All in all, 2003 was a good year for the retro scene as a whole. There seems to have been a move from retro computing being more than just collecting old machines to actually putting them to some use (I hope that Retro Mart played a part in that.)

Take Adam Dunkle's custom-built Ethernet card, for instance. It made the news on many Internet sites and publications, some of which wouldn't have ever considered that such a thing could be possible from a "limited" machine, but it is as many of you know. 2003 also saw the start of retro events such as the ORSAM show and the JagFest which will hopefully become an established parts of the retro community for years to come. I know Gary Taylor and Nick Harlow are already planning for the second JagFest UK in 2004.

From a gaming point of view, Spectrum owners have not had it so good in years, thanks to the hard work of Cronosoft and others. I expect 2004 will see yet more releases for Sir Clive's rubber-keyed wonder. The Commodore 64 has been a little quieter than usual on the games front, but we have still seen several solid releases. If the people at Commodore Scene have their way, DOOM 64 (or a pretty close clone without instigating a legal battle) will finally see the light of day. We might even finally see Metal Dust at some point. One thing is for sure as yet anather year opens its doors, and that's there's more software coming released for the C64.

Which brings me onto Ironstone Partners. I can't quite find out their big plan for the brand. I do know that they are considering it as an entertainment brand though, and that they have close contacts with Jeri Ellsworth who designed the CommodoreONE system to much acclaim.

Ironstone are also trying to make in-roads to a slightly sceptical European scene. I'm told that they will be marking the C64's 22nd anniversary with an announcement in January. Whatever happens here time will tell the tale eventually, and whether good or bad it will be yet another twist to the C64's legacy.

In most cases with regards to the retro community, timing doesn't often matter. It won't make much difference if you release a game in January or November as it will still be purchased by the same number of people. There is one exception though, and that is with regards to a professional publication, and the time feels right for it to happen. I only hope that it does, and it is done well, that is to say we don't end up with a 68 page magazine full of useless adverts, reviews of the classic games such as Elite and ill-informed writing. Perhaps this column could lay the foundations of such a publication as in Retro Mart Magazine. A nice, glossy cover with well written articles, some penned by yours truly. Sounds go to me! (Okay, I'm dreaming here a little.)

Retro Mart has been an evolutionary venture for me. As I have made more and more contacts, and found out about other platforms, I have passed on the information through this page at every opportunity. There is definitely one thing is almost definite, and that is the end of February will mark this column's second birthday. Who would have thought it? Certainly not me. I started this column on an eight-week trial basis thinking that it would be just that, and yet I'm still here collating all the latest news and views for your reading pleasure.

So, here is to a happy New Year for us all. One that I'm sure will be full of surprises, and yet for some of us, as predictable as the machines we use and love.