Commodore 128

The Commodore 128 of 1985 was an unusually ambitious follow-up to the C64, and a rare example of three computers wearing one case. It could run as a native 128, with more memory and a crisp 80-column display for serious work; it could drop into full C64 mode to play the entire library that made its predecessor famous; and it could even run business software designed for an entirely different standard.

That versatility made it genuinely useful for both work and play, a machine you could do your accounts on in the afternoon and game on in the evening without compromise. It was clever, capable and thoughtfully designed, clearly the work of a company that knew its 8-bit hardware inside out.

It never came close to repeating the C64's runaway, world-conquering success, and in truth nothing was ever going to. But as a well-rounded, flexible flagship for the twilight of Commodore's 8-bit era, the 128 was a fine machine, and a graceful way to round off a legendary line.