| Super Bunny | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Publisher(s) | Datamost |
| Designer(s) | Vic Leone |
| Programmer(s) | Apple II Vic Leone [1] Commodore 64 Jay Ford [2] |
| Platform(s) | Apple II, Atari 8-bit, Commodore 64 |
| Release | 1983: Apple 1984: Atari, C64 |
| Genre(s) | Platform |
| Mode(s) | Single-player |
Super Bunny is a platform game written by Vic Leone for the Apple II family of home computers and published by Datamost in 1983. [1] Ports to the Atari 8-bit family [3] and Commodore 64 [2] followed in 1984.
The player starts as a defenseless rabbit, hopping from the left side of the screen to the right on scrolling platforms. The goal is to avoid the creatures that appear on the platforms and reach the carrot at the right side of the screen. Landing on ("eating") the carrot turns the rabbit into Super Bunny, at which point he must return to the starting position, dispatching creatures and earning points.
The game has a different saying and song for each level (e.g., "crunch those critters" and the song "Here Comes Peter Cottontail!"). Super Bunny is credited in the game's splash screen as Reginald Rabbit. [4]
The Commodore 64, also known as the C64, is an 8-bit home computer introduced in January 1982 by Commodore International. It has been listed in the Guinness World Records as the highest-selling single computer model of all time, with independent estimates placing the number sold between 12.5 and 17 million units. Volume production started in early 1982, marketing in August for US$595. Preceded by the VIC-20 and Commodore PET, the C64 took its name from its 64 kilobytes(65,536 bytes) of RAM. With support for multicolor sprites and a custom chip for waveform generation, the C64 could create superior visuals and audio compared to systems without such custom hardware.
Centipede is a 1981 fixed shooter arcade video game developed and published by Atari, Inc. Designed by Dona Bailey and Ed Logg, it was one of the most commercially successful games from the golden age of arcade video games and one of the first with a significant female player base. The primary objective is to shoot all the segments of a centipede that winds down the playing field. An arcade sequel, Millipede, followed in 1982.
Miner 2049er is a platform game developed for the Atari 8-bit family of home computers by Bill Hogue and released by his company, Big Five Software, in 1982. The player controls Bounty Bob through multiple levels of a mine, with the goal of traversing all of the platforms while avoiding or defeating enemy mutants. At a time when "climbing games" such as Donkey Kong had four screens, Miner 2049er had ten.
Choplifter is a military themed scrolling shooter developed by Dan Gorlin for the Apple II and published by Broderbund in 1982. It was ported to the Atari 8-bit family the same year and also to the VIC-20, Commodore 64, Atari 5200, ColecoVision, MSX, and Thomson computers.
Will Harvey's Music Construction Set (MCS) is a music composition notation program designed by Will Harvey for the Apple II and published by Electronic Arts in 1983. Harvey wrote the original Apple II version in assembly language when he was 15 and in high school. MCS was conceived as a tool to add music to his previously published game, an abstract shooter called Lancaster for the Apple II.
Caverns of Mars is a vertically scrolling shooter for the Atari 8-bit family of home computers. It was written by Greg Christensen, with some features later added by Richard Watts, and published by the Atari Program Exchange (APX) in 1981. Caverns of Mars became the best selling APX software of all-time and was moved into Atari, Inc.'s official product line, first on diskette, then on cartridge.
Anteater is an arcade video game designed by Chris Oberth and released in 1982 by Tago Electronics. The player steers the tongue of the eponymous creature through a maze, retracting it when dangers approach. Though the arcade game was not a hit, it spawned a number of direct clones for home computers; Sierra's Oils Well became better known than the original. Oberth wrote an Apple II version of his own game for Datamost using a different title.
Cavern Creatures is a vertically scrolling shooter for the Apple II written by Paul Lowrance and published by Datamost in 1983. The title screen artwork is by Art Huff. The game is similar to the 1981 game Caverns of Mars for the Atari 8-bit family.
Datamost was a computer book publisher and computer game company founded by David Gordon and based in Chatsworth, California. Datamost operated in the early 1980s producing games and other software mainly for the Apple II, Commodore 64 and Atari 8-bit family, with some for the IBM PC. It also published educational and reference materials related to computers and computer programming.
Mr. Robot and His Robot Factory is a platform game created for the Atari 8-bit family by Ron Rosen and published in 1983 by Datamost. The music was composed by Gary Gilbertson using Philip Price's Advanced Music Processor, while the title screen was drawn by Art Huff. It was ported to the Apple II by Robert McNally and to the Commodore 64.
Aztec is an action-adventure game developed by Paul Stephenson for the Apple II and published by Datamost in 1982. It was ported to the Atari 8-bit family and Commodore 64. In Aztec, the player enters and explores the recently discovered "Tomb of Quetzalcoatl" in Mexico in search of a jade idol.
Tubeway is game for the Apple II programmed by David Arthur Van Brink and published by Datamost in 1983. It is similar to the 1981 Atari arcade game Tempest.
Jet-Boot Jack is a platform game written by Jon Williams for the Atari 8-bit family and published by English Software in 1983. It was ported to the Acorn Electron, Amstrad CPC, BBC Micro, and Commodore 64. A C64-only sequel, Legend of the Knucker-Hole, was released in 1984.
Lunar Leeper, also released as Lunar Leepers, is a horizontally scrolling shooter written by Chuck Bueche and published under Sierra On-Line's SierraVision label in 1982. It was released for the Apple II, Atari 8-bit family, Commodore 64, and VIC-20. The Apple II version was copy-protected using Sierra's Spiradisc system.
A.E. is a fixed shooter written by Jun Wada and Makoto Horai for the Apple II and Atari 8-bit family and published by Broderbund in 1982. Versions for the VIC-20 (1983) and MSX (1984) followed. Unlike most earlier shooters which have a solid color or starfield as a background, the action in A.E. takes place in front of science fiction scenes. Attacking creatures emerge from points in the image, often appearing to come from behind objects. Combined with a slight scaling as they advance, there is the impression of depth.
Cosmic Tunnels is a space-themed action game written by Tim Ferris and published by Datamost in 1983 for the Atari 8-bit family and in 1984 for the Commodore 64. Datamost also sold the game with Cohen's Towers as a "twin pack". It was re-released in 1986 by Databyte in the United Kingdom.
Monster Smash is an action game written by Dave Eisler and published by Datamost in 1983 for the Apple II and Atari 8-bit family. A Commodore 64 port followed in 1984. The Atari version features music written by Gary Gilbertson that was praised by reviewers. An earlier version of the game was published by The Software Farm in 1982 as Monster Mash.
Threshold is a space-themed fixed shooter written by Warren Schwader and Ken Williams for the Apple II and published by On-Line Systems in 1981. Inspired by Sega's Astro Blaster arcade video game, Threshold introduces many enemy ship types and wave formations as the game progresses. Reviewers found the variety distinguished the game from the many similar shoot 'em ups.