# The old computer game appreciation thread... **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [July 20, 2001, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-old-computer-game-appreciation-thread/73255 "2001-07-20T22:34:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Badtz\_Maru](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e36b37/32.png) [@Badtz\_Maru](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Badtz_Maru)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2001, 7:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-old-computer-game-appreciation-thread/73255/61 "2001-08-02T07:09:34Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Heath Doolin \* > \*\*I am gonna roll off a few that I know ppl love and will be going “Damn can’t believe I forgot that” > > M.U.L.E. - Come ON! Everyone remembers this classic. Hell I know of at least 2 people that power up old Commodores to play this still. > > Archon - The epic chess shoot em up. Drove me nuts trying to beat the damn computer opponent. (He always wiped me out with that crackshot unicorn) > > Racing Construction Set - Loved setting the gravity to moon and making huge ramps. > > Wishbringer - Infocom ruled. Plus they helped me learn to fear the word “Grue” \*\* Both M.U.L.E. and Archon were available on the 8-Bit NES. A lot of old C64 games were ported to the NES, often with minor graphical enhancements. Good system to look into if you are into the old games but don’t have the platforms anymore, most of those old games are available dirt-cheap at resale places like Funcoland. ---
**Author:** ![zwaldd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/a9adbd/32.png) [@zwaldd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zwaldd)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2001, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-old-computer-game-appreciation-thread/73255/62 "2001-08-02T15:19:35Z")
The first I’d ever heard of Microsoft was when they came out with Microsoft Decathalon for the Apple 2. That game really got your fingers in shape. I think the pole vault was the most complex event - you ran by alternating the 1 and 2 keys as fast as you could, you hit another key to stop and plant the pole, and then another key to release the bar. Did anyone play that game where you set the trajectory for your weapon and had to hit the other guy’s castle? ---
**Author:** ![Lady\_Ice](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f1d935/32.png) [@Lady\_Ice](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lady_Ice)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2001, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-old-computer-game-appreciation-thread/73255/63 "2001-08-03T03:03:24Z")
You guys are driving me nuts! Oh for the days of trying to get Zork to say the “naughty words”🙂 An older game I find myself going back to is Might and Magic Clouds of Xeen and Darkside of Xeen. Even by todays standards, the graphics still look pretty good. ---
**Author:** ![Pessor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/439d5e/32.png) [@Pessor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pessor)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2001, 4:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-old-computer-game-appreciation-thread/73255/64 "2001-08-03T04:57:17Z")
coleco handheld football… made that “bleeep Bleeep” that was featured in the Supertramp “logical Song” when you were out of yardage. Popular about a year before Tiger released “Head to Head” football for two playes, that one was… 1977-78 I’d say. ---
**Author:** ![Fern\_Forest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/71c47a/32.png) [@Fern\_Forest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fern_Forest)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2001, 5:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-old-computer-game-appreciation-thread/73255/65 "2001-08-03T05:25:44Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by zwaldd \* > \*\*Did anyone play that game where you set the trajectory for your weapon and had to hit the other guy’s castle? \*\* That was actually one of our ‘projects’ in computer club. Not that difficult if I recall correctly. Ok, so neither Crystal Quest nor Tombstone City are old enough huh? Ok, I’ll reach back to an older one. Aztec. My dad worked in the UH Hilo computer lab and I’d spend a LOT of time there so they could save money on babysitters. Played with punchcards to know end. Saw a few of those huge 8" floppies and played this awesome game called Aztec. I guess it came out just after Raiders of the Lost Ark. The controls were a real bugger and I kept getting eaten by jaguars and getting blown up I don’t think I ever even got past level 1. ---
**Author:** ![Fern\_Forest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/71c47a/32.png) [@Fern\_Forest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fern_Forest)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2001, 5:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-old-computer-game-appreciation-thread/73255/66 "2001-08-03T05:27:17Z")
not that difficult to write I meant, in case you didn’t catch my drift ---
**Author:** ![slortar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6bbea6/32.png) [@slortar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/slortar)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2001, 12:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-old-computer-game-appreciation-thread/73255/67 "2001-08-03T12:46:45Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by zwaldd \* > \*\*The first I’d ever heard of Microsoft was when they came out with Microsoft Decathalon for the Apple 2. That game really got your fingers in shape. I think the pole vault was the most complex event - you ran by alternating the 1 and 2 keys as fast as you could, you hit another key to stop and plant the pole, and then another key to release the bar. > > Did anyone play that game where you set the trajectory for your weapon and had to hit the other guy’s castle? \*\* Actually, there are quite a few games like that. I believe the first I ran across was called something like “Artillery” for the Apple II. Later, there was also Scorched Earth for the PC. I also seem to recall something for Mac called “Barrage” or possibly “Artillery.” ---
**Author:** ![Neidhart](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Neidhart](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Neidhart)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2001, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-old-computer-game-appreciation-thread/73255/68 "2001-08-03T13:55:42Z")
Colonization, and Civ I and II. Spent month after month playing those after work and all day Sunday! (back when Microprose could be depended on to deliver good games!) ---
**Author:** ![Joe\_Cool](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ecb155/32.png) [@Joe\_Cool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joe_Cool)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2001, 1:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-old-computer-game-appreciation-thread/73255/69 "2001-08-03T13:56:34Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by DoctorJ \* > **TRS-80. A staggering 64K of RAM…** I don’t know what model or expansions you had, but the one I used (Model II) had only 4k of RAM and 4k of ROM. Lucky bastard. ---
**Author:** ![lno](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/a8b319/32.png) [@lno](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lno)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2001, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-old-computer-game-appreciation-thread/73255/70 "2001-08-03T14:02:40Z")
So last night I dug out Prince of Persia and played through it, beating all twelve levels with 23:48 remaining. I could probably end up trimming a minute or two off of that - some of the fights could have been shortened, some of the exploration could have been ignored. Although I’m still proud of killing Jaffar in just one blow at the end - step across the loose plate, wait for him to advance, rush forward so you switch sides, attack-parry-attack without breaking the motion, and you’ve got your first hit on him. It knocks him back a step, off the edge where the loose plate was, and ba-da-bing ba-da-boom, he’s dead. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-old-computer-game-appreciation-thread/73255.md?page=3)