In late '87 NEC released the PC Engine in Japan as a 'core' unit, part of a wider future plan for it to then evolve into a home computer (by building around it by releasing keyboard, mouse etc.) in the temporary guise of a TV-game system-hence 'Engine' (to a muted reception pre R-Type mind, then this game changed everything and NEC ditched the computer plan, thank fate!). T his was to combat the mighty Famicom, a year later Sega joined in the battle with the Sega MegaDrive picking up where their Master System had failed (history would sadly record that the MD was indeed a flop in Japan also-the Japanese don't like Sega in the home for some strange reason). A long 3 years delay/wait the Nintendo Super Famicom finally was released last and joined in the battle (ncl haven't changed then, but in their defence they didn't need to due to the continued domination of the Famicom in Japan). A new age of home gaming through 'grey importing' was about to dawn in the UK as a result, and things were about to change forever...

By early '88 like most 'computer game' fans in the UK, we were still playing on the Speccy, C64, ST, Amiga, Master System and NES and of course loving it. It was all very crude compared to the likes of OutRun, Space Harrier, Double Dragon, Bionic Commando, Rolling Thunder (!), Rastan, R-Type, Paperboy and 720 etc. in the arcade of course and I knew this being a massive arcade fan-much to my great distress though. In those days they used to print the arcade screenshots on the back of home computer game arcade conversion boxes (Toast knows), which of course ended up looking nothing like what you had just bought and loaded, this was very naughty and was taking the piss out of The Trade Descriptions Act big time. Oh well one day I hoped/dreamt that there would be a time when true arcade quality would be available in the home for a fraction of the price (pre-JAMMA at home thinking). What I didn't realise was how close and quickly it came during this brief time frame thanks to Neck's wonderful PC Engine with R-Types, Pa-Land, Malaga '88, Vigilante and Fantasy Zone etc. (Naomi/DC, is only the second time this has happened in my gaming memory (PONG maybe as well), so enjoy/appreciate it while it lasts-well the World didn't-Ed).

At this time a few companies (Shekhana, PC Engine Supplies, ACE and Raven Games) started 'grey importing' the Nec Pc Engine into this country in very small numbers. Shekhana were successfully importing US and Jap Famicom/NES games before this as there was a massive market down London's Tottenham Court Road (no.221!) due to the huge gaps from NTSC to PAL release (no change there then). The word quickly spread of the PC Engine through the gossip/feature pages of brilliant magazines like CVG, ACE and The Games Machine and then in turn spread like wild fire through many a junior/secondary school playground up and down the country (Jimmy_G and I remember it well, sigh).

So what must of it been like then for someone (then 11 years old) stuck with sub-standard home gaming to see advertisements like the first one below in the top UK gaming press for the first time? Well I can tell you, it was mind blowing, feasting ones eyes on an exotic powerful, tiny, white, sexy machine only available in Japan till that point. All this for only £199, a lot of money then but a damn sight cheaper than the hugely inferior £500 ST and Amiga. Micro Media and Mention Technical Services really went to town promoting/selling the PC Engine through the gaming press and this caused the PC Engine to be on the top of everyone's birthday lists from then on.

At this time magazines and grey importers helped each other, import features would sell the mags and import features would sell the games. The grey imports advertisements at this time put their present day counterparts to shame, badly. Like I said, the MD followed, then the SFC and NEO GEO and 'grey importing' were born. Before seeing the below ad, I was well aware of the PC Engine for quite some time before that (the ad just presented it in such a irresistible way, how ads should be funnily enough), as I had read the first ever report (then went to see it in the window of Shekhana) on the machine by the legendary Tony Takoushi (anyone remember him?) in his 'Mean Machines' (of course years later this spawned a separate brill mag by the same title) section at the back of CVG. When reading this, I wanted one badly, but it was a long wait till my birthday. Funnily enough by the time my birthday came round the MegaDrive had just been released in Japan, so what did I do being the worlds biggest Sega arcade fan? My Father, Brother and myself drove to town, camped outside Shekhana on the morning of the first ever shipment of MegaDrives into the UK and I walked away with the 12th one in the country (Scart of course)! I did my best not to play R-Type on the PC Engine for long while my Dad did the business, as I didn't want to change my mind at the last minute. R-Type 1 PCE was amazing at the time (well part 2 was the one with the entire awful flicker, thanks for the mighty PS0ne port). My friend and I decided at school that as I had the MD he would get the PC Engine (also Scart), he did and we both used to have sleep overs both playing each others machines, it was the best time ever (Son Son 2 was/is amazing). The NEO GEO came out but I decided to get a White PC Engine instead as well, so I had a PC Engine & Jap MD and the rest is history and I have never ever bought a western game since. Like most machines the PC Engine's best games came mid-life, people forget this even with today's machines (PS2). I then got a SFC on release (this is another story) and was very pleased with the 3.

As a response to the new threat of 'grey importing' the PC Engine in this country, NEC went as far as to print an ad in the top gaming press in a bid to discourage potential purchasers not to purchase an unofficial machine. We laughed, the importers laughed and NEC never released the machine in the UK (they did launch the Nec Turbografx 16 at a UK trade show I went to but pulled out come release date, this is another story however).

So if your now enjoying 'grey importing' today, you have the following pioneers to thank, including:

Shintaro Kanaoja-The Games Machine & Raze magazines.

Julian Rignall-CVG & Mean Machines magazines.

Tony Takoushi-CVG Mean Machines section.

Shekhana "world of games".

Raven Games.

Advanced Console Entertainment.

Video Game Centre.

Telegames.

PC Engine Supplies (Console Concepts).

FURTHER INFORMATION FROM

SHEKHANA WORLD OF GAMES

TELEPHONE: 020 8889 9412

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