Mindshadow (Activision)

Mindshadow was first released in 1984 and is essentially and illustrated text adventure game. The text adventure genre is perhaps best illustrated by Infocom and the Zork series. Adding illustrations was basically the next step in the evolutionary development of these games. This game was developed by Interplay and published by Activision.

A text adventure game (or interactive fiction as they were sometimes called) basically described the scene in front of you and then you would have to enter commands (e.g. “go north”, “take sword”, “hit troll with sword”, etc.) then the results would be described to you. Games like Mindshadow worked the same way, they just provided some pictures to go along with the text. This type of game can be extremely fun though they are not particularly replayable. They were also unique in that they were exclusively available on home computer systems vs. video game consoles (for obvious reasons). However, the point and click adventure is not too far removed from this type of game.

Mindshadow, though not necessarily the best, was an above average example of the graphics adventure genre. Reviews were mixed but generally positive for the most part. Honestly, while I enjoyed the occasional text adventure game (especially Zork), it was never really my favorite genre. They never felt long enough (except when you were just stuck and frustrated) and to me, they had zero replayability. I can read novels multiple times (at least some of them) but playing these types a games a second time was just boring. Unless maybe you waited long enough to completely forget it.

Mindshadow has an interesting lineage. One of the game’s programmers (Allen Adham) would later go on to found Blizzard. Another interesting fact about Mindshadow is that it is loosely based on Robert Ludlum’s novel, The Bourne Identity. You can sort of think of this game as an interactive version of that novel.

Mindshadow here is advertised for the Commodore 64, Apple II, Atari 8-bit, PC, and PCjr. It would also be available for the Amiga, Amstrad CPC, Atari ST, Macitosh, and ZX Spectrum. There aren’t really any modern re-releases though it was released in CD format as part of Interplay’s 10 Year Anthology, a collection of ten classic DOS games from Interplay that also includes such classics as The Bard’s Tale, Wasteland (the real first game in the Fallout series), Battle Chess, Out of this World, and other classics. However, this collection was released in 1993 and these games are in their original DOS format so in any case you will need a computer capable of running DOS or use some kind of emulation to be able to play this game. If you are looking to give the graphics adventure genre a try, you could do worse.

Screen shots above are from the Commodore 64 version of the game.

Compute! (Fall 1979)

The Fall 1979 issue of Compute! was the very first issue. I descended from The PET Gazette which exclusively covered the Commodore PET. With the transition to Compute!, it added coverage of other 6502 based computers. You may not think many people had computers in 1979 but the Apple II and Atari 400/800 were already mainstream choices based on the 6502 CPU. This issue of Gazette includes:

Selecting and Developing Small Business Systems – A guide to selecting the appropriate hardware and software for a small business.

Sorting Sorts: A Programming Notebook – Evaluating different sorting routines including selection sort, bubble sort, and shell sort with BASIC examples.

Len Lindsay Reviews Three Word Processors – A look at three word processors for the Commodore PET including Commodore Word Pro II, Programma, and Connecticut Microcomputer WPP.

Microcomputers for Nuclear Instrumentation – An excerpt from a paper about using Commodore PET computers to solve nuclear instrumentation problems at the Savannah River Laboratory.

Tokens Aren’t Just For Subways – An article explaining tokens and a method to list them in BASIC.

Universal 6502 Memory Test – A memory test program that works with various 6502 based computers.

Microcomputers in Educations – Excerpts from The Microcomputer and the School Library Media Specialist.

Flying With PET Pilot – A look at the usage of computers at Peninsula School in the San Francisco Bay area and the software used.

Teachers, Computers and The Classroom – A look at the future of computers in the classroom.

Atari Computers: The Ultimate Teaching Machines? – Comparing the Atari 400/800 to other similar computers for the purposes of classroom use. Ultimately, Atari never did very well in the classroom as far as I know. Commodore had some success but it was Apple with the Apple II that dominated throughout most of the 1980s. This was more of a marketing and sales success than necessarily being better for the purpose.

The Evolution Of A Magazine – A look at how Compute! evolved from The Pet Gazette.

A Commodore Perspective – A history of the Commodore PET.

Retrofitting ROMs – A guide to upgrading the ROMs in your Commodore PET.

PET Screen Print Routine – A type-in program for printing the contents of the screen to a printer.

TRACE For The Pet – A type-in program that will display each line of a BASIC program as it is executing.

32K Programs Arrive – A look at Temple of Apshai for the Commodore PET.

Using Direct Access Files With The Commodore 2040 Dual Disk Drive – Apparently these drives only supported sequential access via the built-in DOs. However, utilities were provided that allowed pseudo-random access by indexing via a separate sequential file.

Mastering The Ohio Scientific Challenger 1P – Some examples of using and programming this single board computer.

Reviews

D.C. Hayes Micro Modem – A 300bps modem for the Apple II for $395.

PET SET 1a – This equipment allows you to collect analog data from several instruments directly with your PET.

Petunia & Petunia Player – A system for creating and playing music with the PET.

Corvus 11A Disk Drive – This 9.6 Megabyte hard drive for the Apple II would have set you back $5300 in 1979. That may sound like a lot but it’s even more when you factor in inflation. Adjusted for inflation, that was equivalent to about $23,040 today.

Macro Assembler And Text Editor: Sym Version – A look at the SYM version of a 6502 Macro Assembler and Text Editor. Versions are also available for the PET, Apple II, and other 6502 machines.