DRELBS FOR ZX SPECTRUM
The original version of Drelbs was created by Kelly Jones in 1983 for the Atari 8-bit computers. Synapse Software published the game, and it was also ported to Apple II by Jonathan Tifft and converted to Commodore 64 conversion by Miriam Nathan and William Mandel. A hobbyist port for Commodore Amiga exists, and there's even a wild port for SWTPC S09 Computer System in which all the graphics are displayed in ASCII only!
You take control of a walking eyeball - the Drelb - and guide it through a grid of rotating gates. Push into a gate to spin it 90 degrees, and try to arrange them into closed rectangles. It's not as easy as it sounds: square-faced enemies called Trollaboars roam the grid and can push through gates too, though they can't close off boxes. Meanwhile, Screwhead tanks patrol the outer border, taking pot shots at you. A mysterious woman's face also appears from time to time in the grid ...
Every now and then a completed box turns into a portal - a "Drelbish window to the dark corridor." Step inside and you're transported to an underground cavern where imprisoned Drelbs need rescuing. Touch them to set them free, but watch out for the Gorgolytes lurking about.
ZX SPECTRUM PORT
I have ported Drelbs to the ZX Spectrum. The port runs on all Spectrum models with 48K of memory or more. This was actually my first attempt at writing a full Spectrum game, as well as my first big project using Z80 assembly. I first started writing the port in 2017, but it lay dormant for quite a number of years until I picked it up again in 2026.
AI tools were used in 2026 to reverse engineer the original game binary to understand how some of the semi-random mechanics worked, but thanks to the AI not being very helpful, the port is not an exact replica of the original. The graphics are all redrawn from scratch, but I have tried to stay faithful to the original designs. I also had to make some changes to fit the limitations of the Spectrum:
- The music was implemented, but not included in the release as the Spectrum's rather limited sound capabilities made it just sound annoying.
- Another omission is the lack of scoring - with the limited screen space and the fact that the game is more about survival than high scores, it was better to award extra lives instead of extra points.
- Unlike other versions, the Spectrum port contains the backstory - wait a while on the title screen to see it.
DOWNLOAD
The Spectrum version is available as a snapshot file for instant loading, as well as a TZX tape image featuring a custom speed loader and a loading screen.
Download .TZX file (coming soon)
Download .SNA file (coming soon)
