Task: Play a New First Person Shooter on an Atari 8-Bit Computer Needed: Web Browser, emulator, or real hardware with SD card device Time: 10-15 mins Introduction Castle Wolfenstein (3D) and Doom were my first experiences with first person shooters (FPS). I also loved Rise
Read morePlay Seven Forgotten Atari 8-Bit Computer Gaming Classics (30-60 mins)
Task: Play Seven Forgotten Atari 8-Bit Computer Gaming Classics Needed: Web Browser, Emulator Time: 30-60 mins Introduction One of my favorite things to do is to play an Atari 8-bit game I have never played before. Benj Edwards reviews seven classics in this PC Magazine
Read morePlay Gold Rush! from Compute! Magazine on an Atari 8-Bit Computer (10-15 mins)
Task: Play Gold Rush from Compute! Magazine on an Atari 8-Bit Computer Needed: Web Browser, Emulator, and/or Floppy Disk Time: 10-15 mins Introduction It was common in the early 1980s to get software by typing in program listings from magazines like Antic or Compute!. This
Read morePlay Prince of Persia on an Atari 8-Bit Computer (30-60 mins)
Task: Play Prince of Persia on an Atari 8-Bit Computer Needed: Altirra emulator or Atari 8-bit computer with 128K of RAM Time: 30-60 mins Introduction Prince of Persia is a platformer game developed and released for the Apple II in 1989. It was soon after
Read morePlay Pitfall! on an Atari 8-Bit Computer or Video Game Console (30-60 mins)
Task: Play Pitfall! on an Atari 8-Bit Computer or Video Game Console Needed: Emulator, SD Card Device, or Cartridges and Original Hardware Time: 30-60 mins for watching several videos Introduction I first played Pitfall! when it came out in 1982 at a friend’s house on
Read morePurchase and Play the New Circus Convoy Game for the Atari 2600 (30-60 mins)
Task: Purchase and Play the New Circus Convoy Game for the Atari 2600 Needed: Web Browser, Atari 2600 Console or Emulator Time: 30-60 mins Introduction The homebrew scene has been active for years developing new games for the Atari 2600. Many of these are really
Read morePlay the Temple of Apshai Games on an Atari 8-Bit Computer (1-2 hours)
Task: Play the Temple of Apshai Games on an Atari 8-Bit Computer Needed: Emulator or Floppy Disks Time: 1-2 hours Introduction I played Dungeons and Dragons as a kid and was thrilled to discover roguelike and roguelike-inspired games on the Atari. The first one I
Read moreListen to the Atari 2600 Game by Game Podcast (1-2 hours)
Task: Listen to the Atari 2600 Game by Game Podcast Needed: Web browser Time: 1-2 hours Introduction If you are like me you can’t get enough Atari. Podcasts are one way to satisfy the Atari itch. I have previously posted about the Antic, Floppy Days,
Read morePurchase an Evercade Retro Handheld Console (10-15 mins)
Task: Purchase an Evercade Retro Handheld Console Needed: Web browser Time: 10-15 mins Introduction Playing Atari games on modern handheld devices has a lot of appeal. I have been particularly excited about the cartridge-based Evercade handheld device which was released in 2020. I got one
Read morePlay Caverns of Mars on an Atari 8-Bit Computer (10-15 mins)
Task: Play Caverns of Mars on an Atari 8-Bit Computer Needed: Altirra or Caverns of Mars cartridge or disk Time: 10-15 mins Introduction Caverns of Mars is one of my favorite games because of its simple yet effective graphics and relatively simple and fun gameplay. The
Read moreDownload the Atari 8-Bit ROM Collection by Ghostware (5-10 mins)
Task: Download the Atari 8-Bit ROM Collection by Ghostware Needed: Web browser Time: 5-10 mins Introduction There are tons of game and utility ROMs available online for download. We have previously posted about the Atarimania resource, for example. Downloading multiple ROMs can be tedious. Fortunately,
Read morePlay Joust on an Atari 8-bit Computer (10-15 mins)
Task: Play Joust on an Atari 8-bit Computer Needed: Joust ROM and emulator or cartridge and computer Time: 10-15 mins Dedication: My good friend Steve Nash (RIP) Introduction I turned 16 in 1984 and was fortunate enough to be able to drive a 1980 Formula
Read morePlay Frogger on the Atari 8-Bit Computers and Consoles (10-15 mins)
Task: Play Frogger on the Atari 8-Bit Computers and Consoles Needed: Web browser, Emulator Time: 10-15 mins Introduction I have about a dozen Atari games I love to play over and over again for decades and decades. Frogger is definitely on that list for both
Read morePlay an Atari Game You Have Never Played Before (10-15 mins)
Task: Play an Atari Game You Have Never Played Before Needed: Web browser, Emulator Time: 10-15 mins Introduction There are hundreds and hundreds of games for the Atari 8-bit computers and video game consoles. One of my favorite things to do is to try new
Read moreExplore Homesoft’s Collection of Games for the Atari 8-Bit Computers (10-15 mins)
Task: Explore Homesoft’s Collection of Games for the Atari 8-Bit Computers Needed: Web browser Time: 10-15 minutes Introduction The Internet Archive and Atari Mania are awesome source of Atari software and games. These are certainly good places to start if you are looking for something.
Read moreExplore Atari Software and Games on Atari Mania (10-15 mins)
Task: Explore Atari Software and Games on Atari Mania Needed: Web browser Time: 10-15 minutes Introduction It can be challenging to find comprehensive and safe sources of Atari software and games online. The Internet Archive is certainly one of my favorites. Another go-to source is
Read moreLearn About Checksum Programs for Checking Type-In Programs (15-30 mins)
Task: Learn About Checksum Programs for Checking Type-In Programs Needed: Web browser, Altirra Time: 15-30 mins Introduction It was common in the early 1980s to get software by typing in program listings from magazines like Antic or Compute!. This was partly because new Atari home
Read morePlay Infocom’s Planetfall on an Atari 8-bit Computer (1-2 hours)
Task: Play Infocom’s Planetfall on an Atari 8-bit Computer Needed: Planetfall Disk or ATR file Time: 1-2 hours Introduction Infocom was king of the text-based adventure games in the 1980s. I played Zork I with a friend and was instantaneously hooked. He had already played
Read morePlay Bowling on the Atari 2600 (10-15 mins)
Task: Play Bowling on the Atari 2600 Needed: Bowling cartridge or Altirra emulator Time: 10-15 mins Introduction Everyone has played classics like Space Invaders, Pac-Man, and Missile Command on the Atari 2600. But, have you played Bowling? If not, you are missing out on one
Read moreExplore Atari XL BASIC Listings (15-30 mins)
Task: Explore Atari XL BASIC Listings Needed: A web browser Time: 15-30 mins Introduction I recall several friends remembering when they got their first Atari 8-bit computer. They brought it home, took it out of the box, and quickly discovered they had no software to
Read moreRead the Book “Unofficial Atari: A Visual History” (15-30 mins)
Task: Read the Book “Unofficial Atari: A Visual History” Needed: The book Time: 15-30 minutes Introduction “Unofficial Atari: A Visual History” is ~400-page book written by Darren Doyle and published by Greyfox Books. Much of the book consists of two-page visual layouts of 162 third-party
Read morePlay The Goonies on an Atari 8-bit Computer (30-60 mins)
Task: Play The Goonies on an Atari 8-bit Computer Needed: The Goonies disk or ATR file Time: 30-60 minutes Introduction The Goonies is an American kids movie that was released in 1985 and written and produced by Steven Spielberg. I recall really enjoying the movie
Read moreLearn How to Make a Game in BASIC XE (30-60 mins)
Task: Learn How to Make a Game in BASIC XE Needed: BASIC XE and extensions Time: 30-60 minutes Introduction My previous posts have demonstrated many of the programming techniques needed to make a game in Atari BASIC. A common theme is how slow BASIC is
Read moreExplore the Antic Software Archive (30-60 mins)
Task: Explore the Antic Software Archive Needed: Web browser Time: 30-60 minutes Introduction As I mentioned in my last post about Antic Magazine, one of the great features of Antic was the software that came in each and every issue. Most of these were software
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