In the 1980s, one microcomputer left a lasting impression on an entire generation of gamers: the Amstrad CPC. With its bright colours, strident music, legendary loading times and cult games, for many of us it was a gateway to video games, creativity and imagination.
In the Shadow of the CPC is a tribute book entirely devoted to Amstrad CPC games. Through a careful selection of iconic titles, this project traces the history, creativity and soul of a machine that had a profound impact on European video games, particularly in France.
Richly illustrated, the book combines screenshots, anecdotes and interviews to bring back to life an era when a few kilobytes were enough to spark the imagination. It is aimed at both gamers of the time and those curious to discover an essential part of video game history.
This project is above all a labour of love and a means of passing on knowledge, with the aim of preserving the memory of the CPC and paying tribute to the developers and gamers who brought this unique machine to life.
By supporting this book, you are helping to revive a gaming heritage that is too often overlooked — and give it the place it deserves.

For an entire generation, the Amstrad CPC was not just a family computer sitting on a desk: it was a gateway to imagination, adventure and the discovery of video games at a time when everything was yet to be invented.
Often overshadowed by more high-profile machines, the Amstrad CPC nevertheless housed a rich, inventive and deeply influential library of games. Behind its technical limitations lay raw creativity: passionate developers, daring studios and players willing to wait long minutes to see a whole new world appear on screen, line by line.
In the Shadow of the CPC – The Legacy of Amstrad Games is a journey through this often-forgotten gaming history. Through personal memories, analysis, images and tributes, this book explores the games that shaped the identity of the CPC and left a lasting mark on the history of video games. It is a deep dive into a heritage built on passion, constraints transformed into genius, and a sincere love for a machine that has become a cult classic.




Publication, editing and design by Editions 64K
Text and original idea by Christophe Boucourt
With the participation of
Richard Leinfellner – Cauldron – Cauldron II: The Pumpkin Strikes Back
Sean Wallis – Fruity Frank
Jon Harrison – Bomb Jack
Mark K. Jones – Gryzor – Renegade – Zynaps
Raffaele Cecco – Exolon – Cybernoid – Stormlord – Cybernoid II: The Revenge
Eric Caen – Titus Software
Jon Ritman – Batman – Head Over Heels
Olivier Corviole – Fire & Forget
Nick Jones – Exolon – Stormlord
Jonathan Dunn – Robocop – WEC le Mans – Operation Wolf – Chase H.Q.
James Higgins – Arkanoid: Revenge of DOH – Bad Dudes
Bill Harbison – Chase H.Q.
Martin McDonald – Bad Dudes – The vendicator
Paul Walker – Paperboy
John Brandwood – Renegade – Short Circuit – Gryzor
Keith A. Wilson – Yie-Ar Kung Fu – Green beret
Ivan Horn – Arkanoid – Combat school – Operation Thunderbolt – Operation Wolf – Renegarde III – Rambo III
Jean-Paul Mari – Shuffle Puck Cafe – GP 500cc 2
Patrick Daher – Asphalt – Zombi
and many more…

A selection of the 100 best Amstrad CPC games.
Non-exhaustive list
1984
- Bruce Lee
- Fruity Frank
- Sorcery
1985
- Archon
- Cauldron
- Chuckie Egg
- Gauntlet
- Ghosts'n Goblins
- JetSet Willy
- Le 5ème Axe
- Match day
- Yie ar kung-fu
1986
- 720°
- Arkanoid
- Asphalt
- Bomb Jack
- Bubble Bobble
- Caftan et Xunk
- Cauldron II
- Commando
- Elite
- Green Beret
- Ikari Warriors
- Le Manoir de mortevielle
- Light force
- Paperboy
- Renegade
- Saboteur
- Samantha Fox Strip Poker
- Savage
- Spindizzy
- SRAM
- SRAM 2
- Thanatos
- Traiblazer
- Winter games
- Zombi
1987
- Barbarian
- Billy 1
- Crazy Cars
- Death wish
- Defender of the crown
- Double Dragon
- Exolon
- Freddy hardest
- Gryzor
- Head Over Heels
- Le passager du temps
- Marche à l’ombre
- Opération Wolf
- Saboteur II
- Short Circuit
- Zynaps
1988
- After Burner
- Arkanoid Revenge Of Doh
- Bad dudes vs. Dragonninja
- Cybernoid
- Cybernoid II : The revenge
- Daley Thompson’s olympic challenge
- Fire & forget
- Forgotten worlds
- L’arche du captain Blood
- Navy Moves
- Nebulus
- Out run
- R-Type
- Rambo III
- Robocop
- Silkworm
- Target: Renegade
- Teenage queen
- The vindicator
- Titan
- Toobin'
- WEC Le Mans
1989
- After the war
- Batman the movie
- Chase H.Q.
- Dick Tracy
- Kick Off
- Les tuniques bleues : Nord et Sud
- P47 thunderbold
- Prince of persia
- Renegade III: The Final Chapter
- Rick dangerous
- Shinobi
- Shufflepuck Cafe
- Stormlord
- The untouchables
- Turrican
1990
- Burnin' rubber
- Midnight resistance
- NARC
- Panza kick boxing
- Rainbow Islands
- Rick dangerous 2
- Robocop 2
- Satan
- Super cars
1991
- Baby Jo
- Prehistorik
- Super skweek
- Xyphoes Fantasy
1992
- Crazy cars III
1993
- Prehistorik 2