There was something effortlessly classy about programming BASIC on a black Toshiba MSX in a dark room. Black computer, black TV, black screen, with only crisp text glowing in the darkness. It felt less like coding and more like a quiet conversation with the machine.

Defender of the Crown was ported to the Amstrad CPC in French but no conversion was made to English language. So it looks like this legendary game set in medieval England was released for almost every computer in English, except for the British CPC... Interesting paradox! Photo shot in my studio.

CheckIt on an IBM PS/1 felt like having a tiny repair shop on a floppy. Memory tests, benchmarks, keyboard checks, endless confidence. In the early 1990s, watching green bars crawl across the screen felt oddly reassuring.

David Crane worked wonders with Ghostbusters on the Apple II: smooth animation and that unforgettable theme, a catchy tune that stuck in your head for days. Photo shot in my studio.

Food going low, torch almost expended, surrounded by traps and monsters roaming about. Genuine panic in the dark. In 1987, before we had a word for “immersive gaming”, Dungeon Master opened a new genre... and then locked us inside. Real-time interactive 1st person environment.

Two tiny dragons, hundreds of screens, catchy music, and that irresistible “just one more level” trap. Bubble Bobble's arcade magic followed us to home computers, every single port I know of was fabulous. For instance here on my C64. Bubbles were serious business after all.

Ultima VII: The Black Gate turned your DOS PC into a consistent (albeit fantasy) world where NPCs kept schedules, bread baked, and Britannia felt astonishingly real. I'm sure you'd agree that many modern RPGs still owe it a debt. Here's the full intro sequence: youtu.be/3IUS6WN1Wec

In 1989, Populous on PC proved that VGA wasn't just a spec sheet, but a new world to shape. Raising land and smiting rivals with a mouse felt strangely natural. Gods adapt quickly. Full story here: youtu.be/PEnJQtzFI_M

Choose your opponent for the joust! In 1986, Defender of the Crown loaded an entire medieval movie onto your screen. Jousting, sword fights, castle sieges, strategy, and the most beautiful graphics ever seen on a home computer. Photo taken from my studio.

F-19 Stealth Fighter was a masterclass in tactics. Every mission was a puzzle of radar coverage, timing, altitude, and restraint. Success wasn't measured by how many enemies you destroyed, but by how many never knew you were there. A true stealth classic. Photo shot in my studio

Easy Finance on the Commodore 64: because nothing says "serious investment strategy" quite like planning your financial future on a computer best known for loading games from a cassette tape. If the graph went up, retirement seemed only a few BASIC commands away. Photo shot in my studio.

The Thomson TO7-70 came with a built-in light pen, because in the 1980s the future clearly involved pointing directly at your TV screen. Decades later, after touchscreens conquered the world, it turns out the French were simply a little ahead of schedule.

When 620K free felt practically unlimited memory. For your latest game find, half the battle was winning the war against drivers, TSR and CONFIG.SYS. The other half was actually playing the game. Modern software is more like: "need 2 GB just to open it." Photo shot in my studio

R-Type felt just incredible on the C64. Awesome sound, flawless animation, relentless action, and visuals many thought were beyond the machine's limits. Yet there it was, proving once again that skilled programmers could squeeze miracles out of 64 KB. Photo featuring my C64C

I always found using the Toshiba HX-10 a thrilling experience. It was just between you and your keyboard. In 1983, the MSX offered the most practical BASIC around. Graphics, sound, sprites: everything was ready to use without wrestling the machine first. Photo shot in my studio.

Most games asked you to save the world. In 1989, Populous offered you the chance to become a god. Raise mountains. Create continents. Guide your people. And if you lose, the fault lies with your worshippers, not with your divine management skills. A true classic. Photo shot in my studio, Atari ST.

That moment when the Psygnosis logo fades onto your Amiga CRT. Before the loading screen, before the music, before the game. Just one question: what masterpiece awaits? I don't remember which game it was when I took this shot, but I know for sure it was not a disappointment

Windows 3.0 was a leap forward. Compared to release 2, it had a completely new interface, better memory management and performance. For many users in 1990, this was the first version of Windows they ever saw as Its GUI finally went mainstream. Photo shot in my studio.

Classic among classic. Prince of Persia, original Apple II version. Fluid character animation and sword fights that felt real. In 1989, after 5 years of development, Jordan Mechner showed the world what home computers were capable of, and redefined cinematic storytelling. Photo shot in my studio.

64 KB of RAM and an entire galaxy in your bedroom. Elite on the Commodore 64 wasn't just a game: it was freedom. Trade, explore, fight pirates, dock to space stations... One of the first true open-world experiences ever created. Photo shot in my studio (Commodore 64C + 1571)

Two Amstrads. One tiger. The PC1640’s color display showed off the promise of early PC graphics, while the PC1512's monochrome monitor delivered razor-sharp clarity for serious work. Back when choosing a display meant choosing a philosophy.

The Atari ST’s GEM interface felt like the future in 1985: windows, icons, drop-down menus and mouse control. While many were still typing commands, ST users were already clicking their way through a graphical desktop. Photo shot in my studio.

The Thomson TO7/70 wasn’t just a computer. It was a generation’s first encounter with BASIC, light pens, cassette loading screens, and the dream of a French computing future. Found in countless schools across France, just like the BBC Micro in the UK. Photo shot in my studio.

Ghouls’n Ghosts on the #Commodore 64 was never supposed to rival the arcade… and yet somehow it captured the same dark magic. Haunting music, eerie world, ridiculous difficulty: one more try… then another… then another...

Prince of Persia had an excellent conversion to the Amstrad CPC. No latency, as opposed to 16 bit versions. No ugly tones as on consoles. The stones are a little too blue, that's all. I still can't understand why there wasn't a C64 port until 2011. @jmechner.bsky.social any thoughts?

Come now, who wants to play Tycoon?

For many gamers (including me) Kick Off II wasn’t just another football game: it was one of the first that made you feel like you were truly controlling both the player and the ball, not merely steering an animation. Fantastic gameplay! Photo shot in my studio. Amiga 500

Isn't it sexy? Using one of the first spreadsheet programs on one of the first home computers to list the retro machines that I use as models for the photos on this page. Then exported the sheet on a dot matrix printer and put it on the wall of my studio. The circle is complete.

Before polygonal realism took over racing games, there was Vroom! In 1991 Lankhor released the fastest and smoothest one. Incredible sensation of speed, it pushed 16-bit hardware to its limits. The game later reached the Amiga and MS-DOS PCs, but the ST version remains legendary.

The famous Chess wallpaper in Windows 3.0 here on my IBM PS/1. Photo shot in my studio. Retro setups, CRT scanlines, genuine hardware, floppy disks, ball mouse and wild joystick. For more authentic retro, visit youtube.com/@RetroDream Gear up for #retrocomputing nostalgia!

The IBM PS/1 was not all about spreadsheets, word processors and databases: Might & Magic III in full glory of its VGA 256 colors: a not so widespread scenario in 1991...

Double 🐉🐉 Dragon Great classic. Here on my CPC 6128

Apple ][ King's Quest ||| . . . photo shot in my studio

The King of All Games. Photo shot in my studio. Retro setups, CRT glowing pixels, genuine hardware, floppy disks, ball mouse and wild joystick. That's the Retro Dream experience. For more authentic retro, visit youtube.com/@RetroDream Gear up for #retrocomputing nostalgia!

The Guardian from Ultima VII coming through the screen of my IBM PS/1 model 2133. This is part of my Nostalgia Factory youtu.be/BhgM-b59cKI

Actual screenshot from my Amiga CRT

When I first saw Xenon 2 on an Atari ST, almost 40 years ago, I thought it was the most beautiful game ever. And one of the most difficult, too!

The original Wizardry on my Apple II

The exotic counter of my studio: Secret of Monkey Island running on IBM PS/2. And a bottle of rum!

Another iconic image: Amiga system disk

Correct me if I'm wrong, but it seems like this is the very first online review of the Toshiba HX-21 MSX system: youtu.be/hK2Fo2Q6wCc

The GEM Little Green Desktop of the Atari ST has become iconic for a generation of 1980s micro computer users

I like programming in BASIC on my various MSX systems. The output you see here is the result of all possible characters from this simple loop: FOR I=32 TO 255 PRINT CHR$(I); NEXT

King's Quest III on IBM PS/2 model 30

Playing golf on my Toshiba HX-21 Pasopia MSX. This was the second line of Pasopia machines, released by Toshiba in 1985. Isn't it a beauty, with its black & white contrasted keyboard? For more about MSX machines, this is part of my collection: youtu.be/MyS7dnxBTi0

King's Quest, Amstrad PC 1640. Here's my take on the Amstrad PC line: youtu.be/3WJUpNgOx_c

The Hitachi H21 is one of the newest additions to my MSX computer shelf. No less than 40 years separate it from my first #MSX Yashica YC-64. This is my tribute to both these machines: youtu.be/MyS7dnxBTi0 Your comments welcome!

Now this is the French corner of my studio, where sits the Thomson TO7/70 seen here running L'Aigle D'Or, THE game of 1985 in France. It takes 15 minutes to load from cassette tape. As a kid back then, I anxiously waited these 15 minutes, knowing that it could crash at any time.

Yes, it can run Doom!! 😀 IBM PS/1 Model 2133/486. Photo shot in my studio. Retro setups, CRT scanlines, genuine hardware, floppy disks, ball mouse and wild joystick. For more authentic retro, visit youtube.com/@RetroDream

Another corner of my studio. Programming in MSX BASIC on the left, DOS BASIC on the right. Despite certain differences, these two are very similar and much closer to each other than, for instance, C64, CPC, GFA and other BASIC.