ZX Compendium

About

ZX Compendium packs six distinct games and programs onto the Sinclair ZX81. Standouts include Alien Intruder, a split-screen text adventure where you scavenge supplies while avoiding a lurking alien, and Wumpus Adventure, a multi-player dungeon crawler with traps and creatures. Other entries range from a budget management film simulator to a hieroglyph decoding puzzle and a two-player Hangman clone. Most are single player, with Wumpus supporting up to four participants. The collection leans heavily on text-based gameplay, occasionally paired with minimal graphics. Despite its 1983 release date, the package feels like a snapshot of early home computing experiments. Alien Intruder’s dual-screen layout was ahead of its time, though limited hardware kept visuals basic. Community ratings are scarce, but enthusiasts note the quirky charm of entries like Numerology, which generates personality readings from names and birth dates. The split focus between games and oddities makes it a curious relic, offering a mix of survival tension, wordplay, and retro charm for those patient enough to type commands on a ZX81 keyboard.