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  • Tower Toppler / Sports-A-Roni (Commodore 64)

    Tower Toppler and Sports-A-Roni by U.S. Gold for the Commodore 64 and other computers.

    This ad from 1988 is for a couple of late 1980s computer games distributed by U.S. Gold in North America. Tower Topper is a platform game while Sports-a-Roni is a sort of parody of the Olympics or other sports games.

    Tower Toppler is probably the most well known of the two. It was originally released under the name of Nebulus in the U.K. but the name was changed to Tower Toppler when it was brought to the U.S. Maybe Nebulus was thought to be too nebulous of a name… Tower Toppler is an excellent game and a unique sort of platformer. Your goal is to make your way from the bottom of the tower to the top while avoiding various enemies and obstacles in order to plant a bomb to destroy the tower. There are eight towers to destroy that you can think of as eight different levels. Uniquely, your character stays in the center of the screen and the tower seems to rotate as you move to the left or the right.

    Tower Toppler was released on a wide variety of systems, including the Commodore 64, Amiga, Atari ST, Game Boy (as Castelian), NES (also as Castelian), Atari 7800 and DOS based computers among others. For overall gameplay experience, I recommend the Commodore 64 version. The Commodore 64 version made an appearance on the C64 DTV in 2004 and was also released via the Wii Virtual Console in 2009.

    Sports-a-Roni is a bit more obscure. It was also released on several platforms, including the Commodore 64, Atari ST and DOS based computers. There are 8 “sports” events including pogo, pillow fight, run up the wall, river jump, boot throwing, the pile of plates, pole climbing and sack race. In its original European release, this game was called Alternative World Games. It’s not a spectacular game but if you enjoy games like the Epyx Games series then this might offer a nice change of pace. However, I don’t believe this one has had any re-releases so you’ll need an original disk and hardware or be content with emulation. I would again say that the Commodore 64 version is the best overall.





  • Commodore Power Play (December 1984/January 1985)

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    Source: Commodore Power Play – December 1984/January 1985

    Commodore Power/Play was Commodore’s more entertainment oriented magazine back when they published more than one. It mostly covered the Commodore 64 and VIC-20 but was around when the short-lived Commodore 16 and Plus/4 were introduced also. The December 1984 issue includes:

    Departments

    • Letters
    • Butterfield
    • Joystick Lunatic
    • News From The Front
    • Game Reviews
      • Summer Games
      • Wizard
      • In the Chips
      • Beyond Castle Wolfenstein
      • Congo Bongo
      • Juice!
    • Software Reviews
      • Astro-Talk
      • Model Diet
      • S.A.M.
    • Jiffies
      • VIC 20 Christmas
      • Renaming Diskettes on the 1541
      • Sound Effects Library
      • Sound Off
      • Game Interrupt
    • Kids’ Corner
      • Cypherighter/Decypherighter
      • Merlyn for the Commodore 64
    • No More Pencils
      • Using Joysticks in LOGO
    • Tele/Scope
      • Playnet: A True Story
    • Computer Tutor
      • Musical Sprites for the Commodore 64
    • Game Programs
      • Blackjack
    • Glitch Fix
      • “Appointment Calendar” Program Listing

    Features

    • Christmas Buyers Guide
      • Games For The Commodore 64 – Build your library from this list of almost 300 games
      • Pick Of The Sticks – A look at seven joysticks. Which is for you?
      • New Kid On The Block – The Commodore 16 is a real “learning machine.”
      • Life After Games – Consider these alternatives to arcade games.
      • Best Bets In New Books – A few favorites picked from the sea of computer books.
      • Feature Games
        • Some Like It Hot – Warm up your joystick hand for Satan’s Hollow.
        • Take The Solar Fox Challenge – Commodore’s new Bally/Midway game is fast.
        • Triad And True – Ti-tac-toe and arcade action come together.

    …and more!





  • Compute!’s Gazette (July 1983)

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    Source: Compute!’s Gazette – July 1983

    Compute!’s Gazette was one of the longest running Commodore 8-bit specific magazines and Compute!’s most successful spinoff. While it mostly covered the Commodore 64, it also covered the VIC-20 in its early years and the Commodore 128 once it launched. The inaugural issue from July 1983 includes:

    Features

    • Does Your Computer Need A Cassette Recorder?
    • Commodore 64 Video Update

    Games

    • Inside View: Programmer Jimmy Huey
    • Skydiver
    • Snake Escape

    Reviews

    • Exatron Stringy Floppy For VIC-20 and 64
    • Deadly Duck Cartridge Game For Unexpanded VIC-20

    Education/Home Applications

    • Computing For Kids: Computer Adventures
    • Alfabug
    • VIC Marquee
    • Word Hunt: A Puzzle Game
    • VIC Timepiece

    Programming

    • The Beginner’s Corner: Learning To Program in BASIC
    • Commodore Classics: Quickfind
    • Power BASIC: 64 Paddle Reader Routing
    • Machine Language For Beginner’s: A Hidden World
    • Hints & Tips: Accelerated IFs
    • Enlivening Programs With Sound
    • Using Joysticks On The 64: A BASIC Tutorial

    Departments

    • The Editor’s Notes
    • Gazette Feedback
    • COMPUTE!’s Gazette Author Guide
    • Simple Answers To Common Questions
    • VICreations
    • 64 Explorer
    • News & Products

    …and more!