Home Computing Weekly


Backgammon

Categories: Review: Software
Author: J.W.
Publisher: Stainless
Machine: TI99/4A

 
Published in Home Computing Weekly #60

This opportunity to challenge the TI was greeted enthusiastically by our household, but we were soon to be disappointed.

The program contains options to either play against the computer or another player. During the first attempt at the one player game, while the computer was considering its second move, the program crashed with a Bad Value in 2010.

The second game I managed to win, but at its end the board disappeared and I was informed my score was now one, meaning I had won one game. Scoring in the original game is done on a points system, the most being awarded for a backgammon. Omitting this seems very strange, particularly as the program includes an option to double.

On my third attempt everything was just going well when the display partially scrolled off the screen and the program locked. This couldn't be cleared, so I had to quit and re-load.

Fortunately, several subsequent games passed uneventfully, but the computer proved to be a fairly pedestrian and not altogether intelligent opponent. In view of the limited memory available, the program overall seems reasonable, but it has little to offer an experienced player. Needs Extended Basic.

J.W.

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