Home Computer and Video Game Museum

Acorn Electron 1983


Country: United Kingdom
Processor: MOS 6502A - 1.8Mhz
Architecture: 8 bit
Memmory (ram/rom): 32k/32k
Text (characters): 80*32
Colors: 8
Resolution: 640*200
Sound: 1 channel
Interfaces: Cassette/RF/RGB/Expension slot
Storage: Datarecorder
Cost @ launch: GBP 199

The Electron was a budget version of the earlier released BBC.
It was easy to expand with the Plus 1 (ROM slots/Printer connector and Joystick connectors) and Plus3 (3 1/2 inch DD FD) add-ons. Lots of games and other software where available on cassette. At the time there was a radioshow which transmitted some little programs over the air. You had to record them on your tapedeck and than you could load the programme with your datarecorder. Or you could spend an entire sunday typing in lines of code from a magazine or book.

Elite..... One of the most addictive games I ever played. It featured a great gameplay and was at the time one of the first games with 3d graphics. You had to trade commodities between planets and dogfight your way from planet to planet. Docking the orbitting space stations was an extremely precise job unless you where able to buy the docking computer with the money you earned.