I was testing this great online ZX Spectrum emulator, looking for something fun to play, a reason to write about it, and I found one of the most unexpected titles in the catalog: "Benny Hill's Madcap Chase!" Yes! The Benny Hill video game! And it's quite fun, considering the limitations of the system and the difficulty of bringing such a different show to the world of video games.
"Benny Hill's Madcap Chase!", developed in 1985 by DK'Tronics, is a game that pretty much sums up the risqué humor of the English comedian. It successfully brings to life the crazy chases that took place at the end of the series, with that so recognizable tune and fast-forwarded video. Unfortunately, and surely due to technical limitations, neither the tune nor the fast-forwarded video are present in this video game, but the crazy chases are (you can even create your own with this tool).
Your mission in "Benny Hill's Madcap Chase!" is to steal the clothes that a lady has just hung on the line and take them back to your house. As is logical, the lady will not stay still while you steal her bras and will chase you like the Coyote chases the Road Runner. If the lady catches you, she takes the stolen garment and you'll have to go back to the line to steal something else. You have a limited number of seconds to steal as many clothes as possible. You earn points when you get to your house with a garment, but you lose points when you bump into something or are crushed by the lady.
As promised: an unexpected game, faithful to the mocking spirit of the series that inspires it. If you want to play it, just click here, configure your keyboard and... let's go steal some knickers!
An online emulator with an excellent catalog
But "Benny Hill's Madcap Chase" is not the only game you can enjoy from the online ZX Spectrum emulator! Much of the catalog of the old computer is available to play at the click of a button, sorted by year and alphabetical order. The best part of this catalog is that it includes hundreds of homebrew games, much later than the death of the ZX Spectrum. That is, there are games from 1982 to 2017, including "Wolfcastle McBain", a recent homage to the action movie hero from The Simpsons.
The only problem with the emulator is the configuration of the controls. The ZX Spectrum keyboard is not identical to what we use today and, in those years, there weren't many standards either. So many games can give you a hard time when it comes to revealing their controls. Nothing that can't be fixed by pressing all the keys on your keyboard. Fortunately, the newest games offer the option to configure the controls to your liking, so there's a bit of everything.
ZX Spectrum Online is a journey through one of the best personal computers of all time, with panoramic stops at every station. I highly recommend it. If you don't know where to start, we recommend our top 10 of the best games for the system. Enjoy!
