ZX-V BASIC
When you switch ZX-V on, it is ready for you to type in BASIC, a programming language made for learning. You type a line, press Enter, and the machine does it. A few lines more and you have a program: a drawing, a tune, a game.
ZX-V BASIC is the BASIC of the ZX Spectrum, the home computer of the 1980s,
with many additions. It runs the programs written for the Spectrum 48K and
the PLAY music of the Spectrum 128, and it adds what was missing:
- Structured programming:
WHILEandREPEATloops,IF...ELSE, procedures with parameters and local variables, labels instead of line numbers, and error catching withON ERROR. - Graphics for games: sprites, tile maps with scrolling, filled shapes, two screen pages for smooth animation, and a high-resolution mode of 512 × 384 pixels. Every pixel has its own colour.
- Sound: the beeper, plus two sound chips with six voices for music and effects.
- Files: programs and data on an SD card, in folders, and a
ROM:drive with examples. - A full-screen editor, where you type keywords letter by letter and move around the listing with the arrow keys.
The course
The course teaches BASIC from zero: you do not need to have programmed before, or to have seen a Spectrum. Each chapter builds on the previous ones, with small programs to type and try, and exercises at the end.
| Chapter | What you learn |
|---|---|
| 1. First steps | Type a line, PRINT, RUN, the editor in two minutes, error messages |
| 2. Variables and maths | LET, sums and functions, arranging PRINT, random numbers |
| 3. Text and input | Strings, joining and slicing text, asking questions with INPUT |
| 4. Decisions | IF, THEN, ELSE, comparisons, GO TO and labels, a guessing game |
| 5. Loops | FOR, WHILE, REPEAT, loops inside loops, PAUSE |
| 6. Arrays and data | DIM, lists of values with READ and DATA |
| 7. Procedures | DEF PROC, parameters, LOCAL, recursion, DEF FN, GO SUB |
| 8. Colours and the screen | INK, PAPER, BORDER, PRINT AT, MODE 1 |
| 9. Drawing | PLOT, DRAW, CIRCLE, and filled shapes with BOX, DISC, POLY |
| 10. Sound and music | BEEP, music with PLAY, sound effects with SOUND |
| 11. Keyboard and joystick | INKEY$, KEY, JOY, steady speed with WAIT and TIME |
| 12. Sprites and tile maps | GRAB, SPRITE, smooth animation, HIT, tiles, maps and scrolling |
| 13. Files and the SD card | SAVE, LOAD, folders, the ROM: drive, text files, ON ERROR |
| 14. A complete game | Star Catcher, built step by step |
Also about BASIC
- The BASIC reference: every statement and function, with its syntax, details and examples, plus the error messages.
- The editor: all the keys, the EDIT menu, renumbering and other editing commands.
- Getting started: how to start ZX-V, the emulator or the real machine, for the first time.