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 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 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 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
Read morePlay Dark Chambers on an Atari 7800 (15-30 mins)
Task: Play Dark Chambers on an Atari 7800 Needed: Atari 7800 or emulator Time: 15-30 minutes Introduction One of my all-time favorite arcade games is Gauntlet that was produced by Atari games and released in 1985. I enjoyed playing it back in the day on
Read morePlay Sea Dragon on Your Atari 8-Bit Computer (15-30 mins)
Task: Play Sea Dragon on Your Atari 8-Bit Computer Needed: Sea Dragon disk or ATR file Time: 15-30 minutes Introduction My all time favorite game on the Atari 8-bit computers was and still is Sea Dragon. I still have my original 16K cassette version of
Read moreRead the Book “Racing the Beam” by Nick Montfort and Ian Bogost (3-6 Hours)
Task: Read the Book “Racing the Beam” by Nick Montfort and Ian Bogost (3-6 Hours) Needed: The book Time: 3-6 hours Introduction I had an Atari Video Computer System (VCS) or 2600 before I owned an Atari 400 and then 800 computer. The 2600 was
Read moreEaster Eggs (15-60 mins)
Task: Find Easter eggs in several Atari home computer games Needed: Dig Dug and/or Donkey Kong cartridges Time: 15-60 minutes Introduction There are several Atari home computer games that have Easter eggs left by the programmers. I list here three of these that I personally
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