Home Computing Weekly


Backgammon
By Stainless
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.

Other TI99/4A Game Reviews By J.W.


  • Caveman Front Cover
    Caveman
  • The Wall Front Cover
    The Wall
  • Breakpoint Front Cover
    Breakpoint
  • 3D Stalkers Front Cover
    3D Stalkers
  • Halloween Front Cover
    Halloween
  • System Trader Typing Test Front Cover
    System Trader Typing Test
  • Extended Character Definition Front Cover
    Extended Character Definition
  • The Bag Bounder/Food Of The Gods Front Cover
    The Bag Bounder/Food Of The Gods
  • Zap Front Cover
    Zap
  • Program Index Front Cover
    Program Index