So, where do I begin ? Well, from the start of course ! :)

I have very fond memories of the Mastertronic Label, specifically on the Commodore 64, the very computer that my father bought me from an Electrical Store called Rumbelows in Oxford, instead of a Sinclair ZX81 that I saw in an advert whilst reading a national Newspaper ( The Sun ironically ) and wanted so badly. To be honest and to this day, I am so glad the Commodore 64 was the Computer of choice.

Now, I could dive straight in and cover the complete history of Mastertronic from start to finish, but in this instance I am going to blog my progress whilst trying to collect ... All Things Mastertronic ! Well, on Tape to start with or at the very least ! :)

My first memory and purchase of a Mastertronic Game, was back in the 1980's, around 1984. There was I, a mere teenager with two english pounds in hand with the tough choice of which game to buy. The computer game stores that I mostly visited were, W H Smith or sometimes Boots. The first two Games that come to mind were, Hektik ( Space Panic Clone ) and Munch Mania ( Pac-Man Clone ). Both were addictive and well worth the money spent on them, way back then.

The passion of Mastertronic was kickstarted again during an eBay bundle that I won as a buy-it-now back in March 2011. Amongst the various Tapes were of course, Mastertronic Titles. Don't worry if I mention Mastertronic alot, it's not quite tattooed on me yet ! ;) Now, this subset of Titles gave me an idea and that was to collect as many as possible or even the complete set, even if it takes a while, years or whatever.

The Tapes above, are a mixture of the first eBay bundle and early start wins, to the extent to which it has grown to now, currently 87 Tapes. These are mostly in good condition and working order. The only slight let down, is that some of the cases are cracked. Hopefuly, these will be replaced over time, so from a presentation point of view, they'll look good as new or near to, when they first placed on a shelf in a computer store.

The collective list at present, but not in alphabetical order :

Mastertronic ::
Bionic Granny, Hektik, Munch Mania, Duck Shoot, BMX Racers, Kane, City Fighter, One Man and His Droid, Spectipede, Hunter Patrol, Jungle Story, Kikstart, Squrim, Space Walk, Formula 1 Simulator, Finders Keepers, Magic Carpet, Phantom of the Asteroids, Excaliba, Space Hunter, Action Biker, The Human Race, Big Mac, Spooks, 1985, Skyjet, Challenger, Chiller, Vegas Jackpot, Sub Hunt, Video Meanies, The Curse of Sherwood, Kikstart 2, Motorbike Madness, Storm, BMX Trials, Speed King, Hollywood or Bust, Back to Reality, Milk Race, Kane 2,Hacker II - The Doomsday Papers, Gaplus, Masterchess, Pulse Warrior, Night Racer, Scout, Agent X II, Dark Star, Mind Control, Mega Play Volume 1.

Plus / 299 ::
Rescue on Fractalus, Continental Circus, Advanced Basketball Simulator, Silkworm, T-Bird, John Barrington Squash, Protector, Side Winder II, Election Game, Micro Mouse.

MAD ::
The Last V8, Master of Magic, Rockford, Voidrunner, Con-Quest, Countdown to Meltdown, Energy Warrior / Molecule Man, Flash Gordon, Motos, Hero of the Golden, Talisman, 180, Manic Miner.

Master Vision ::
Se-Kaa of Assiah

Entertainment USA ::
Ninja, Bump Set Spike, Panther, L.A. SWAT, Cage Match.

Ricochet ::
Jet Set Willy - The Final Frontier, Rebel, Rock 'n' Bolt, Little Computer People, The Growing Pains of Adrian Mole, Bazooka Bill, Ghostbusters, Knuckle Busters, FA Cup Football, Way of the Exploding Fist.

And currently, in the next few days ...

Pending Delivery ::
SOS,  Kobyashi Naru, Quest For The Holy Grail, Venom, Make Music With Mistertronic, 3D Pinball, Starforce Nova and Wing Commander.

Most of the collection is built up from eBay, Trades and Online Retro Computer Stores. As most collectors will agree, it's hard to resist the temptation to buy a lot of additions and at the same time trying not to go over the top in trying to complete a collection too soon and too quick. You'll be surprised how prices differ from place to place, but of course if one seller or shop has an item you require, then it's up to you to make that choice.

Hopefully, over the next few posts, I will be able to share some more fond memories of Mastertronic and other bits of information along the way. All, sources will be credited of course. So, here's to the next batch ...