Almost directly across from the bus station under Elden Square in Newcastle upon Tyne was an arcade. Horseshoe shaped. Stamp shops, Numismatists, crafty stuff.

Almost directly across from the bus station under Elden Square in Newcastle upon Tyne was an arcade. Horseshoe shaped. Stamp shops, Numismatists, crafty stuff. And one shop that was 3 sections. You walked in and it was rows of boxes full of LPs. Roger Dean style art was everywhere. The right section was posters and merch IIRC. But the left section was where I'd be after bunking off school every chance I could. More than a dozen arcade games crammed into a very small room. The aroma of patchouli oil... Defender. Night Driver. Gorf. Stargate. I remember those the most as that was where my 10p's went. Years later, the Amstrad CPC6128 was mine. Z80 coding with MAXAM and Protext ROMS. Heaps of games. But I do not recall a single advert. None. Amstrad Action probably had them, but it was the cover tapes and what was on them, along with reviews, that got me spending.