DISQUS

DISQUS Hello! Webomatica is using DISQUS, a powerful comment system, to manage its comments. Learn more.

Community Page

Webomatica

Entertainment and Tech Digest
Jump to original thread »
Author

Apple IIe: Childhood Games of Frustration

Started by webomatica · 10 months ago

I recently revisited some Apple IIe games through the magic of emulation. Some are still pretty impressive (which I'll document in a future post). But here are a few that I seriously can't understand why I ever played: ... Continue reading »

31 comments

  • Dean Briscoe

    2 years ago

    There used to be a game for the Apple IIe called "Crossfire". It was a grid where you could move your character up/down/sideways to shoot at other attacking characters. I used to play it for hours. One of the most engaging games I have ever played.
    Do you have any idea where I might get a copy for a PC?
    reply
  • webomatica

    2 years ago

    Well I can dig around my ROMs... maybe I have that game.
    reply
  • Tamar Weinberg

    2 years ago

    Oh man, Bolo -- that game was great. I'm finding remakes that just don't preserve the goodness of the old game. Got any ideas on where I could find an old original copy (for the PC as well?)
    reply
  • webomatica

    2 years ago

    Hmmmmmmmm..... Let me do some research and get back to you folks. I'm on a Mac, so the software I'm using is Mac oriented.
    reply
  • Tamar Weinberg

    2 years ago

    I actually found it -- AppleWin 1.8j plus bolo.dsk.gz (found on apple2.org.za). Totally cool. I can't believe I found it. Thanks so much for the screenshot; otherwise I'd have completely forgotten the name. It's a completely frustrating game, but it's too addictive -- I just suddenly remembered it after about 20 years!
    reply
  • Webomatica

    2 years ago

    Gee, I'm glad you were able to "help yourself." There are many other games that I have memories of... I hope to post on some of my favorites in the future, namely Karateka, Boulderdash, and some other treats.

    It sure reminds us how long computers have been around (and how old I am getting)... these are the "oldies but goodies" of computing!
    reply
  • Tamar Weinberg

    2 years ago

    Yeah! Totally -- a thank you post on my blog is coming shortly. :)

    Hey, do you know where I can get a version of Oregon Trail or Word/Number Munchers? I think I even played Carmen Sandiego on the Apple too.

    Man, those were old (but fun) days :)
    reply
  • webomatica

    2 years ago

    I might have some of those roms. I'll take a look when I get home.
    reply
  • dvint1

    2 years ago

    Oh man, what a trip.

    Use to play Bilestoad hard out back in the day :)

    Also Conan the barbarian and load runner :)
    reply
  • webomatica

    2 years ago

    Hey dvint1... yeah I'm going to do another post with my favorites (this one was more the ones that I got frustrated with). As a preview, some are Karateka, Sabotage, the Ultima games and yes... Lode Runner.

    What really blows me away is that we had a green screen monitor.... never upgraded to the color one... so we spent so much time staring at the green lines... which is why my screen shots look like that...!
    reply
  • dvint1

    2 years ago

    hehe yeah, the old green screen, had that too.

    Those old Ultima games took many hours of my life too
    reply
  • Andrew

    2 years ago

    We must be the same vintage, they were all the games i played (and played). With Taipan i used to go into debt and then pay pay it back plus heaps more. The game a had a bug in it which would add massive interest to my payed back debt. In no time i was in the billions. Bolo was my fav plus montezumas revenge. a friend gave me about 1000 - 1500 zips of the roms, everything from apple lemonade to the zardax wordprocessor and all the beagle bros stuff
    reply
  • webomatica

    2 years ago

    huh... never knew about that Taipan bug... that's pretty cool! I don't think I have that many roms. I got them off of some Apple archive site that I don't remember what the URL was. Maybe Apple should stick IIe emulation in the iPod... that would be hilarious.

    Here's another post I wrote with my favorite IIe games: http://www.webomatica.com/wordpress/2006/12/31/...
    reply
  • Archon

    2 years ago

    I also grew up on this stuff, my first computer being a II with an AppleSoft language card (which would make it a II+). I LOVED some of these old games you seem so frustrated with -- especially Bilestoad and Aztec. Maybe I was more of a nerd; I'd write doc files for the cracked games, too.

    For Apple II emulators: http://www.a2-web.com/a2emul.html
    For Apple II software: ftp://ftp.apple.asimov.com/pub/apple_II/
    reply
  • webomatica

    2 years ago

    Archon, thanks. The second FTP site is I think where I started with the emulation thing.
    reply
  • Seth

    2 years ago

    Loved all those games! But my favorite was Rescue Raiders.
    reply
  • seeker

    1 year ago

    I can't seem to run Bolo with applewin 1.8j. It just goes to a DOS prompt. I don't have this prob with any of my other games. Do I have to launch it from DOS? If so, I can't for the life of me remember the old DOS commands.

    Can somebody help? Thanks.
    reply
  • Jenny

    1 year ago

    I just decided one day that I miss playing an old computer game from when I was really little...Chivalry! When I googled it, I found this website and was wondering if you could help me out. I hear that you had to use an "emulator"...which is probably a little easier than just trying to find an old Apple! I would appreciate any help in figuring out how to get ahold of this game and which emulator to get for my PC. Thanks, Jenny
    reply
  • Lyteck

    1 year ago

    anyone recall a game called Galaxy-L for the Apple IIe. I can't find record of it anywhere on the web. You would control a small spaceship in a maze and collect gems. Any info would be appreciated. Thanks
    reply
  • Dan

    1 year ago

    I cannot seem to locate an emulator of the old ultima 3 game. Can anyone help

    Reading the comments brought back great memories like trading Opium in Taipan, a crappy game called Caverns of Freitag, Dropping the bombs straight down in that Star Blaster game.

    A game I used to love was Micro League Baseball and then the phenomenal graphics (for the time) of California Games
    reply
  • Gary

    1 year ago

    Uh, Caverns of Freitag rocked just to let you know. You probably never gave it a chance Dan.
    reply
  • Adam

    1 year ago

    Can anyone recall a western shoot 'em up game where you had several response options? You were the Sheriff and could draw your gun when you brought the cursor above your response options>? Thanks in advance.
    reply
  • Mike

    1 year ago

    Adam - just dusted off my Apple emulator to play good 'ol Taipan. BUT, I also came across the game you are talking about (I have fond memories of most of these old Apple games)... the one you want (I'm pretty sure) is Law of the West
    reply
  • Mike

    1 year ago

    That would be the game 'Law of the West'. Just booted 'er up to refresh my memory. I remember playing this one back in the day!
    reply
  • Erin

    10 months ago

    The first encounter I ever had with the Apple IIe was in elementary school and I LOVED the educational games that we'd play! The was one called something like King's Rule and another had something to do with Safari - can anyone help me out with names? I'm pretty sure they were both math-based and amazing!
    reply
  • Howard

    10 months ago

    HI I was wondering if someone could help me with finding a game since I have no luck on the internet finding it. I was wondering if someone could help me find a game called where in the usa is Carmen Sandiego for the Apple //e emaulator for windows.
    thanks for the help and have a great day.
    reply
  • Damon

    8 months ago

    I am fruitlessly digging for an old PC game I used to play in the 80s. It was a two-floppy game and I believe the title of it was Odyssey. I have searched and searched and can't even find a mention of it. You started on a main island and your character representation was a single person. Using arrow keys you walked around the island and when you encountered something it would ask you what you wanted to do. You could attack people, be attacked by people, find gear, visit the markets (marked as a plus sign, I think) and buy stuff. The object was to get to the top of the island, buy a ship and set sail. Then you loaded the ocean part. Sea monsters would attack, storms would force you to reef the sails, if you didn't have fruit men would die of scurvy. You visited several islands before making it to the final island where you had to have the right gear to get passed various obstacles. If you had enough men in your party you could just keep going through the obstacles and risk killing them off. Reach the castle and you win.

    This was a single screenshot game, no scrolling. All "action" was read in script form.

    Anyone got anything on this?
    reply
  • christie

    5 months ago

    i have a question....does anyone remember the old computer game that came out in the late 80s or 90s and your in a maze/labyrinth and you have to get through the walls...there's spiders and roses....its a strategy game?!?!?!....please help!!!!
    reply
  • lilmama66oo

    5 months ago

    i have a question...im looking for an old computer game where your in a maze or labyrinth and you have to get through the walls...maybe "spider rose" or something....its a strategy game...spiders etc ... please help me!?!?!!?
    reply
  • jonathan

    2 months ago

    the review of bolo was unfair.
    i think bolo was probably the best game every made for a personal computer.
    sure it was challenging, but if you got into it, it was just the ultimate - the ultimate - fighting game.
    nothing compares.

    even today, there is no game that exists that compares to the sheer adrenalin and iq-challenge of this remarkably fun game.
    reply
  • corey

    1 month ago

    do any of you all remember the game "sneekers/sneakers/seekers"? it was out around the same time as many of the aforementioned games, with the object being just to move from side to side shooting enemies who came from above. i've looked everywhere for it, and can't find it. god it was great!
    reply

Add New Comment

Returning? Login