Patrick Furlong's Retro Collection - Exclusive Member Feature!

Throughout this year we will try our up most to feature as many of your retro gaming goodies as possible. It doesn't matter how neat they are shelved, as long as you have a big enough collection and it isn't just one tape or a Playstation 4. With that out the way so far after our previous big feature of Rob Gaming Yesterday's Collection it's turning out to be hugely popular! So here we are with another retro collection interview and this time it's from Patrick Furlong, a member I know all to well who tries to get the latest Amstrad disks before anyone else!

1) Can you tell me a bit about yourself?

I’m 36 years old, live in Gosport, Hampshire. I’m twice married, I have two daughters in their mid teens and a goddaughter age 7 who I’m raising following her mother’s sad death. I own a dance club with my second wife and I work part time as a History tutor. I used to teach at schools as a supply teacher but health concerns forced retirement.

My retro collection began in earnest in 1999 when I brought an Atari 520STE over the local car boot sale for £1. It was slightly damaged but it worked. I later got a Nintendo NES a few years later with leads, controller and boxed Super Mario Bros 3 for 20p and that worked as-well.

2) What was your first computer?

I remember that clearly – the Amstrad CPC464 for Christmas 1984 – I was five years old at the time. It was a Christmas present from my father, recently back from a tour with the Royal Navy in Australia. It lasted nearly ten years before I found a local person selling a 6128 with many discs, including Lemmings.

3) What item in your collection could you never get rid of (Your prized possession) ?

That is a very tricky question. But after careful consideration, it would be the C64 disc copies of Lord of the Rings and Lemmings my adopted mother based in the US got me for my recent birthday – she got them from eBay UK. It was nearly $100 she could ill afford as she’s a pensioner.

4) What item do you know you paid too much for... but simply had to have it?

Oh yes - £25 for Carrier Command on 3” disc for the Amstrad CPC. The one and only time I’ve seen a physical copy of it. I will admit to nearly paying £50 for Switchblade on disc for the CPC but forgot about it (it went for £53 in the end) and I planned to buy Famous Five on the same format despite the bugs (I hoped to deal with them). I nearly fainted when it went to £93. I did pay £26 for Batman last week on the same format but it felt it was worth it.

5) How many games do you have in total?

Too many to count! Just done a count – 724!

6) How many games do you have for each system?

Around 83 on the Sinclair Spectrum, 92 on both tape and disc for the Amstrad (I counted them two days ago as I catalogue my games), 40 on the Commodore 64, five physical Amiga games (as I’ve now gone to WHDLoad), roughly 120 over the various Gameboy systems, a dozen on the Atari 2600, 95 Megadrive plus 1 32X and 10 Mega CD), 22 Sega Master System, 48 SNES, 20 N64, 51 Gamecube, 24 NES, 14 Dreamcast, 43 Playstation 2, 5 Atari Lynx, 39 Game Gear

7) What computers and or consoles do you own that is retro?

In no particular order – Amstrad CPC 6128, Commodore 64, Commodore Amiga 1200, Transparent purple Nintendo 64 (with 64DD attachment in the attic), Spectrum 128 toastrack, Atari 2600, Philips Videopac 7000 (which I brought fully boxed over a car boot sale last year in the pouring rain for £5), Matell Aquarius (a gift from a friend from World of Spectrum), Nintendo NES, Super Nintendo, Nintendo Gamecube (also in the attic, I have the rare Japanese only collaboration with Panasonic in which the GC drive was a DVD drive), Microsoft XBox, Sony Playstation 2, Sega Master System, Sega Megadrive (with 32x and Mega CD), Sega Dreamcast, Nintendo Gameboy, Nintendo Gameboy Colour, Nintendo Gameboy Advance, Atari Lynx, Sega Game Gear

My first wife got me the 64DD and the Panasonic Gamecube on a few of her trips to Japan with her family.

8) What was your most favorite games of all time?

Very easy – in no particular order – Dizzy games, The Legend of Zelda (any except Adventures of Link), Lemmings, The Secret of Monkey Island. I’m also very fond of Sky Odyssey on the PS2.

9) Do you still buy retro games? if so what was your most recent purchase!

Yeap, I still buy retro games.. My most recent purchases were Batman, Gremlins 2, Alien Storm/Shadow Dancer, all on disc for the Amstrad. However, I’m having problems getting the Alien Storm/Shadow Dancer disc working. My father-in-law brought me B.A.T by UBISoft on disc on the Amstrad CPC over the weekend.

10) Have you ever had any bad luck buying retro, if so what was the issue? ( bad seller, faulty items )

I’ve generally been lucky but I do remember an occasion a few years ago when I brought some Megadrive games on eBay and the buyer never sent them. I got my money back thankfully and swore never to use them again. My worse luck is when you and Rob Gaming Yesterday beat me to Amstrad stuff! But we all have a friendly rivalry and I don’t think we have bad feelings towards each other – we all know we can’t get everything.

11) What game do you feel was the worst you have ever played.

The worse game I’ve ever played? I’d say Bridge-It on the CPC but it’s just a piece of crap they bundled with the machine just to boost the value of the package so that doesn’t count. Despite being a Marvel fan, I find Dr Dooms Revenge the worst game ever. I’m surprised anyone can complete that with one life and no way to replenish energy.

12) What do you think of emulators, have you used any?

Yes, I use emulators. I use them either during lengthy hospital stays or if I need to try out a game quickly. I also use them to play a game I can’t get.

13) What one item did you get rid of that you wish you hadn't?

There isn’t one particular item now but can I say most of my original retro collection when I was raising money when my first child was on the way?

- And thus that's the end of the interview, as such we'd like to say a huge thank you to Patrick Furlong for showing his retro gaming collection, and to everyone else, if you'd like us to feature your goodies, send us an email, we'd love to hear from you.