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  • Commodore Computers Software

    Posted on by Azrael 1 Comment

    Advertisement for Commodore for the various game software available for the Commodore 64 and VIC-20 from the March 1984 issue of Ahoy!

    Ahoy! Issue Number 3 March 1984 Commodore Computers
    Ahoy!
    Issue Number 3
    March 1984
    Commodore Computers

    Source: Ahoy! – Issue Number 3 – March 1984 – – Commodore Computers



    The ad above is from the March 1984 issue of Ahoy! magazine which was a magazine dedicated to Commodore computers. It illustrates one of the reasons I think Commodore’s home computers became such a huge success so quickly.

    The first and most important reason of course was price. Because of Commodore’s vertical integration, they could price their machines lower…sometimes much lower…than the machines of their competitors. This was a double edged sword though in that their low price added to the perception that Commodore’s were just toys.

    Besides price though, Commodore also did a very good job of supporting their computers with 1st party software in the early days. I think people sometimes forget just how popular the VIC-20 really was (if you are old enough to remember in the first place anyway). It was the best selling computer of 1982 with 800,000 units sold and it was the first computer to reach 1 million in sales. This success was due to its low cost as well as the outstanding games available for it. Games for the VIC-20 so if you wanted a pure games machine of much better quality than say an Atari 2600 then the VIC-20 was a great and inexpensive option. In addition to games and other uses as a home computer, the VIC-20 even found success in other areas. Wikipedia mentions one example with the Fort Pierce, Florida, Utilities Authority using VIC-20s to measure input and output of their generators and to display this information throughout the plant.

    The VIC-20 would not be discontinued until 1985 at which time the Commodore 64 was taking its place as the best selling home computer. As with the VIC-20, Commodore did a good job releasing games as well as application software in its early days. Eventually 3rd parties would dominate software and peripheral releases on both machines but in the early days of each machine, Commodore’s support made a significant difference in making Commodore stand out from its competitors (I’m looking at you TI).


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  • Blueprint (Atari 2600, Atari 5200, Atari 400/800/1200XL, Intellivision)

    Posted on by Azrael Comment

    Blue Print was one of those classic games I never really played until long after its prime. It was originally an arcade game from Bally/Midway that was released in 1982 but was ported to several popular home systems of the time, including the Atari 2600, Atari 5200, and Commodore 64 and Intellivision the following year. I guess it wasn’t as popular as a number of other games at the time like Pac-Man, Galaga, etc. but it was popular enough to warrant home conversions by CBS. Interestingly, the ad above mentions versions for the Intellivision and Atari 8-bit computers while not mentioning the Commodore 64. I don’t think official versions for the Intellivision and Atari 8-bit computers were ever released.

    The theme somewhat resembles Popeye but the game play is different. The player takes the role of J.J. whose girlfriend is being chased by an ogre. Ollie Ogre chases here along the top of the screen occasionally knocking over flower pots. You must save Daisy while avoiding the flower pots and the occasional monster that roams the screen.

    So how do you save Daisy you ask? Well, it isn’t as simple as climbing to the top of the screen or simply picking up a weapon to attack with. No, it is much more convoluted than that. You must instead search the ten houses scattered about the screen in search of parts for a machine which is a contraption that you drive and shoot with. While searching the houses, if you find a piece of the machine, you must position it in the correct place on the bottom of the screen. However, sometimes instead of finding a part of the machine you will find a bomb instead. When that happens you must take it to the pit (also at the bottom of the screen) before it explodes.

    Reviews of this game are quite mixed and it seems to be something people either loved or hated. I played it only minimally and it never really attracted my interest. Having said that, I think it is always worth trying out these classic games that you have never played. But which version to try? I guess it depends. If you have an actual physical system around that this game was released for then I would find it and try it for that. The Atari 2600 version is going to be the most limited. The Commodore 64 and Atari 8-bit (including Atari 5200) version are probably going to be among the best home versions. The arcade version is obviously going to have the best graphics and sound but the Commodore 64 version adds some extra stuff. I guess if you are going to emulate, you might as well start with the original arcade version. For home versions, pick your favorite system. For me that’s almost always the Commodore 64.

    The screen shots above are from the Commodore 64 version of the game. The ad at the top comes from the October 1983 issue of Videogaming Illustrated.


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