VIC-20 Listings - Books - VIC 20: 50 Easy-to-Run Computer Games

Books > VIC 20: 50 Easy-to-Run Computer Games

VIC 20: 50 Easy-to-Run Computer Games (US)
Edward Burns
Sams, 1983

Download all programs from this book on one disk:

50 programs (100% complete)

Program	Author	Requirements	Files	Info
Coin Toss Pages 13-14.	Edward Burns	Unexpanded	coin toss.prg Screenshot	A coin is tossed. Heads will give you one point, and tails will give the computer one point. The first player to each ten points wins. Controls: Press Return to toss the next coin.
The 500 Pages 15-16.	Edward Burns	Unexpanded	the 500.prg Screenshot	The computer counts from 1 to 500, but you do not see it counting. To win, you must press Return while the computer is counting between 480 and 500. Press it too early and it will display your lap time, press it too late and you will crash. Controls: Return (stop count).
The Great Duck Race Pages 17-18.	Edward Burns	Unexpanded	great duck race.prg Screenshot	The names of five ducks scroll up the screen as they jockey for position. At the end of the race, the speed of each duck is shown. Controls: Return (begin race).
Battleship Pages 19-20.	Edward Burns	Unexpanded	battleship.prg Screenshot	As a submarine commander, you must destroy the battleship that is located somewhere on a 100x100 grid. You have up to eight shots, and after each shot the computer will show how close you came to hitting the enemy ship. Controls: Type the coordinates of each shot.
Fortune-Teller Pages 21-22.	Edward Burns	Unexpanded	fortune-teller.prg Screenshot	Fortune teller that predicts how many children you will have, what kind of house you will live in, your wealth, and your job. Controls: Type P and press Return to see your prediction.
Hurray, Beethoven! Pages 23-24.	Edward Burns	Unexpanded	beethoven.prg Screenshot	Help you learn musical notes. The program plays 15 notes, and for each one you must identify whether it was A, B, C, D or E. Controls: Type the note (A, B, C, D or E).
Splat Pages 25-27.	Edward Burns	Unexpanded	splat.prg Screenshot	The computer displays random numbers between 1 and 9. When the number 1 appears, press Return to avoid being splatted. When this is done, you must press Return as soon as the number 2 appears, and so on all the way through to 9. Controls: Press Return when the required number appears.
Cows and Bulls Pages 29-30.	Edward Burns	Unexpanded	cows and bulls.prg Screenshot	Mastermind-style logic game, you must guess a three-digit random number. A correct digit in the correct place gives a bull, while a correct digit in the wrong place gives a cow. Controls: Type your guess (three numbers separated by commas).
Countdown Pages 31-32.	Edward Burns	Unexpanded	countdown.prg Screenshot	Reaction time game. The computer counts down from 50 to 0, then starts displaying hearts. After the computer reaches zero, hit Return as quickly as possible to stop it from displaying hearts. The fewer hearts are displayed, the higher your score. Controls: Return (calculate reaction time).
Word Builder Pages 33-34.	Edward Burns	Unexpanded	word builder.prg Screenshot	Ten random letters are displayed. Use them to spell as many words as you can. Controls: Follow on-screen prompts.
Golf Pages 35-36.	Edward Burns	Unexpanded	golf.prg Screenshot	Nine hole golf game. For each shot, enter the club number (1-9). The lower the number, the farther the ball will go. A 1 club hits the ball between 99-198 yards, and a 9 club hits it between 11-22 yards. If you hit the ball more than 15 yards beyond the hole then you will be penalized by adding 4 shots to your score. Controls: Type which club you want to use (1-9).
Copycat Pages 37-38.	Edward Burns	Unexpanded	copycat.prg Screenshot	Ten random letters are displayed on the screen. You must copy them exactly as shown (without spaces), in the shortest possible time, without making any mistakes. Controls: Type your answer.
Bird Watching Pages 39-40.	Edward Burns	Unexpanded	bird watching.prg Screenshot	Counting game. A random number of birds are briefly displayed on the screen. How accurately count them? Controls: Type how many birds were shown.
Blue and Red Pages 41-42.	Edward Burns	Unexpanded	blue and red.prg Screenshot	Stroop task game. The words "blue" and "red" are displayed on the screen in either blue or red text. Press Return whenever the word "blue" appears, regardless of the colour. Controls: Press Return whenever the word "blue" is displayed.
Gorp Words Pages 43-44.	Edward Burns	Unexpanded	gorp words.prg Screenshot	Memory game. A random string of letters is briefly displayed, then the screen is cleared. Can you repeat them exactly as they appeared? Another letter is added after every correct answer. Controls: Type the letter sequence.
Mississippi Pages 45-46.	Edward Burns	Unexpanded	mississippi.prg Screenshot	Number game similar to Pontoon. You and the computer each begin with a random value between 1 and 100. After each number, you muct decide whether to stick or take another random number, which will be between 1 and 50. The goal is to score as close to 100 as possible without exceeding it. Controls: Enter Y for another number.
Hole Digging Contest Pages 47-48.	Edward Burns	Unexpanded	hole digging.prg Screenshot	Between 2 and 9 contestants take part in a hole digging contest, to see who can dig the most holes. The winner is chosen randomly. Controls: Enter the number of contestants, and watch the results.
Diamond Pages 49-50.	Edward Burns	Unexpanded	diamond.prg Screenshot	Various graphic characters are displayed on the screen, and one diamond. Find the diamond and type its location as quickly as possible. Controls: Enter the number shown beside the diamond.
The Backward Test Pages 51-52.	Edward Burns	Unexpanded	backward test.prg Screenshot	Multiple choice quiz with 20 questions. Each answer is a random number between 1 and 4, how many can you guess correctly? Controls: Type your answer (1-4).
Nim Pages 53-54.	Edward Burns	Unexpanded	nim.prg Screenshot	The game begins with a NIM of 15. You and the computer each take it in turns to subtract 1, 2 or 3 points from the current NIM. The first player to achieve a NIM of 1 wins. Controls: Type how many points to remove (1-3).
Darts Pages 55-57.	Edward Burns	Unexpanded	darts.prg Screenshot	Darts game played against the computer. Both players start with 301 points, and most throw 18, 19 or 20 to start. Which player will be the first to reach 0? Controls: Return (throw next dart).
Pyramids Pages 59-60.	Edward Burns	Unexpanded	pyramids.prg Screenshot	A series of random diagonal lines are displayed on the screen. You must count how many of them form pyramid peaks as quickly as possible. Controls: Type your answer.
Risk Pages 61-62.	Edward Burns	Unexpanded	risk.prg Screenshot	The computer picks a high and low random number. Decide how much to gamble that a third random number, the X value, will fall between those amounts. There are ten rounds to play. Controls: Type your bet for each round.
Home Run Pages 63-64.	Edward Burns	Unexpanded	home run.prg Screenshot	Baseball-style game. Swing as many home runs as possible in three outs. Controls: Return (swing bat).
Fan Tan Pages 65-66.	Edward Burns	Unexpanded	fan tan.prg Screenshot	You begin the game with 100 points. Enter a number from 1-4, then the computer selects a random number from 11-30. The computer subtracts 4 from its number until a value of 4 or less is reached. If this matches your number then you win 40 points, otherwise you lose 10 points. The game ends after 10 rounds, or if you run out of points. Controls: Enter finishing number (1-4).
Moving Target Pages 67-68.	Edward Burns	Unexpanded	moving target.prg Screenshot	A target moves across the screen towards your sights. Try to shoot it as many times as you can. You get twenty shots. Controls: Return (fire).
Keyboard Pages 69-70.	Edward Burns	Unexpanded	keyboard.prg Screenshot	Typing test. Thirty characters are displayed on the screen, one at a time. For each one, press the corresponding keyboard key as quickly as possible. Controls: Press the key shown on screen.
Stop Pages 71-72.	Edward Burns	Unexpanded	stop.prg Screenshot	A sound is played that rapidly increases in pitch. Press Return to stop the tone as close to the highest note as you can. Stopping the sound at the start scores 1, stopping at the very end scores 66, failing to press Return scores -100, and pressing Return after the sound has stopped scores -100 with a score of 1 on the following round. There are 15 rounds. Controls: Return (stop the tone).
Programmer Pages 73-74.	Edward Burns	Unexpanded	programmer.prg Screenshot	Typing test for programmers. Six BASIC statements are displayed on the screen in a random order. You must type each one exactly as shown. How quickly can you do it? Controls: Type each line.
Rock, Scissors, Paper Pages 75-76.	Edward Burns	Unexpanded	rock scissors.prg Screenshot	Very old game. Rock breaks scissors, scissors cut paper, paper covers rock. Try to beat the computer as many times as you can over 15 rounds. Controls: Type your choice for each round.
Around the Clock Pages 77-78.	Edward Burns	Unexpanded	around clock.prg Screenshot	Dice game. You must toss a die over-and-over until you get a 1, then a 2, and so on up until 6. You begin with a score of 100, and each toss lowers your score by 1 point. Controls: Return (toss die).
Maze Pages 79-80.	Edward Burns	Unexpanded	maze.prg Screenshot	Maze game. You are in a maze with six alleys, and at the end of each alley you can turn either left or right. Moving in the correct direction will take you to the next alley, and so on. The game ends when you can reach the exit without making any mistakes. Controls: L (left), R (right).
Shooting Gallery Pages 81-82.	Edward Burns	Unexpanded	shoot gallery.prg Screenshot	A column of 20 targets is displayed. One line at a time, a shot slides across the screen towards the targets. Try to press Return as it hits the target, if you miss then a red circle will appear. Controls: Return (stop).
Magic Square Pages 83-84.	Edward Burns	Unexpanded	magic square.prg Screenshot	Try to make a 3x3 magic square, where the numbers in every row and column add up to 15. The numbers 1-9 should only be used once. Controls: For each row, type three numbers separated by commas.
Quarterback Pages 85-87.	Edward Burns	Unexpanded	quarterback.prg Screenshot	As a quarterback, your aim is to score a touchdown. You have four plays in which to make the first down, where each play is either a pass (P) or run (R). Passing can gain from -10 to 25 yards, and running can gain from -2 to 12 yards. Controls: P (pass), R (run).
Math Whiz Pages 89-91.	Edward Burns	Unexpanded	math whiz.prg Screenshot	Mental arithmetic test. You have 15 maths problems to solve, but the time limit gets shorter with each correct answer. Controls: Type the answer for each sum.
Decoding Pages 93-94.	Edward Burns	Unexpanded	decoding.prg Screenshot	The computer displays a series of ASCII values between 65 and 90, where 65=A, 66=B through to 90=Z. Can you work out which letter each number represents? The computer will say if each guess is too high or too low. Controls: Type the letter for each ASCII value.
Race Car Pages 95-96.	Edward Burns	Unexpanded	race car.prg Screenshot	Typing game. As soon as you see the race track starting to appear, try to press all they keys from A-Z in the correct order without making any mistakes. Controls: Press A-Z in alphabetical order.
Sort Pages 97-98.	Edward Burns	Unexpanded	sort.prg Screenshot	Five strings of random letters are displayed. You must arrange the strings into alphabetical order, and then retype each string exactly as shown. Controls: Retype each string.
Fingerquick Pages 99-100.	Edward Burns	Unexpanded	fingerquick.prg Screenshot	After a brief pause, a number between 0 and 9 will be shown. You have approx five seconds to press that key as many times as you can. Controls: Press the displayed key as many times as you can.
Computer Brain Pages 101-102.	Edward Burns	Unexpanded	computer brain.prg Screenshot	The computer picks a random number between 1 and 1000. It displays the word 'go', counts up to that number, then displays 'stop'. Can you work out the number from the length of the delay? Lower scores are better. Controls: Type your guess.
Intercept Pages 103-104.	Edward Burns	Unexpanded	intercept.prg Screenshot	Enemy targets appear at the top of the screen, and you have one minute to shoot as many as you can. Position your missile carefully because you can only move to the right. Controls: Space (move right), Arrow Up (fire).
Concentration Pages 105-107.	Edward Burns	Unexpanded	concentration.prg Screenshot	Memory game. The letters A-F are randomly hidden in fifty locations, which are numbered 10-59. You must remember which letter is hidden behind each number, and match pairs of letters to remove them. You are given 20 chances to find as many pairs as you can. Controls: Type your first and second choice (10-59) for each try.
Pickle Pages 109-110.	Edward Burns	Unexpanded	pickle.prg Screenshot	You are given a number from 0 to 9. If it is a 0 or 9 then you lose. If it is a 2 or 7 then you win that number of points. If it is any other value then you must keep drawing another number until you either match that value or draw a 7. Match the value to win that number of points, but drawing a 7 will end the game. Controls: Press Return at each prompt.
Line Checkers Pages 111-112.	Edward Burns	Unexpanded	line checkers.prg Screenshot	Puzzle game. The aim is to move all four + characters into the bottom four positions (6,7,8 and 9) in the fewest possible moves. On each turn, you must move a + or * into the empty space, and you cannot jump over more than two characters. Controls: Enter the 'from' and 'to' location for each move, two numbers separated by a comma.
Birthday Pages 113-114.	Edward Burns	Unexpanded	birthday.prg Screenshot	Enter the month, day and year of your birthday, and try to guess which weekday you were born on. Controls: Follow on-screen prompts. When asked for the month, use the following codes: 1=March, 2=April, 3=May, 4=June, 5=July, 6=August, 7=September, 8=October, 9=November, 10=December, 11=January, 12=February.
The Run Pages 115-116.	Edward Burns	Unexpanded	the run.prg Screenshot	Complete your run across the screen by following some simple directions. Move left when '<' appears, stay in the centre when '=' appears, and move right when '>' appears. Controls: L (left), C (centre), R (right).
Gobbler Pages 117-118.	Edward Burns	Unexpanded	gobbler.prg Screenshot	Move the blob and eat as many X's as possible within 30 seconds. Controls: A (left), S (right), K (up), L (down).
Flash Pages 119-120.	Edward Burns	Unexpanded	flash.prg Screenshot	A four-digit number is briefly flashed onto the screen. When it vanishes, you must type the number exactly as it was shown. After each successful answer, the next number is flashed more quickly. Lower scores are better, and 2 is the best score possible. Controls: Type the number that was shown.
Tree Climb Pages 121-122.	Edward Burns	Unexpanded	tree climb.prg Screenshot	Tree-climbing contest. The computer moves two contestants towards the top of the screen, which will get there first? Controls: None.