Amstrad CPC

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This article or the following section is not adequately provided with supporting documents ( e.g. individual evidence ). Information without sufficient evidence could be removed soon. Please help Wikipedia by researching the information and including good evidence.
Schneider CPC6128
Advertising stickers from the "Schneider Computer Division" from the 1990s

The Amstrad CPC series , in German-speaking rather than Amstrad CPC was known, one in the 1980s popular years series with each other largely compatible 8-bit - home computer , on the then popular Z80 - CPU -based and u. a. found greater distribution in Western Europe. The CPCs were developed by the British company Amstrad , which sells them in the Far East. a. by Orion , as a commissioned work. The designation CPC is derived from the English C olour P ersonal C omputer from.

The computers were sold as a complete package with extensive hardware equipment: They contained the actual computer with integrated keyboard and drive (compact cassette for the CPC464 and 464Plus, 3 ″ diskette for the other models), a color or a monochrome monitor (green for the classic and black and white for the Plus models) with integrated power pack, several short connecting cables , a detailed manual, a CP / M boot disk and a disk with programs or a demo cassette. A television could be connected via an adapter available as an accessory. However, the supplied RGB monitor delivered a much better picture than a television. Depending on the model and equipment, the selling price was comparable or significantly lower than that of a C64 , where the monitor and floppy disk drive usually had to be purchased as accessories.

Since Amstrad did not have any sales structures in Germany, the Schneider Computer Division , a subsidiary of Schneider Rundfunkwerke AG founded specifically for this purpose , took over sales under the name Schneider CPC for Germany, Austria and Switzerland. After Amstrad and Schneider had ended their cooperation in 1988, Amstrad also sold the CPC series under its own name in these countries, which was associated with considerable start-up difficulties, as Amstrad was still not represented in Germany up to this point in time. Because of this and because the CPCs have already passed their zenith, most of the CPCs sold in Germany are still from Schneider. In most other countries, CPCs were previously sold under the name Amstrad CPC .

Technology, equipment and operation

The technology was state-of-the-art throughout, and so the computer was on a par with its direct competitor, the Commodore 64, in most aspects . In some areas (e.g. number of displayable colors, language range of the built-in BASIC interpreter, performance of the CPU, storage media) the CPC was even superior, in others (lack of hardware support for sprites ) it was inferior.

The computer started directly with the Locomotive BASIC (including a detailed manual) included on the ROM . Additional software could be loaded via cassette or floppy disk. The operating system CP / M 2.2, and for the models with 128  kB RAM also CP / M 3.0, could be reloaded with the enclosed diskettes ; other programs and programming languages ​​such as Logo and Turbo Pascal 3.01A were available. Programming in machine language was possible directly from BASIC using the usual PEEK / POKE / CALL commands, but real assemblers were also available.

The BASIC editor of the CPC deviated from the pure screen editor concept of the direct competitor C64 insofar as it was only line-oriented, but with the "copy cursor " for transferring existing screen contents nevertheless quite comfortable function for copying or editing the source text was ready. The BASIC interpreter, which was comfortable at the time, had a fairly good range of commands. Modules and functions were almost completely missing in line with the time of creation, the automated processing of the line-numbered listing (renumbering, merging of individual listing parts, etc.) was possible.

Not only the BASIC, but also the internal operating system (for assembler programmers) were fast and luxuriously equipped compared to other home computers. The ROM of the CPC contained, among other things, an extensive library for floating point numbers as well as a sophisticated interrupt system, some of which could even be used from BASIC (so-called events ).

Standard 3 inch floppy disk
Schneider CPC6128 floppy disk drive

The 3 ″ floppy disk drive built in to replace the cassette drive from the CPC 664 onwards brought a significant speed advantage. The floppy disks were very stable, were delivered individually in cardboard slipcases or jewel cases , and are similar to the 3½ ″ floppy disks that were released later, but with their rigid, black plastic housing, they are considerably more expensive. The 3 ″ floppy disk developed by Hitachi - Maxell was designed as the successor to the 8 ″ floppy disk that was popular in the 1970s, but was hardly accepted by the market. Except for Schneider / Amstrad and later Sinclair , due to the acquisition by Amstrad, this format was only used by a few, exotic computer manufacturers. The media prices were also relatively high because of the low distribution of this format; retailers charged between 7 and 20 DM for a single disk.

The logical format of the 3 "disk was the CPC double-sided (engl. Double sided ) with a double-density ( double-density ), used the recording method MFM , used on each side 40 tracks à 9 sectors à 512 bytes, and thus had a capacity of 360 kB for user data (180 kB per page). The floppy disk also had to be physically rotated in order to write to the second side, since it was a single head drive. Later 3 ″ double head drives were only found in the related PCW computers, but not in the CPC, whereas floppy disks with a higher storage capacity (thanks to the changed formatting density) were quite possible.

Although the 3 ″ disk was superior to the earlier 5 ″ disk, it did not catch on. In the meantime, Sony's 3½ ″ floppy disk has already conquered the market thanks to better performance data (720 kB), stronger marketing and use in the popular Apple Macintosh . The drive's 34-pin data connection corresponded to that of a PC-XT floppy disk drive, only the power supply connection was assigned differently. A power supply adapter could be used to connect drives designed for the PC, the storage media of which were much cheaper. In principle, the AMSDOS operating system could only address one side of the diskette. Therefore, when connecting 3½ ″ drives to the CPC, manual toggle switches were usually built in to select the side, as the asymmetrically structured 3½ ″ disks cannot be turned.

The various CPC models were - an innovation in this price segment - compatible with one another . The software could largely be exchanged. From the mid-1970s to the mid-1980s, the CP / M operating system was the de facto industrial standard for professionally used 8-bit computers, so that in the area of ​​office applications (e.g. WordStar , dBase , Microsoft Multiplan ) and programming languages, software could also be used that had not been specially created for the CPC. The CP / M software offer was not directly accessible because of the disk format that was different from practically all other CP / M computers; Mailboxes through which programs could be downloaded were only just emerging in Europe and were not known or accessible to very few. However, depending on personal interests, it was also possible to work without using CP / M. In any case, CP / M hardly played a role in the field of computer games.

Technical specifications

Main processor

Zilog Z80 in 40-pin DIP

In the CPC series, a Zilog main processor (Z80 or Z80A) (with a data word and data bus width of 8 bits) did its job. This processor was superior to most of the other 8-bit processors of the time in many ways (large number of instructions allowed very compact programs, maximum clock frequency of up to 4 MHz , integrated IO controller, integrated DRAM refresh, virtual 16-bit registers, wide Spread and low price). In the CPC, the Z80 CPU is operated with a clock frequency of 4 MHz, whereby each machine command is stretched to multiples of 4 cycles in order to avoid access conflicts between the main processor and video electronics ( snowing ). Since many of the most widely used Z80 instructions require three or four cycles, the performance penalty associated with this process is relatively small. Theoretical computing power of up to 1 MIPS results,  but in practical applications it is more likely below 0.5 MIPS.

R.A.M.

Depending on the model, the CPCs were equipped with 64 kB RAM (464, 664, 464plus, GX4000) or 128 kB RAM (6128, 6128plus), of which about 42 kB were available to the user under BASIC for programs and / or data. Since the address bus of the Z80 CPU with a width of 16 bits could address a maximum of 65,536 different addresses (i.e. bytes, i.e. 64 kB), the expanded memory of the CPC6128 (and possibly also CPCs equipped with memory expansions) was made available via bank switching . A 16 kB block of memory from the second 64 KB block (or other blocks) was faded in in the memory area addressable by the main processor (here between 0x4000 and 0x7fff) (which means that the memory normally located there was hidden, i.e. temporarily not available was standing). Overall, memory expansions of up to 576 kB were possible (limited by the control of the 16 KB blocks) and were also available at the time. It wasn't until 2007 that expansions came onto the market, with which an expansion of up to 4 MB became possible.

ROME

Depending on the model, the CPCs were equipped with 32 kB (464) or 48 kB (664, 6128) ROM , each 16 K being based on the operating system / kernel (lower ROM), BASIC interpreter (upper ROM) and (with Presence of a floppy disk drive or controller) that AMSDOS (also upper ROM, see below) distributed with part of the programming language Logo. In contrast to this, the 464plus / 6128plus / GX4000 models did not have a built-in ROM, but a slot for plug-in modules, whereby the module for the 464plus and 6128plus not only includes a game but also all of the above. ROMs included. Through a u. a. Uncommitted Logic Array specially designed for this purpose, these ROMs in the CPC (at different address areas: lower ROM between 0x0000 and 0x3fff and upper ROM between 0xc000 and 0xffff) could be faded in and out at will. In the upper ROM, up to 252 different, 16 K ROMs (can be faded in and out) were theoretically possible.

BASIC

The basic interpreter of the CPC series (Locomotive BASIC 1.0 in the 464 or 1.1 in the 664, 6128, 464plus and 6128plus) was exceptional for several reasons at the time. On the one hand, there were extensive commands for generating graphics, sound output, text windows and UDGs ( user-defined graphics ), etc., on the other hand, it was e.g. B. possible to expand the command set via RSX ( resident system extension ) as required . Like most 8-bit BASICs, the interpreter immediately subjected every program line entered in the (line-based) editor to a lexical analysis (tokenization) before it was saved. This reduced memory consumption and increased the speed of the programs.

graphic

The graphics display in the CPC series is controlled by the CRTC ( cathode ray tube controller , a Motorola 6845 controller, which was also used in CGA graphics cards) and the gate array . The combination of these two integrated circuits is interesting here, since the CRTC is mainly designed to display text modes (with character ROM , i.e. character set ROM, similar to the first IBM PC, the C64 or today's teletext ), but in the CPC it is designed for quite a bit ingenious way together with the gate array that generates control signals and image content and controls the resolution of the color palettes. Only then are the three different graphic modes ( Mode 0 : 160 × 200 pixels for 16, Mode 1 : 320 × 200 pixels for 4 and Mode 2 : 640 × 200 pixels for 2 out of 27 colors) possible in the CPC series. The lack of a real text mode and the hardware sprites, however, significantly restricted the CPC (compared to the C64) in game mode - the command effort required to display moving graphics is much higher in the CPC, so that games either run more slowly or more largely have to set static, still image content.

In order to reduce costs, a more highly integrated IC (ASIC) was used in later models of the classic CPCs as a replacement for the CRTC and gate array (shown on the reduced motherboard).

The 464plus, 6128plus and GX4000 models received an improved graphics chip that had integrated sprites, scrolling and even 32 colors (from 4096). In addition, the new graphics chip was able to be compatible with the old chipset, which it did by default when it was switched on in classic mode. Switching to the improved mode is done by machine language commands that are undocumented for the public, but these were already disclosed in 1992 in the magazine CPC Amstrad International (as well as in English and French computer magazines). Nevertheless, only relatively few disk games use this switching and thus exhaust the capabilities of Plus models.

Amstrad has used various suppliers for the CRTC. In the case of the documented functions, these are fully compatible, but there are incompatibilities with very hardware-related programming, particularly in demos, so that not all tricks are possible with all CRTC types. Such programs therefore often determine the CRTC type used in order to use other routines accordingly or to hide the corresponding program parts entirely. The following count is widespread (but unofficial):

  • CRTC 0: HD6845 (Hitachi)
  • CRTC 1: UM6845R (UMC),
  • CRTC 2: UM6845S (UMC) or MC6845 (Motorola),
  • CRTC 3: CPC + ASIC
  • CRTC 4: ASIC of the cost-reduced classic CPCs

When counting, it should be noted that this is not chronological: CRTC 4 was used before CRTC 3, but was only discovered by the scene after CRTC 3. Due to the deviations in the CRTC, it is now common in scene circles to have several CPCs with different CRTCs. The most incompatible CRTC is type 2, the most compatible type 0, followed by type 1.

Sound

The sound generator in the CPC is an AY-3-8912 (originally from General Instrument ), a chip that generates 3-channel stereo sound and has integrated envelope and noise generators (as well as IO channels via which e .g . The keyboard is queried in the CPC and reading and writing of the cassette is controlled). Compared to the possibilities of a synthesizer (such as the SID , which e.g. gives the C64 its voice), those of the AY-3 are relatively limited, but here, too, the low price was decisive for the choice. This tone generator (or modifications thereof) was z. B. also installed in many arcade machines , in the Atari ST , Sega Master System , Sega Mega Drive , Nintendo Game Boy and other consoles from the early 1990s.

connections

  • 50-pin circuit board connector for hardware expansions (50-pin Centronics socket on 464plus, 6128plus, German CPC6128)
  • 36-pin circuit board connector as printer interface (7-bit) (36-pin Centronics socket on 464plus, 6128plus, German CPC6128)
  • 34-pin circuit board connector for external 3 ″ floppy disk drive (FD-1 secondary drive without controller) (not for CPC464, 464plus and GX4000, 36-pin Centronics socket for 6128plus and German CPC6128)
  • 9-pin Sub-D joystick connection (two joysticks via switch or socket, especially 1st joystick) or 2 digital joystick ports on the 464plus, 6128plus and GX4000, whereby the first joystick port is still with a switch could be used.
  • 6-pin DIN socket for connecting a monitor (8-pin DIN socket for 464plus and 6128plus)
  • 5-pin DIN socket for connecting a cassette recorder (not CPC464, 464plus, 6128plus and GX4000)
  • 3.5mm stereo output
  • Only 464plus, 6128plus and GX4000: 15-pin Sub-D analog joystick connection
  • Only 464plus, 6128plus and GX4000: RJ45 socket for connecting a light gun (the same signals are also available at certain ports of the expansion interface)

Country specification

The keyboards were partially adapted to local standards (Spanish, French or English assignment). Rumor has it that there was also a German keyboard.

With three solder bridges on the motherboard, production could be switched between the brands Amstrad, Orion, Schneider, Awa, Solavox, Saisho (Dixon UK), Triumph and ISP. As far as known, Amstrad, Awa (for the computers exported by Mitsubishi Electric to Australia; the housing lettering remained the same) and Schneider (Germany) were used.

Another solder bridge determines whether the monitor should be addressed with the European 50 Hz or the American 60 Hz.

A further solder bridge could be used to determine whether the computer starts the BASIC interpreter or the CP / M when switched on. Resourceful hobbyists have replaced this solder bridge with an externally accessible switch.

While the external plugs in the Amstrad models were partly designed as inexpensive circuit board plugs , similar to today's plug-in cards, the better shielded Schneider CPC6128 had micro-ribbon interfaces or plugs, better known under the unofficial name Centronics Plug (it is the same type of plug that is used on the printer side of printers with a parallel interface).

On the Amstrad models, some buttons on the CPC464 and CPC664 were highlighted in color:

  • green: CTRL, SHIFT, CAPS LOCK, COPY, TAB and DEL
  • blue: RETURN and ENTER
  • red: ESC.

In contrast, the keys on the same computers in Germany were uniformly black (CPC464) or gray (CPC664) in order to give the computers a more serious appearance. From the CPC6128 onwards, the buttons were uniformly gray (CPC6128) or white (Plus series) across countries.

The differences between the country-specific models were therefore in

  • the labeling of the buttons and the back of the housing (for Spain and France)
  • the color of the button on the CPC464 and CPC664 (for Germany)
  • possibly the ROM (character table, for Spain and France)
  • possibly changed solder bridges for other trade names (for Australia and Germany)
  • possibly changed solder bridge for frame rate (for Europe or USA)
  • the language of the label on the floppy disk drive (color table).

history

Classic models

CPC464 (1984)

Amstrad CPC 464, with CTM640 color monitor

The CPC464 is the original model in the CPC series. In contrast to the other models, the CPC464 has a cassette drive for storing data and the Locomotive BASIC version 1.0. The 3 ″ floppy disk drive and controller were sold separately. It was delivered with 64 kB of memory. In 1985 the CPC464 was voted Computer of the Year.

The CPC472 was manufactured in a small series by Amstrad / Indescomp for the Spanish market. More precisely, the CPC472 is not a separate model, but technically corresponds to the CPC464. The reason for the introduction of the CPC472 was a Spanish law, according to which every computer with 64 kB of memory had to be delivered with a Spanish keyboard. In order to circumvent this law, additional - but completely functionless - 8 kB RAM were built into the CPC464 on a small additional board, so that it could still be delivered with an English keyboard. After the law was extended to any memory size, the remainder of the CPC472 was delivered with a Spanish keyboard.

CPC664 (1985)

Schneider CPC664

The CPC664 had an improved ergonomic keyboard with a slight curve as well as a 3 ″ floppy disk drive and 64 kB of memory. However, the CPC664 was not on the market for very long, as Amstrad had already announced the successor model CPC6128, which, in addition to the 3 ″ diskette drive, contained 128 kB of RAM.

CPC6128 (1985)

Amstrad CPC6128

The CPC6128 had an improved, flatter keyboard without curvature, 3 ″ disk drive, 128 kB and was originally intended for the American market. Since the Z80 processor of the CPC could only control 64 kB of RAM, access to the remaining memory was only possible by fading in 16 or 64 KB blocks of the upper memory area into the lower memory area, a technique called bank switching .

Plus models (largely compatible)

In addition to this original series, there were later some more simply produced and at the same time improved, but too late developed successor models of Amstrad, aimed at the game console market. The housing color changed to the usual beige-gray, and an interface for plug-in modules was installed. Furthermore, the Centronics sockets of the Schneider CPC6128 have now been adopted for all countries. Because of this, and because all ROMs (including the table of characters that may have to be adapted for France or Spain) were now integrated in the plug-in module, all models could be sold in all countries without modifications to the circuit board, since only the keycaps and the plug-in module were different.

There were also changes to the sound chip and the graphics chip, which had integrated sprites, scrolling and even 32 colors (from 4096). The compatibility was largely retained thanks to the CPC-ROM in the plug-in module. Due to the further developed competition (for example Commodore Amiga and Atari ST ) the models could not prevail.

464plus (1990)

As CPC464, plus the above Improvements. Although there is an expansion port, the connection of a floppy disk drive is more difficult because, on the one hand, the expansion interface has been converted to Centronics and the DDI-1 controller was still developed for the old circuit board connector. So you need exactly the counterpart of the adapter that the German Schneider CPC6128 owners previously needed. In addition, the cartridge contains an AMSDOS, which collides with that of the controller.

6128plus (1990)

Spanish Amstrad 6128Plus

As CPC6128, plus the above Improvements. Ggü. however, the classic CPC6128 lacks the connection for the cassette recorder.

GX4000 (1990)

Amstrad GX4000 game console

Technically, the GX4000 largely corresponds to the 464plus, but has no cassette drive and no connections for printers and expansions. In order to be able to connect it to the television, it has both a composite video and a SCART connection. In the heyday of the CPC is a tinkerer found (Wolfgang Noisternig, also known as The cranium ) of the game console into a full 6128plus Advanced .

CSD

The CSD or Cartridge Software Demonstrator was an advertising measure for the Plus / GX series. Building on CPC spare parts with a box-like housing, up to twelve game cartridges were housed on a second board, which could be played for a limited time. The individual cartridges were selected in the on-screen menu. The CSD was intended for demonstration purposes in department stores and was not freely available.

Projects and internal code names

A follow-up project to the original CPC series ran under the code name Arnold or ANT (Arnold Number Two).

Rumor has it that Amstrad's computers were all called Arnold within the company , named after the chief developer Roland Perry ( Arnold is an anagram of Roland ).

Since little information is available, a comparison with PCW technology will probably lead the furthest. As a result, 256 or 512 kB RAM and a 3½ ″ drive appear realistic for the project. The use of the compatible Z80H, which clocks twice as fast at 8 MHz, could also have been part of the plan.

The numbering is always on the start screen, e.g. B. as (V3), visible:

  • Arnold 1 = CPC464
  • Arnold 2 = CPC664
  • Arnold 3 = CPC6128
  • Arnold 4 = 464plus, 6128plus and GX4000

There is no separate Arnold number for the CPC472, as it is not an independent computer. The entire Plus series shares an Arnold number, but the displayed version 4 differs from the number V (Roman 5) used during development.

Another, officially confirmed, but probably very unofficial name within the CPC series was IDIOT, it was an abbreviation for Insert Disc Instead Of Tape .

Clones, tags, and newspaper ducks

DDR clone

KC compact

The KC compact , a clone of the CPC464 based on GDR or Soviet chipsets, introduced on October 7, 1989 and, due to the almost immediate collapse of the GDR, a rare clone of the CPC464. Almost compatible, equipped with 64 kB or optional 128 kB RAM, it was operated with a cassette recorder or an optional (and even rarer) external 5.25 ″ robotron floppy disk drive and a television, the case reminiscent of the C64.

Russian clone

In 1993, a Russian company in Omsk (Siberia) produced a clone of the Aleste 520EX that was compatible with a CPC6128. There was also the option of switching the device to an MSX mode. Except for 192 kB RAM, there were no differences to the CPC in CPC mode. An expansion card called Magic Sound made it possible to play Scream Tracker files directly with this computer.

In the meantime there is a slightly modified version of Caprice that enables the Aleste 520EX to be emulated.

Newspaper duck from France

The (fictional) CPC5512 was a joke by the French computer magazine Hebdogiciel in 1985, which was revoked in the next issue, but resulted in legal consequences.

Upgrade to 512 kB

Under the project name CPC 6512 , the German computer magazine c't published instructions in October 1987 on how a CPC 6128 can be equipped with 512 kB main memory.

In the assembly instructions, which are designed for experienced hobby and amateur users, the (firmly soldered) RAM modules in the computer have been replaced by those with a higher capacity and the new address lines are addressed via additional ICs. As with the CPC 6128, the extended memory was logically addressable and accessible via bank switching . Due to the lack of support in the AMSDOS and CP / M operating systems of the CPC (which were only designed for 64 kB main memory anyway), the additional memory could only be used in self-written programs or programs published as part of the project. The most important standard application is likely to have been the RAM disk, which can be addressed both under AMSDOS and under CP / M.

The project is somewhat similar to the CPC 5512, which the French computer magazine Hebdogiciel described in an April Fool's joke. Unlike there, the CPC 6512 is actually a realizable, functional conversion of the CPC 6128.

In later years RAM expansions up to 4MB (both external and internal) were available. From CP / M Plus there was a version by Dobbertin that supported up to 576 kB RAM. A 448 kB RAM disk was made available for this. A full 4 MB RAM is only supported by FutureOS. However, expansion RAM can also be used from BASIC, albeit only to a limited extent.

Available accessories and software

Hardware (selection)

  • External floppy disk drive DDI-1, 3 ″, especially for retrofitting the CPC464
  • Printer (Amstrad), dot matrix printer for continuous paper (tractor)
  • Any printer, Centronics interface (printer port), 7-bit or 8-bit.
  • Joystick, different models and manufacturers
    • Cult: black rectangular base with red stick and buttons (e.g. Competition Pro )
  • Mouse, Lightpen , video interface, external loudspeakers, Fischertechnik scanner-plotter, voice output module from dk'tronics and Amstrad
  • Do-it-yourself control and measurement modules
  • rare: Amstrad radio base for CTM monitors
  • rare: dart scanner (attachment on printhead to turn DMP printer into scanner)
  • rare: monitor TV adapter (Amstrad MP3)
  • external datasette drives (normal cassette recorder with adapter cable)
  • other 3½ "and 5¼" floppy drives. (The assignment of the mechanically identical four-pole power plug differs!)
  • Memory expansion (up to 512 kB (contemporary) or up to 4 MB (today))
  • Etc.
Schneider CPC demo software was included with the CPC 464

Software (selection)

  • Programming languages: C, LOGO, Turbo-Pascal, FORTRAN , basic compiler for Locomotive BASIC, assembler editors
  • Office applications, by category, numerous: word processing, spreadsheet, calendar, database, desktop publishing (DTP) for brochures, business graphics
  • Laboratory & technology: CAD, 3D graphics, statistics & calculations
  • Tools: image processing, (ASCII) poster printing, image printing, music, disk copying, disk sector editor
  • Experiment: apple man, artificial intelligence, game of life, speech synthesis, video
  • Various games (see C64 and Sinclair), all genres
  • Control of additional hardware: plotter, scanner, LightPen, mouse, drives, modem
  • CP / M software, in practice access restricted by 3 ″ media and dealers. An inexpensive 3.5 ″ B drive eliminates the 3 ″ deficiency.
  • Operating systems: FutureOS , Z3Plus, others

Software (especially for the Plus / GX4000 series)

For the 464plus / 6128plus there were only 27 games on the plug-in module and thus for the GX4000 in total.

Bundled with hardware:

  • Burnin 'Rubber (Lag the console and the 464plus / 6128plus)
  • The Enforcer (Only with light gun ( light gun ) together available)
  • Skeet Shoot (only available together with light gun)

Available individually in stores:

  • Barbarian 2
  • Batman The Movie
  • Chase HQ II
  • Copter 271
  • Crazy Cars II
  • Dick Tracy
  • Fire and Forget II
  • Gazza II
  • Klax
  • Mystical
  • Navy Seals
  • No exit
  • Operation Thunderbolt
  • Pang
  • Plotting
  • Pro tennis tour
  • Robocop 2
  • Space gun
  • Great pinball magic
  • Switchblade
  • Tennis Cup II
  • Tintin on the moon
  • Wild Streets
  • World Of Sports

On diskette or cassette (and therefore cannot be used directly for the GX4000):

  • Prehistory II

See also Category: Amstrad CPC Game .

particularities

This article or the following section is not adequately provided with supporting documents ( e.g. individual evidence ). Information without sufficient evidence could be removed soon. Please help Wikipedia by researching the information and including good evidence.

The French market was a curiosity. Here the demand for CPC was much higher than expected, while it was rather restrained in Germany and England, especially for the Plus range. This also brought many Schneider / Amstrad CPC and Amstrad Plus with English keyboard layouts (possibly as gray imports) to France, some with white, French color table stickers on the floppy disk drive. In the case of the Schneider CPC6128, this also meant that the buyer would be confronted with the Centronics sockets that were not available in regular French goods.

Literature (selection)

In addition to this selection of books, there were various computer magazines that had the CPCs as their main topic. The most important German-language publications were:

  • CPC Schneider / Amstrad International (from 03/1985 to 12/1992)
  • Schneider Magazin (from 12/1985 to 10/1989)
  • Schneider active (from 10/1985 to 03/1988)
  • CPC special issues from Happy Computer

Web links

Commons : Amstrad CPC  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Technical data of the individual CPCs and clones

Emulators

Via software:

Via hardware: