Vital Statistics

The Lynx 48 was a direct competitor of the Sinclair ZX Spectrum and the Oric 1. It was a good machine but mainly lacked software. Several models were quickly made available with 48k, 96k or 128k RAM, and it was possible to reach 192k with RAM expansions on board ! There is even a monitor program in the Lynx's ROM which allows the user to write and edit programs written in machine code. The 96k and 128k versions featured 4 KB additional ROM memory (mirrored twice for obscure reasons) with lots of extra commands for sound effects such as laser and klaxon, and for using 24 KB dedicated RAM as data space. The Lynx Basic has some unique features unseen on other systems of its category, like REPEAT-UNTIL and WHILE-WEND statements, and automatic indenting of procedures. The graphical capabilities were excellent, especially with the 128k model and CP/M can be used with the optional 5.25" disk-drive on 96k or better models.

Despite all this, however, the Lynx had no great success outside Great Britain. The designer of the Lynx is John Shireff, an ex-drummer. Camputers ceased trading in 1984. Several companies expressed an interest in buying the business, and in November 1984, a firm called Anston Technology took over. A re-launch was planned but never happened, and in June 1986 Anston sold everything - hardware, design rights and thousands of cassettes - to the National Lynx User Group. The group planned to produce a Super-Lynx but was too busy supplying spares and technical information to owners of existing models, and the project never came into being.