So with the benefit of decades' worth of hindsight, which was better: ZX Spectrum or C64? Bearing in mind the technical gulf between the two machines, some might say that it's an easy win for the Commodore hardware - designed to provide accomplished hardware assistance for the sort of arcade games that defined the era, and definitely benefitting from a wealth of development talent not just from the UK but from Europe and the USA too.
However, regardless of its technical disadvantages, for many kids in the early 80s, the ZX Spectrum was their first experience of home computing and video games and as such, holds an unassailable position in their hearts. While it couldn't hold its own against the Commodore hardware in terms of the arcade-style experiences of the era, its limitations propelled developers towards new concepts and ideas - and it's hard not to believe that 8-bit gaming as a whole didn't benefit immensely from the existence of the Sinclair machine: the good old plucky Spectrum.
