apart as the most exciting Sinclair
computer to date.
More in store
For the first time, the Spectrum has a disk drive as
standard. Games load in seconds, not minutes. Each disk
can hold more than 350 kilobytes of programs and data;
more than enough for a fifty thousand word novel. Imagine
the games that this sheer size makes possible. Then
remember that the country's leading software houses have
been working with the +3 for some considerable time. A
challenging prospect.
Good connections get you far
Existing owners have been well catered for. Spectrum
ZX Basic has been extensively redesigned and enlarged. A
resident Disk Operating System allows instant access to
the new facilities, and there are many features to ease
the transition from tape to disk. In most cases, BASIC
programs will transfer without modification. An ordinary
cassette recorder can be connected to allow full access
to the huge software base.
The +3 has inherited the monitor connection,
four-channel sound, MIDI port and serial printer
interface of the +2 to make it by far the best connected
Spectrum yet. It's easy to use, too.. Switch on, insert a
disk, press one key and your game is ready to play. You
can't go wrong with the joystick ports, either - they're
built-in as standard. Programmers will appreciate the
menu-based editing system and the simple disk commands.
Users will appreciate the word-processor quality keyboard
and clear graphics. And everyone will appreciate the
standard Spectrum expansion connector, ready to accept
drum machines, mice ports or modems.
There are a large number of games already available on
disk. You can defend the universe from intruders, win
gold on the ski slopes and battle mythical monsters in an
all-too-real fight to the death. You can sample all three
at the touch of a key, in less time than it takes to
rewind a tape. Those aliens just havent a chance...
Getting Serious
Games aren't the only things that are better with the
Spectrum +3. The professional user will find a built-in
parallel printer port, with in-depth support from BASIC.
The disk system is hardware compatible with the Amstrad
range of home computers, ensuring that designers and
programmers already have the expertise to create truly
advanced software. There's a socket for a second disk
drive, to produce a system capable of working hard for
its living. Inside, the Spectrum +3 makes full use of new
technology. By using fewer chips to do a better job, the
Spectrum's reputation for value is enhanced while
reliability is improved even further. All aspects of the
Spectrum +3 are covered in the comprehensive manual,
which combines tutorial and reference material to provide
an ideal introduction and working companion. Everything
is described, from first programming in BASIC to the hard
facts about machine code and the Disk Operating System.
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