Like most children of the 80's I had a huge love of the micro computers scene that was thriving. I had my first real experience with computers in the mid 80's with the ZX Spectrum and Amstrad CPC 464. I used to love browsing the various video game magazines at WH Smiths (don’t forget, this was the era before the internet) to get hyped about games as the micro computer scene was thriving so often when you’d go to the video game shop you’d be faced with hundred of cassettes with cool cover art and tiny screenshots at the back; it was a real pot luck if you got a great game or a stinker!

Back in the day, before being famed for their racing games, Codemasters used to be a seal of quality. The first real games that blew me away were Robin Hood and later Fantasy World Dizzy. Both games were created by the Oliver Twins for Codemasters and at the time they became almost mythical figures, creating the best games including the iconic Dizzy.

I had a chance to meet the Oliver Twins a few years ago and have also read their biography but that’s by the by. What I want to tell you about is the Codemasters Archive, a webpage where you can play 173 of their classic and iconic games in browser! It’s great as you can play different format versions of the same game but a couple that really stand out to me are the rare Crystal Kingdom Dizzy (as well as all the Dizzy games to be honest), DJ Puff, Micro Machines 2: Turbo Tournament, Ollie and Lissa 3 (where are the other 2?) and Super Robin Hood.