Did you have a C64? The Commodore (two ms – hence two ms in ‘commpendium’) was one of those early consoles that had a lifelong impact. I talk to gamer geeks who love to reminisce about favourite games they played on it.
There’s good news for fans and good news for friends of fans looking for that perfect gift. Europe’s largest retro games store Funstock will stock, as an exclusive, a collection of C64 art with notes from Steve Jarratt. Jarratt was editor of Commodore Format and knows his stuff.
The book has some 230+ pages, makes frequent use of double page spread and maintains a high standard of print quality. That said; the C4’s art was something special. Expect to see many squares and pixels in this lithographical tome.
Retro is the best word for this book. Sure, yeah, you could argue that the notes along with each game title have historical value and interest and no C64 fan would disagree with you. The book really is about turning the page and gasping out a; “Oh! I remember this game!” It’s also about turning the page and exclaiming; “What on Earth is this!”
(click for a larger image)
There’s no doubt where The C64 Visual Commpendium belongs. It doesn’t belong on a bookshelf. You’re getting closer if you suspect this is a coffee table book. It actually belongs on the corner of shelf on your TV stand just below your TV. You could also put it on top of your modern games console. The latter feels like an especially valid place if you’ve friends visiting who’re going to be going up to change discs… provided, of course, you still use discs.
Instinct tells me that it’s okay to be selfish and buy this blast from the past for yourself. Okay, “blast” is a bit technical for the C64. Let’s call it a bleep from the past. If you’re a nostalgia fan then you’ll want this. It may well be the case that the “visual compendium” gets scarce around Christmas time as it’ll make an absolutely excellent gift.
This review is peppered with photographs of the book. The video below is different. Using a combination of poor light, Google+ filters and a very retro 8MM style this YouTube clip presents a tour between the pages.
Tempted You can pick up your copy from Funstock here and throw in a loading postcard as an extra.
My copy of the Commodore 64 Book: A Visual Commpendnium was provided for review.
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