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Classic
Gaming Expo UK 2004
Shiuming Lai
attends an unexpected smash hit retro event
in Croydon
In the US of
A, there's a hugely popular classic gaming convention
by the name of Classic Gaming Expo, or CGE for
short. It was with some skepticism that I looked
upon a newly-announced UK-based event of the
same name, but bearing no affiliation to the
one established across the pond. Although the
Atari ST was, at its peak, the best supported
gaming platform in the UK, "retro"
computing and gaming in this country seems more
commonly associated with the earlier 8-bit era,
specifically the Sinclair Spectrum and
Commodore 64, and then Sega and Nintendo consoles.
The CGEUK web
site initially didn't give much indication of
Atari content, showing a heavy bias towards
the other machines. I half-expected a handful
of the ubiquitous 2600 console scattered around
as a token but not much more. How wrong would
I be! Despite lack of official attendance from
the MyAtari team, due to my only thinking of
it about a week before, Atari would be well
represented by Rob Perry's crew with the Gamebase
ST project, and Nick Harlow of 16/32 Systems
with his ever impressive retail range.
Like JagFest
and Retrovision, CGEUK was to be an all-weekender,
but this time I was only free to attend the
Saturday. It was a fine day in late July, I
drove to Subiton Station to meet James Joell
of Nexus Gaming Magazine, who'd travelled up
from Portsmouth for this event. Some tyre screeching
later, we were in Croydon (I have to go there
regularly in my job), outside the Fairfield
exhibition hall. After some confusion about
where to park and several laps around the block,
I noticed Rob Perry's car in the car park in
front of the hall. Then I had the courage to
ask the stern-faced Sandi Toksvig look-alike
parking attendant where we could park. "I
can park you right here for £3," she said,
and moved a traffic cone out of the way for
us. Cool!
![[Photo: Posters]](images/cge01.jpg)
![[Photo: Car park outside Fairfield Hall]](images/cge02.jpg)
I'd
never been to Fairfield Hall, so first impressions
really counted. Inside, there was a cafeteria,
beside which was UK Retro, running a big
stand full of '80s electronic gadgetry and a
competition to win an Atari 2600, not to forget
a fully working Sinclair C5 which was later
to provide much amusement. Apart from a bar
opposite UK Retro, I didn't immediately notice
much happening on this level so went up the
central stairs to the balcony.
![[Photo: Looking down from the balcony]](images/cge03.jpg)
![[Photo: UK Retro]](images/cge04.jpg)
![[Photo: Sinclair C5]](images/cge05.jpg)
![[Photo: First floor balcony]](images/cge15.jpg)
The
first floor started looking more interesting.
Classic arcade cabinets were available to play,
and there were stands offering retro icon T-shirts
and merchandise, plus a couple of stands that
looked conspicuously desolate for the duration
I was there (not sure if classic gamers are
that interested in buying CD scratch repair
machines costing several hundred pounds, or
DIY game construction kits, no matter how good
they are! The glut of wonderful nostalgic items
on show must have surely overwhelmed any desire
for "new" products). Still no sign of Gamebase ST or
16/32. The web site had mentioned a lot more
than I could see here so I looked around. There
were corridors on either side. In one, UK game
industry veteran Andrew Oliver (of Codemasters'
Dizzy fame) was giving a lecture, while in the
opposite corridor there were stands full of
Spectrum stuff and multi-format magazines. It
was here I found Retrovision regular, Matthew
Allen, chatting and lending a helping hand.
![[Photo: Andrew Oliver lecturing]](images/cge17.jpg)
![[Photo: Old stuff!]](images/cge12.jpg)
![[Photo: Loads of magazines]](images/cge13.jpg)
I
couldn't believe this was all I came to see,
so went back down to ground floor. Sure enough,
in a large hall behind UK Retro, this
was where all the action was going on! The hall's
own lighting was subdued, adding extra atmosphere
to the rows and rows of bright and colourful
games blasting out from screens everywhere.
In the far corner of the room were the Gamebase
ST and 16/32 Systems stands. Rob Perry's wife,
Letitia, was not content to sit in the "computer
widow corner" and instead was right in
the action, beating me on Activision Tennis
(best £2 I ever spent). Well done, Mrs Perry!
![[Photo: Main action]](images/cge07.jpg)
![[Photo: 8-bit software]](images/cge08.jpg)
![[Photo: More games]](images/cge10.jpg)
By
this time, Rain, Ciaran and Steve from the Retrovision/Yak
Yak Llamasoftie forums had joined us, Ciaran
being a local lad as well, wasn't a difficult
decision for him to come here. For lunch, a group of
us followed the local tour guide to the Miso
Noodle Bar for a light and refreshing lunch,
very reasonably priced and best of all, most
tasty. Mine went down so fast I can't even remember
what it was. If that wasn't good enough, I got
the chance to have a go on an Atari ST emulator
on Ciaran's Game Park. It really doesn't get better
than that! We needed the break as well, because
it was getting rather hot and stuffy inside
the hall.
![[Photo: Spring rolls and sweet chilli sauce]](images/cge11.jpg)
Back
at CGEUK, I felt refreshed and could concentrate
on checking out the stands in more detail. I
spent most of the day in the main hall, there
were many specialist groups of users, collectors
and even developers among those stalls selling
stuff. In the very middle was a group from Bletchley
Park Museum, showing a very informative display
of (some working) computer equipment. This included
the famous BBC Domesday Project laserdisc system,
which is extremely rare due to lack of suitable
replacement laser units. The part in question
was on display, it looked like a stick of radioactive
material or something else from a spy movie,
quite bulky compared to modern laser diodes
(see picture below, it's on top of the big box
to the right of the monitor). I was lucky enough
to actually see the system in action, it certainly
showed how far ahead of its time it was. Interestingly,
a working Atari TT system with colour monitor
was also on the Bletchley Park stand, running
the Bitmap Brothers' Xenon! I struggled to remember
how to transform between land-roving vehicle
and flying ship. There was even true antique
equipment from the first half of the century,
and massive hard disk platters the size of car
brake rotors out on show.
![[Photo: BBC Domesday]](images/cge14.jpg)
![[Photo: Atari TT running Xenon]](images/cge16.jpg)
All
around the hall I saw some very cool neon-illuminated
Atari Games signs like the one seen on this
month's cover. There were also Nintendo ones.
Apparently these were imported from Hong Kong.
I'd like a MyAtari sign like this in my room!
Rob
Perry was demonstrating the latest version of
Gamebase ST, as well as enjoying a blast of
all the new games he's bought for his Atari
2600 and Jaguar. Below you can see Songbird's
Protector SE, which arrived just in the nick
of time for the show!
![[Photo: Gamebase ST]](images/cge18.jpg)
![[Photo: Rob's Atari PC]](images/cge19.jpg)
Binary
Zone Interactive was to the left of Gamebase
ST, selling some very good looking artwork,
the framed photographs of classic home computers
caught my eye, they really captured the spirit
of these great machines and I particularly liked
the ones of an Atari 800XL and Atari ST of course,
but I refrained from buying simply because it
gave me the idea to first attempt to do my own!
It'll probably not come out looking anything
as good and I'll end up ordering one anyway!
Not least because my own 800XL has considerably
yellowed with age, but the machines in these
photographs looked pristine, real PR quality
shots.
Even
more impressive, however, was the range of digitally
restored game posters, printed using modern
high resolution printing techniques that make
them better than the original posters. I wanted
to buy them all.
![[Photo: Frame photographs of classic home computers]](images/cge20.jpg)
Retro
Gamer magazine had a very nice stand near Binary
Zone. Shaun Bebbington was manning it, selling
back issues and copies of the latest issue,
hot off the press. Magazines were not all Retro
Gamer had to offer, there was real kit here,
of particular interest was the Commodore 64
GS console, and some Amstrad machines including
the failed GX4000 game console.
![[Photo: Amstrad CPC]](images/cge21.jpg)
![[Photo: Commodore 64 GS]](images/cge22.jpg)
![[Photo: Amstrad GX4000]](images/cge23.jpg)
Next
to Retro Gamer was Retrokade, purveyor of restored
arcade cabinets. I spent a good session on the
MAME cabinet, cramping both hands and arms playing
a furious game of 1943 on an ergonomically-incorrect
control set (aren't they all?). The closest
to this I had played was Red Rat's version,
Screaming Wings, on the Atari 8-bits.
On
the subject of MAME, tucked into another corner
was a MAME workshop, where you could see how
to, and buy parts for, building your own bright
and colourful MAME arcade cabinet. This was
being hosted by the organizer, Chris, who also
kindly let me up onto the balcony of the hall
(where a DJ was pumping out C64 SID tunes all
day long) to get a good view for photographing.
Even
as the end of the day drew near, my brain was
not able to take it all in. I wished I could
come back the next day as well. Now was a good
time to start talking about dinner - after watching
one of the show organizers take the Sinclair
C5 around the main hall for speed laps. Yes,
I kid you not. The flimsy contraption was making
terrible grinding noises like a gearbox protesting
at a clutchless shift, and this guy was powersliding
it, I honestly thought those delicate little
wheels were going to snap off violently!
Nick
Harlow had left earlier in the day to attend
to other business, and Richard Stevens was too
tired to come out, having to travel home and
back for the next day, ready to run the 16/32
stand with Nick's mum. Nearly everyone was too
tired, leaving just James Joell, Matthew Allen
and myself eager to devour the food of gaming
disciples - so we shot over to MyAtari's regular
tandoori house for a post-gaming curry
and very good it was, too!
If
you missed the show, don't worry, the success
of the first means there will definitely be
a second, and this time Archer Maclean and Jeff
Minter will be attending, too! The web site
has also been updated and improved, this one
looks to be another success. I certainly look
forward to doing a lot more buying next time.
shiuming@myatari.net
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