Ian Grogan does the 80s

This week's guide to Commodore 64. video gaming's original god

By: Ian Grogan

Posted: 5/9/08

Video games these days are mind-blowing, using handy tools like HD technology, online play and some hardcore music soundtracks. We know that 20 years ago we didn't have the technology. Therefore I bring you the Commodore 64 in all of its 8-bit glory.

In the late summer of 1982, a whole new world opened to the public: the C64. Its original price was $595, and it offered its fans 8-bit graphics and 64 whole kilobytes of RAM.

Forget going out to the arcade and wasting quarters; stay at home, grab a Jolt Cola, relax and be amazed.

To this day, the C64 is the top-selling personal computer, dominating the IBM and Apple systems.

In 1984, the Commodore yet again astounded audiences when it released its SX-64, the first portable color computer with an integrated floppy disk drive.

In 1986, the Commodore shocked the world again as it released the 64C. Higher RAM and cartridges were finally available on the market, and the Commodore took hold and held its popularity for several years after.

Sadly, when the C64 was released it got wrapped up in the video game downfall of the '80s, yet it managed to survive and become one of the leaders of the gaming industry.

Now let's get to the good part, just a few of the games the Commodore 64 brought to the world of quarter-less arcade gamers.

Early versions of games came in "text-only" styles, which play out exactly as they sound. A situation arises, and the text pops up on the screen. It's up to you to decipher and type what you are going to do at that point.

One such game is "The Farmer's Daughter." You are a traveling salesman whose car just broke down. As you try and find help, you are greeted by a beautiful young girl who is in need of a man. The plot of the game is to find several items and meet the girl in the hay-loft after. The catch is that you only have a certain amount of movements before it's "game over." This game is quite funny because while it is a vivid, X-rated game, it's text only - or nerd porn to the extreme.

"Armalyte" was a left-to-right space shooter game. The player guided a spaceship through a course, destroying enemies. This game was one of the first shooters to add power-ups, and according to how well you did the power-ups, you could become more powerful.

Although this next game wasn't started on the C64, it was popularized by it. I am sure all you gamers out there know of "Castle Wolfenstein," but for those of you who don't, here's a synopsis of the first "stealth-based" video game: You start out as a prisoner in the castle, and it's your job to escape. The catch is that the castle is crawling with Nazis. This game utilized four different directions of travel and added to the game-play experience.

While you kids are sitting down playing your computer games and next-gen consoles, I'll be at home playing some emulators from back when games were really games that took little effort or real skill to create.

The Commodore 64, the gaming god.

Ian Grogan

diversions@dailybarometer.com