When Amstrad bought out Sinclair in 1986, the ZX Spectrum +2 was the latest Spectrum to hit the shops. Featuring 128k of memory again, the two main features were the proper PC keyboard and the built-in cassette recorder. The keyboard was a joy compared to the last Spectrums, if a little squashed together. The cassette recorder gave a neater finish but proved to be problematic as there was no sound level adjustment - usually it meant playing around with the azimuth screw (the little hole below the cassette recorder).

It had the same feautures as the Spectrum 128 - same sound chip, reset button and i/o ports. The menu system was exactly the same, with a slight difference being the tape tester which was no longer needed.

It was the most robust of the Spectrums with a hard, square grey case enclosing the motherboard and cassette recorder. Similar in design to the Amstrad CPC range, it now looked even more like a games machine, which was how it was marketed.
Most of the software worked, whether it be 128 or 48k using the basic selector on the menu.
So Amstrad's first entry into the Spectrum world was a success, but would it last? When it first arrived out it was very popular, but we think it would look nicer in Sinclair black.

SPECIFICATIONS

CPU Zilog Z80A
SPEED 3.5469 Mhz
RAM 128k
ROM 32k (Contains operating systems and BASIC)
SOUND 3 channels, 8 octaves
GRAPHICS 256 x 192 resolution
COLOURS 8 (16 using differing levels of brightness)
DIMENSIONS 44 x 17.5 x 5.5cm
WEIGHT 1525g
I/O PORTS Expansion port at rear, RF video out, ear/mic, RS232/MIDI, RGB, keypad, parallel printer, audio out, 2 joystick ports
PSU External, 9v DC, 2.1A
PRICE £200