Happy Birthday Spectrum!

[Cricko2]

That yellow shop in the Vic Circus precinct, I'm pretty sure it was called Software+

Correct Kenny.

 

[Slipperduke]

Not that I am some sort of geek but it was Witchspace, not Hyperspace.

That's the one!

Ah, what a game. Remember the huge sense of achievement when you made enough money to buy a docking computer and prevent spinny tantrums?

 

[Kenny]

Correct Kenny.

So what actually happened with Wizzards then?, it vanished quite suddenly.

 

[Cricko2]

I opened it I think it was 1990. I had previously lived Orsett way and had a furniture shop in Hornchurch. But My Son came along and the Mrs prefered Leigh.

At that time there were but two shops selling that sort of thing in the town ..Platinum in the Broadway and Software plus ...Estuary came a bit later....I was Nintendo registered which meant you could only sell there game releases.. But the "Grey Market" started to happen not long after I had opened. I was able to of course sell Sega products as and how I pleased.

During the following 12 months all hell let rip with the Mutiples. Every High Street major saw the light so's to speak. When the N64 was released My quota as an affilated Nintendo supplier went awol,yet the multiples had stock coming out of there ears. I was Allocated I think about 25 machines ...I had pre orders for 100. So my customers did not understand that they had preordered with me, yet I had No stock ...but they were able to walk to Woolworths and get one off the shelf. Woolworths I hasent to add were not Nintendo registered and could do as they please. In Nintendos defence obviously they were a much bigger customer than me which I had no Arguement with providing the orders I had placed with them were met.

That was the start of the downfall. Then we had 3 games to to sell, F-Zero. Super Tennis and I think it was Castlevania or something similar anyway. Within a Month all over Southend Leigh etc you could buy imports of Zelda Mario etc ....Which of course I could not sell because they were Grey imports. I wrote a very stern Letter to Computer Weekly expressing my anger at this ridiculous treatment and many single traders acoss the country who were in a similar position backed my stand...The N64 was the only new games machine about then, even pc.s were not prevalant at that time.

I was stuck, I had been stuffed up with old NES stock and old gameboy product by Nintendo's marketing which was going to be in my shop forever i could not get any new games or Machines.

I had an almighty row with Bandai the Uk suppplier of Nintendo products saying how much they had let us Sole traders go to the wind now Mutilples had shown interest and how many Grey games were available to the Public I wasnt allowed to sell......

I went home just before Xmas one year.Thought about it and decided it was a fruitless course to carry on ....I went back in Jan and within a week had sold everything to a guy that wanted to open some shop North Essex way .

 

[Einstein]

Sega Mega Drive II.

This was my first console and I still have one favourite to this day...

Sensible Soccer - Legendry!

 

[Kenny]

Nintendo etc

ah yes I recall when the SNES first came out Wizards was the place to be, I remember you fixed my mates SNES when one of the pins in the cartridge slot broke.

As for Platinum in Leigh Broadway I remember they did a stellar job on getting my 2nd hand Amiga working like a treat (the disk drive was dirtier then a Canvey girl when I first bought it). Once this was done my Disk 2 of Champ Manager 92/93 worked for the first time ever.