It's funny how you can live somewhere for ages and still make joyous discoveries, such as this. I…read morecame in here a while ago (having some how missed it!) and was delighted to see a shop dedicated to retro gaming. Although as I entered the front of the store had a few bare shelves, next to the DVDs that were on sale, as you delve further back there are many retro gems to be found. All kinds of old school games and consoles are on offer here, from Sega Saturn, Nintendo 64, Mega Drive and many more. I'm always on the look out to find old games and was really chuffed to see they had quite a few of my old favourites in attendance! All the classics, Golden Eye, Sonic and a range of Disney games to name but a few, were there before my gleaming eyes. They also buy in old stock, which is great news for me as I have a hoard of items that I really can't see myself playing anymore, so promised the guys I would be back soon with a bag of goodies for them! One of the best things, other than the old school haven of games, was that they had a whole hoard of Tartan Asia Extreme films on sale too. To any other fans of Tartan, you'll know this is pretty awesome, since Tartan Asia is sadly no more! I'd strongly advise getting in there and stocking up, if I don't beat you to it that is... To conclude: Friendly staff, awesome retro games, Tartan DVDs. That adds up to a win in my book!

This is a brilliant little shop which ok is not as cheap as cex most of the time, but the fact…read morethat majority of the time they have DVD's and games that cex don't more than makes up for it and are generally in better condition as most discs i get from there don't have a single scratch or finger print!! Considering its only a small shop they have a very large selection to choose from, for example you can get anything from super nintendo, and dreamcast to PS3 and XBOX 360 games and video cassettes to DVDs. Its deffinatly worth a look if you want to buy a box set as they are quite often fairly cheap. The service is very friendly and they know what they are doing I would recomend anyone to go in and have a look.

Sadly Spectre has now closed, which is a shame.read more

This is one of the best music shops in the district and although small, offers some great bargains…read moreon all musical instruments. They seem to specialise in guitars but have good knowledge on all aspects of musical instruments. They have very friendly staff who are passionate about music. Many years ago I was a fan of a band called China Crisis who used to get all their gear from here when it was call JSG. It might have changed hands over the years but it is still a great store that offer some excellent product at great prices with a smile.

This is a real beauty of a record shop only recently opened up in Headingley. It is only small but…read moreI reckon its going to become a central part of the Leeds music scene. Leeds answer to High Fidelity you could say. I imagine this place becoming a meeting ground for local musicians and fans alike. There is an exhaustive collection of records spanning several genres and the collection is updated weekly. Where this shop really comes into its own it's the owner who also works in the shop everyday. His passion for music and especially local musicians is really quite commendable. I only popped in to have a quick look around and after a few minutes the guy was chatting to me like an old friend. Showing me the latest releases and special editions, not in a pushy sales way just out of genuine excitement. They also sell tickets for gig nights and local festivals, making it the perfect place to go down for a chat and find out what is happening in Leeds on the music front. http://beautytruthsnotuglylies.blogspot.com/

Man this shop is pokey!…read more Big Deal sell a good deal of stuff for such a small space, that is for sure. Their goods range mostly in music items and electrical goods, most especially amplifiers and guitars although there are a number of other items on sale here too. As a lot of the items have been part exchanged/are second hand it means they offer reasonably competetive prices on their goods. The main issue with this, though, is that when searching for musical items money isn't (and shouldn't be) the main factor. I'm not saying one should go crazy, but it doesn't matter how cheap their Takemine might be, that doesn't mean it is a better deal than a full price elsewhere. I'll elaborate. Unfortunately therein lies the problems with musical instruments - line up seven of exactly the same guitar from the same factory from the same day, and one will be miles above the others for sound quality. One will sing and you'll notice it compared to the others. There just aren't two guitars the same - you can test this yourself by annoying the salesmen in any guitar shop in Leeds and ask to play as many of the same brand and issue as they have! (In buying a guitar recently I did just this to weedle out the best one!) What I'm getting at is that Big Deal have a lot of great offers and some very nice prices, but be sure to test the item first and make sure it sings as well as it should. Unless you've naught the patience for all that, in which case, go enjoy a bargain!

Smiling, helpful, knowledgeable staff in a shop that is tiny and jam packed with so much electrical…read morestuff that is all looked like a black haze to me. If you need anything electrical from cables to speakers, turntables to laptops, guitars and lights they are likely to have it for a good price although this value seems to have decreased (i.e. prices have risen) since el crunchio. You get a three month guarantee with most items and part-exchanges are welcome. Many of my friends have happily purchased second-hand laptops from here (after a mass laptop theft) and all are happy with their purchases. Enjoy a tight-squeezed browse or just ask what you are after and the men will be glad to help.

This might hurt the feelings of those lovely scamps who man the counters at Crash, but Jumbo is…read moreLeeds' finest independent record shop. It's bigger, more spacious and while tucked away on the top floor of the St John's Centre, this means you're only going to find fellow music lovers rooting through the many racks of CDs, vinyls and music DVDs with you. And not your mum, chasing the Duffy album for your dad's birthday. Who doesn't like a bit of Duffy though, really? While the prices of the cross-over records - albums by popular bands who you might find in the big high street sellers of music - are more expensive than the prices you might find in say, your local supermarket, it's not these albums which you should be perusing Jumbo for. Not on my watch, anyway. I go to Jumbo for rare 7" singles of bands you probably haven't even heard of yet. Or for an album from the seventies, that apparently influenced your new favourite band. Or for my gig tickets, without extortionate booking fees you unwittingly discover online. Or, indeed, to fix my decks - as I did most recently. To be fair, I'm probably the customer they dislike the most. I bob in on a lunchtime and steal all the free mags/fanzines I can fit in my bag. And then leave, having bought nothing. Oops. Sorry. Thanks!

Jumbo was like one of those mythical much talked about places when I first moved to Leeds. People…read morewould always mention good music, generally some bands that I hadn't yet heard of, and then the name 'Jumbo' would shortly follow. Once I discovered the locale of Jumbo I could see why. For an indie record store the place is just huge! On the back wall are hundreds of live music posters, of all different kinds, yet another accolade to Jumbo's far reaching audiences and custom. They also, alongside Crash records, happen to sell tickets for most of the live music events that are going on in and around Leeds. Their range and selection of CDs and Vinyl is second to none in Leeds realistically, and the staff are really knowledgeable. Great if you have ideas but no names, or tip of the tongue phenomenon! Jumbo is the business and a total must for any music lover in Leeds. And by that I don't mean anything within the sphere of, say, Britney Spears et al. But that might be fairly obvious once you step inside...

TradeMeIn is one of the few, independent stores which buy and sell games, mobile phones and tech…read moreitems, it's most similar rivals include CeX and Game, both of which have stores nearby, for me this store is much more modern and vibrant than other trade-in retailers with a blue theme, it just felt clean and modern inside which you generally don't get with CeX. The location is in Leeds centre, although being in St John's it is a little isolated and doesn't get the footfall which the main city centre and the likes of The Trinity does. The quotes here for trading in items seems rather generous, although for my phone I had been quoted higher from both Mazuma Mobile and Music Magpie, the quote I was given was much higher than any mobile phone networks recycle scheme and their nearest competitors, Game and CEX. The store was a little small, so the selection could have been better. There was a large selection of more older games and DVD's compared too new-ones. I don't like their website, it makes it rather difficult to set up an order and the database just doesn't work online, for example, if you searched for an iPhone it would come up starting with 3GS first, with around 20+ pages, and if you search the iPhone name and model exactly, it doesn't come up so this filtering system just isn't working and needs work, to improve the customer experience before coming into the store. With trade-in prices on average better than its closest rivals, yet not the best overall and a good store feel which is how a trade-in store should be, of course, it can improve based on making sure it is easier to get a quote, and perhaps the size of the store and location to a certain extent, it still is a slightly above average store in general and anything less than a three-star rating would surely be an insult for a store which I see high potential in to be upgraded in the future.

HMV is a large chain of Music stores in the UK, selling a large amount of albums, dvds and some…read moregames. I called in here today while in Bradford, this is quite a new store in the new(ish) Broadway Centre in Bradford, from the mall it does look quite nice and vibrant with it's glass windows. This HMV store is one of the few stores in and around Bradford, with the nearest other branch to this being 6.5 miles away in Leeds, and then 10.3 miles away in Huddersfield. This store inside is okay, but nothing special, the service isn't great here and neither is the selection of games. This store is tucked into the corner, next to Debehams but still does slightly stand out but it is only as you go in the store, the store which looks like a good, vibrant store, isn't, it is barely average and although this is a nice addition to Bradford's Broadway Mall, it sadly doesn't deserve anything more than two stars.

Not a huge shop, but does sell all the latest releases. The staff are helpful and will try and find…read moreyou what you want if they dont stock it. Best to go when theres a sale on, as theres always a great bargain to be had.