A new version of Amspirit, an Amstrad CPC emulator by Dmanu78 is available on its own web site now for windows. There is a 32 and 64bit version.

This version features :

• IPF and HFE file formats are now supported
• Binary files (with AMSDOS header) can be loaded into ram by dragging them onto emulator's window
• More and better command line options. Common file formats are automatically detected
• Improved UX and interface
• Extended RAM support, up to 4 Mb
• And as always, some bug fixes, including a major AY emulation fix, FDC timings adjustments, and a better handling of a couple of Z80 opcodes

The next major version will feature CPC+ and GX4000 emulation.

The thread on CPCWiki is here.

The latest Amstrad CPC artwork by Colin Thomson is a pirate ship. You can also see his two others Amstrad CPC drawing :

• Amstrad Drawing (Bob Ross style, american artist)
• Drawing a Parrot

I do hope that we won't be faced with a midlife crisis, as this year the Amstrad CPC 464 is just 40 years old. I leave you to the good hands of ChinnyVision who will talk about it better than me.

The last version of the Amstrad CPC emulator CPCEC by César Nicolas Gonzalez, was released the 28th March 2024.

PunyInform v5.4 by Fredrik Ramsberg and Johan Berntsson is a library written in Inform 6 to create adventure game (pure text, no graphic support contrary to DAAD) using the Z-machine virtual machine which will run on 8bit computers (or more recent computers too). PunyInform has a parser, knowing of common verbs and a framework to write adventure games.

PunyInform is based on the Inform 6 library written by Graham Nelson. Its goal is to make easily adventure games in Inform 6, with a manual describing the differences between the official library and PunyInform..

Games using PunyInform can be compiled in z3, z5 and z8 format (z3 being the best format for 8bit computers, other formats have more features). Compared to the Inform 6 library, it means that there is no support for the Glulx virtual machine but z3 format is important as Inform 6 doesnt support it.

To compile games written with PunyInform, you should use the Inform 6 compiler maintained by David Kinder. Binaries are available on if-archive. PunyInform needs Inform v6.35 (or more).

They are tutorials to write adventure game with PunyInform (end of the page) and all the documentation including a 8 page cheat sheet (quick reference)..

To try your game after compilation, you can use WinFrotz by David Kinder, to create map easily you can use Trizbort.

And finally, to create an Amstrad CPC and PCW disk image, you will have to use the Puddle BuildTools which works under linux, windows 1x with WSL2 or MacOS with Intel processor and OrbStack.

New version yesterday by Roudoudou of his ACE-DL Amstrad CPC emulator.

After downloading the emulator, you can also get a SymbOS disk image or OPL3 music to be used with the Willy OPL3 plugin.

Kommando Urbex by Altanerus Dog is an adventure game for Amstrad CPC (remember Amélie Minuit ?) in spanish and english. Urbex means urban exploration : exploring abandonned places.

You can download it on the web page of the game. There is also a new page with a Dandanator ROM of all games by Altanerus Dog. It's a great idea, maybe we will have all the games as a CPC+/GX4000 cartridge ?

For the 3th PunyJam contest PunyJam Garry Francis wrote with the PunyInform library a text adventure game : Submarine Sabotage (February 2023).

You are currently serving aboard the USS Ibis, the first of the US Navy's top-secret Puny class submarines. The Puny class is an attack submarine that packs maximum firepower into a minimum-sized hull. It relies on speed and stealth to surprise the enemy.

The USS Ibis is currently on a training exercise in the North Atlantic, just off the coast of Newfoundland. You were doing some routine maintenance at the aft end of the submarine when the sirens sounded. You thought this might have been a training exercise until you noticed a whitish-coloured gas approaching you from the aft bulkhead. Training and instinct took over. You couldn't get to a gas mask in time, so you dived into the nearby airlock and closed the air-tight hatch behind you.

You are now alone and have no idea what is happening throughout the rest of the sub. You can't leave the airlock through the inner hatch (the one you entered by), or you'll get gassed, and you can't leave through the outer hatch, or you'll drown. What can you do ?

You better have to download the Airlock Collection pack v5 for its Amstrad CPC/PCW disk image, the Itch page has only a Z3 and Z5 infocom file.

For the 3th PunyJam contest PunyJam Dee Cooke wrote with the PunyInform library a text adventure game : Lucid Night (February 2023). You've always been a lucid dreamer, but these days your dreams never last very long. If only you could get some rest... You better have to download the Airlock Collection pack v5 for its Amstrad CPC/PCW disk image, the Itch page has only a Z3 and Z5 infocom file.

For the 3th PunyJam contest PunyJam Johan Berntsson wrote with the PunyInform library a text adventure game : The Fantasy Dimension (February 2023). Embark on a thrilling adventure through a fantasy world, starting at an enigmatic airlock. You better have to download the Airlock Collection pack v5 for its Amstrad CPC/PCW disk image, the Itch page has only a Z3 and Z5 infocom file.