Well, it's that time of year again when many of us either splash out on, or ask for, luxury items such as new entertainment software, computer components, gadgets and gizmos. So what is on my Christmas list? And what will my spare spends be going towards?

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The first and most obvious thing is entertainment software, and whilst many of you may be getting all nostalgic through eBay, or via Nintendo's Virtual Console service, I'll be happily playing more recent 8-bit releases such as Bob Smith's splATTR, for the 128k Sinclair ZX Spectrum and Blue Star, by Steve McCrea for the Commodore VIC-20 (both from www.cronosoft.co.uk). These games are all well and good on an emulator, but to get the real media and to play them the proper, old fashioned way is far more absorbing. I'm more prepared to invest more time into games that I actually have to load; colour-bleed and the odd crackle of a CRT Television set or old Visual Display Unit adds to the enjoyment, as well as the tactile feel of the joystick and keyboard.

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I've put Mayhem In Monsterland: 15th Anniversary Edition onto my list, along with some other Psytronik (www.psytronik.com) releases, such as Sceptre Of Baghdad and Sub Hunter, all for the Commodore 64.

On the subject of visual outputs, in this new HD age, it's going to become more and more difficult to find TV sets that'll work with those old computers that we know and love, especially if the machine in question didn't have a composite output as standard, or generates a specific signal that is no longer supported. Two examples here are those early Sinclair machines - up to the ZX Spectrum 'Plus' - and the Commodore 128. With the Sinclairs, it's simply a case that the RF modulator just isn't good enough for many TV sets built after 2000. The biggest victim is the ZX81; you'll be lucky to get any picture from that. However, thanks to The Sinclair Shop, you can now convert the output, with a bit of soldering, into SCART. The kit costs just £8.99, and there is a similar kit for the Speccy from the same supplier at £9.99 excluding postage.

As for the C128, it's quite a different proposition. This is because the computer has two possible screens, and therefore two graphics chips (the VIC-II for 40 columns output and VDC for 80-columns), each with its own dedicated output. Whilst the chip that allows C64 compatibility generates a similar output to S-VHS, the 80-column digital RGBT signal is a little more tricky to convert. Unless you have an appropriate monitor and cable, you will only be able to use half the features that the computer has, which is fine if you only require C64 mode. This isn't enough for dedicated 128 users, though. Over at home.comcast.net/~kkrausnick/c128-vga there is a good, but costly, DIY solution that will allow you to use most standard VGA monitors, and that's if you can find the required parts. No cheap solution is available for both screen modes. Hopefully, something will become available soon though - and thankfully, my old Commodore monitor still works.

Finally on my list is an 8-bit laptop, as seen on the Swedish Spectrum DIY site at user.tninet.se/~vjz762w. Ever since seeing the modified Speccy with its fold-down screen, I've wanted one. Best of all, it can be used on the train as many express services have tables and sockets. Posing the question "Do you mind if I plug in my laptop?" explaining that "I can't turn the volume down, but the internal speaker isn't very loud", to then produce a Speccy laptop is kind of like parking a Bentley in a disabled space at a supermarket just so that you can have it announced: "Can the owner of the Bentley please return to the vehicle as it is parked in a disabled space?" - just to shout "Yes! That's mine!" Sadly, my electronics are not quite up to making the laptop, and it doesn't look like I can send off a machine to be modified. Oh well, you can't have everything, eh?