Listen free for 30 days

Listen with offer

Preview

£0.00 for first 30 days

Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection - including bestsellers and new releases.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, celeb exclusives, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
£7.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

System Restored

By: Adam Eccles
Narrated by: Mark Rice-Oxley
Try for £0.00

£7.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

Buy Now for £14.99

Buy Now for £14.99

Pay using card ending in
By completing your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and authorise Audible to charge your designated card or any other card on file. Please see our Privacy Notice, Cookies Notice and Interest-based Ads Notice.

Summary

In a cellar in Watford, undisturbed for four decades, sits the most important breakthrough that the world has ever seen. Except the world has never seen it.

Derek Cooper is a retro gamer.

His small flat is full to the brim with consoles, game cartridges, hulking great tube TVs, retro merchandise, and every handheld gaming device you can think of, and then some. They make him happy, so why not?

When he decides his collection could do with an addition in the form of a real-life, full-size, good old-fashioned arcade cabinet, he can't possibly know what adventures lie ahead of him after he drags the heavy monolith out of a cellar in Watford to his flat and then painstakingly rebuilds the dud electronics, bringing it back to life.

Meanwhile, Derek is skeptical at first when he's set up on a date with a beautiful woman though things seem to be going well.

Only problem: He's desperately in love with the wrong woman.

Will Derek find peace in the world of games, blasting aliens to oblivion? Can an arcade machine from 1981 totally change his love life?

System Restored is a wonderfully exciting rom-com romp through the nostalgic history of video games. A celebration and tribute to gamers everywhere.

©2022 Adam Eccles (P)2022 Adam Eccles
  • Unabridged Audiobook
  • Categories: Romance
activate_Holiday_promo_in_buybox_DT_T2

Listeners also enjoyed...

The Strange Appeal of Dougie Neil cover art
In Lieu of You cover art
Need a Little Time cover art
Waiting in the Sky cover art
Terms May Apply cover art
Eminence cover art
Beyond Broadhall cover art
Tuned Out cover art
The '86 Fix cover art
Meeting Mungo Thunk cover art
Who Sent Clement? cover art
A Page in Your Diary cover art
Jason Apsley's Second Chance cover art
Do They Know It's Christmas Yet? cover art
The Time Bubble cover art
Kenneth cover art

What listeners say about System Restored

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    33
  • 4 Stars
    10
  • 3 Stars
    2
  • 2 Stars
    1
  • 1 Stars
    1
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    33
  • 4 Stars
    9
  • 3 Stars
    1
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    1
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    30
  • 4 Stars
    9
  • 3 Stars
    3
  • 2 Stars
    1
  • 1 Stars
    1

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

incredible

amazing. get it now. immediately. awesome. fantastic. also, I loved it! I need fifteen words to leave a review. these words are just filler.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Very enjoyable listen.

The latest collaboration between writer Adam Eccles and actor/narrator Mark Rice-Oxley following on the previous “Need a little time” Having really enjoyed that book I had very high hopes for this listen and it certainly did not disappoint. The humour in Adams writing blended with Marks splendid characterisation is a perfect match made in audiobook heaven.
So what is the book about I hear you ask. Well it’s combining a retro game, some time travel and a bit of romcom. If any of this is up your street I would certainly recommend you listen as it’s truly brilliant.

I can’t wait to see where this collaboration will lead next.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Wasn’t sure at first but couldn’t stop listening

Excellent light hearted story. The characters were well drawn and believable. An Unexpected little gem

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

It’s another good story from Eccles

I enjoyed the previous 2 books so decided to give this one a go. It did not disappoint and rekindled memories of gaming as a young person.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Fantastic time travel tale

Absolutely loved this tale, the characters are well written (would love to see them again) the plot is great and doesn't just end quickly as if rushed. Clever writing incorporating relevant song lyrics (always a neat trick to aid the nostalgia). The narration is entertaining and well done with some great accents and sound additions overal highly recommend to anyone and everyone

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

READY PLAYER 1 THIS IS NOT...

OK SO I WASNT EXPECTING MY MIND TO BE BLOWN COMPLETLEY OFF, AND IT DIDNT... BUT ITS A GOOD BOOK TO DRIVE TO..GREAT NARRATION AND AN UNCOMPLICATED PLOT THEME...
I HIGHLY RECCOMEND... WAY STATION...

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Welcome Back Cotter

Pure 80’s gaming nostalgia with a touch of time travel rom-com. What’s not to like?
Some minor niggles - the narrator’s voice feels 10yrs too old for the main character and a few of the peripheral characters (Jonny in particular) could have been better developed.
That said - really entertaining, so much so, I’m going to go and listen to it again. Now.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

immersive

loved it from start to finish and so easy to become part of the world the author describes

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Masterful narration

System Restored is a very well-told tale set deep in suburban England. Adam Eccles is a great writer, and Mark Rice-Oxley is the perfect narrator, seamlessly blending character voices with narration in a way that is engaging throughout the entire novel. Rice-Oxley has that rare blend of charm, perfect timing and the skillset of an excellent character actor and storyteller who immediately transports you into the world of an audiobook in such a way that you forget you are listening, and believe you are inhabiting that world. Simply put, he is one of the best narrators on the audible platform, and System Restored is a great choice for your next audiobook.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

An 80’s and gaming nostalgia fest with gentle sci-fi threaded with humour

The book opens like a 1980’s text adventure game and continues on with wit and 80’s references galore that were genuinely delightful.
It’s read with nuance and character by Mark Rice-Oxley whose tone and timbre is just perfect
Give it a go.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!