Synthesis, spectral properties and photochemical behavior of novel spirobenzopyrans, spiro-1,4-oxazines and 2H-chromenes with a potential of application in optical storage and erasable memory devices are overviewed. A special attention is given to elucidation of the structural modifications affording photochromic systems with near-IR absorbing photoisomers, luminescent stable forms, enhanced repetitionality of photochromic cycles and fatigue resistance as well as to spirobenzopyrans and their congeners displaying reversible photochromism in solid vacuum-deposited films. New photochromic compounds, four-coordinated main group metal chelate complexes of B(III), Be(II), Zn(II) and Cd(II), isoelectronic with 2H-chromenes and bis-spirobenzopyrans are described. Photochromism and a possibility of light to electron switching of spirocyclic cyclohexadienoneperimidines has been discovered.