Seven games for the 1K ZX81, intended as an introduction to the capabilities of the computer.
Repeat 20 is a memory test similar to the electronic game Simon, but with numbers instead of colours. Ski Slalom and Snowflake attempt to demonstrate the use of moving graphics; in the former, you have to guide a skier from side to side so that he passes through slalom gates which scroll up the screen towards him.
The latter requires you to catch a falling snowflake in a bucket which moves right and left at the bottom of the screen.
Both these games have very minimal displays, however, and the player only uses left and right controls. I feel that even with limited memory more imaginative graphics could have been devised.
Paper, Stone & Knife is a computer version of an old favourite; you indicate your choice with a number and the ZX81 randomly generates its choice; scores are kept. Patterns is a non-interactive program which does just what you would guess - it generates patterns. If you don't Like the result, the instructions tell you how to alter the program.
The last two games are the most interesting of the bunch. Banco is a simplified version of the card game Chemin de fer - your aim is to attain a total the last digit of which is nine, or close to it. The computer keeps both your and its own scores.
Sketch is rather like the child's game Etch-a-sketch. It allows you to draw pictures on screen (rubbing out mistakes if necessary) but your designs have to be limited to horizontal and vertical lines only.
Even allowing for the limitations of 1 K, these are not terribly imaginative games. I have seen programs that manage to cram a surprising amount into the unexpanded memory.
31st May 1983
