 We've had Atari versus Coleco and Mattel. We've had Sinclair versus Commodore and Amstrad. We've had Commodore versus Atari. The history of the early 8-bits is strewn with conflict. And in each case, a clear victor has emerged. But who was the best bond? Who was the best 007 agent? The clear winner for most would be Sean Connery. But for me, I'm talking Timothy Dalton. He was the most believable of all the 007 agents. He was grittier. He was darker. Essentially, he was a madman. Sadly, we only got two films from him, but those are two of the best in the franchise. Ah, don't get me wrong, we all love a bit of Sean Connery and Pussy Galore from Goldfinger. But Timothy Dalton's movies were edgier. But then we come to the ZX Spectrum, and if Gold and I is the best James Bond game ever made, what is the best James Bond game on the humble ZX Spectrum? Right, pay attention Bond. This is the Sinclair ZX Spectrum Plus 2. It's a fully operational computer with 128k memory. But it comes with three James Bond games and a light gun that fires armour piercing shells. Now that's your assignment. No, no, don't sit in that chair! Sorry Bond, haven't perfected that yet. The Sinclair ZX Spectrum Plus 2. Well, this is my pick. Licensed to kill. They should have probably gone with the name from Dumbark with love. Wait, I'm not ready yet, so let's add Bond Girl, to Lisa Soto, and the equally mesmerizing Carrie Lowell for your eyes only. Whoa, steady on, old boy. If you've ever had the unfortunate experience of playing a view to a kill, you'll have some understanding as to why 8-bit gamers have found previous Bond games on their computers. Disappointing. There were other Bond games as well, but many had all the ingredients of a poop-eye. But all credit to Dumbark then. There's little to criticise in this entertaining, exciting, over-the-top action title. In Licensed to Kill, the world-conquering megalomaniac, the then largely unknown George Davie, who played Sanchez. He's a really good, bad guy, and in this movie he plays a cocaine drug smuggler. So Bond is out for revenge when his CIA buddy, Felix, is done in by Sanchez. After the drug baron escapes from custody in Florida, Bond is on his own, disowned by M and the service, but decides to chase Sanchez across Latin America and through the heart of the drug business. All the essential Bond ingredients are there, including a massive lack in originality when it comes to the story. The only thing missing is beautiful women who fancy you or want to kill you. So let's have a quick look at the spy who loved me. It certainly left me shaken, not stirred. For me, it was worth £1.99, but not full price. There's not enough here to keep you entertained long-term. So it's definitely one of the better early Bond games. Your Sinclair gave it 72% back in the day, and they said it was a competent movie licence. For me, it's all a bit too samey. It's not very original, and once I'd played and completed it, I wouldn't play it again. But definitely a step in the right direction. Ah, the living daylights. Now, this was Dumark's second Bond game after the travesty that was viewed to a kill, and it was released as a light gun shooter on the ZX Spectrum with the 007 action pack. Crash awarded this one 63%, and then they said, by no means a disaster, but the lack of real variation means lasting appeal is on the short side. But a second opinion turned around and said it's just the same thing over and over again, the same idea with different backgrounds. Now, I had high hopes for Live and Let Die, because it was one of my favourite Roger Moore movies. Now, this didn't start out as a Bond game. It was a rebranding after Dumark saw elite systems working on a game named Aquablast. Dumark thought that this title resembled the speedboat chase of Live and Let Die, and the rest is history. But can you imagine what could have been if Ocean Software would have got the license instead of Dumark? We could be talking about some of the best movie to home conversions. Up there with Hudson Hawk and Robocop, worst case, Miami Vice. So I found license to kill to be fast and satisfying, and I'd go as far to say that it's the best ever ZX Spectrum Bond. On the second screen, weaponry, i.e. ammunition can sometimes be hard to come by, but you're very rarely short. I don't know, I just really like this game, especially the first two levels. The helicopter chase scene, it's over really quickly, which is a shame. But then this style of level, yes, it's a commando style run and gun, but I'd never seen it implemented like this before. The aim system was similar to Rebel Star or later Laser Squad, but I'd love to know where the programmer found the inspiration for the control system. And it must be a good game as well, because I often come back to it. I had it on the Amstrad CPC as well, and that's just as good as this. Perhaps a tad slower, but in 16 colour. Regardless, the game on all platforms follows the movie quite well, albeit simplified. And let's face it, it's a massive improvement over the other three titles from Domark. And I personally believe it captures the spirit of the movie. You've got six levels, and there's diversity in the gameplay. One minute you're on a jet ski, next you're on foot, and on the final stage, you're driving an articulated lorry. But better still, after completing the game, the difficulty ramps up and you can go again. So as a 007 Bond game, this one seriously raised the bar. There's also some great little things that people probably aren't aware of. If you destroy the Jeep on the first stage, the second stage is then a lot easier. And if you're playing the game for a second time round, on the water ski section, people now fire at you with machine guns from the boat. Now I almost forgot there was a Tex adventure on the ZX Spectrum in 1982, but I don't think it was official. You basically had to travel the globe and put an end to Doctor Death. Well, I hope you liked this video. And that's it, Bob's your uncle, fan of your art. I'm not sure what else I can say about the game. Other than watch it until the end, let me know in the comments what you think. Did you own this game? Did you ever play it? Or is it one that passed you by? Please share this video, please like, please subscribe. And I think it's best viewed on a big TV, like a 50 or 60 inch. So, until next time, Tararabit!