The ever diligent Atari Age website has found an unreleased (and previously unavailable) game for the 2600, dating from 1983. It's called Ixion and is a port of an unreleased coin-op arcade game of the same name from Sega. Ixion is described as something quite unique for the 2600, and it is said that nothing else plays quite like it. The aim is to grab the five white squares scattered across the screen and spell the word Ixion.

Sounds simple enough, but you play against the clock, and of course you have deadly foe to hinder your progress that must be shot or shunted. Doing so will reveal hidden tiles that you can then use to navigate the screen. It gets worse - enemy drones are also out to get you!

This title is available to download for free from the Atari Age site (www.atariage.com).

Alongside this, Atari 8-bit users will delight in the knowledge that the arcade game Sinistar has been found thanks to the guys at www.atariprotos.com. Sinistar includes synthesis and fast-paced action in your quest to destroy said giant metal creature who is bent on obliterating the universe and whatever chooses to get in its way. Graphically, this game is described as "amazingly accurate", but there were a few minor issues and bugs that unfortunately weren't sorted out, and the game never saw a commercial release. A full review of this game can be found at the Atari Protos website, and Atari Age soon hope to have a binary image of the game ready for download and use on your favourite emulator.

There's a new version of the IDEDOS available for anyone who owns an IDE64. More bugs have been addressed in this latest release, which also includes a machine code monitor for budding programmers. This can be downloaded directly from singularcrew.hu/idedos. The Singular Crew have also updated and amended the IDE64 manual. Add IDE64_users_guide.pdf to the end of the aforementioned web address, and you'll find it.

You'll need to be able to read PDF documents though with Adobe Acrobat, which is available from www.adobe.com.

The premier issue of ZX Shed, a fanzine for all ZX Spectrum fans, is now available from www.sinclair-heaven.net/sinclair_magazines/zx_shed/Issue_1.pdf. It's rather good too, mixing nostalgia with the latest developments from the Speccy scene, and including information about the Jupiter Ace and Sam Coupé. All being well, the second issue isn't too far away, with its editor Lee Fogarty already speaking about tweaks and changes to it.

Another electronic-based fanzine that is now available is Retro Revival at www.retrorevival.co.uk. This one is an all-format affair and is fast becoming the must-read title for all retro gamers and enthusiasts. So check it out, if you haven't already.

Derek Smith is developing yet another shoot-'em-up for the Speccy (128k variety only). So far, it's without a name, but Smith has opened a thread on World of Spectrum where people may leave suggestions of what they would like to see in the game. It's described as an Armalyte-styled shooter, and the early preview demo looks pretty damn good. Check it out at members.aol.com/dereksmith1/Spectrum/DEMO2.SNA - you may have to save the page and rename it. As a shoot-'em-up fan myself, I'm keeping an eye on this one.