First released for the VIC-20 in 1983, Traxx is a simple maze game where you have to connect boxes together using red lines. It’s another early Jeff Minter game that is only partially successful.
Tag Archives: Commodore
Laser Zone, VIC-20
The 1983 VIC-20 version of Laser Zone is a bare-bones conversion of the Commodore 64 original, but with one important extra: in this version you can fire diagonally too.
Hellgate, VIC-20
Another classic single-screen shoot ’em up from Jeff Minter – that is the sequel to his earlier game, Laser Zone. Hellgate was published by Llamasoft in 1983 for the VIC-20 and further refines Minter‘s ideas for X and Y shooters.
Gridrunner, Commodore 64
Gridrunner came out on the Commodore 64 in 1983, making it a fairly early shooter for the system. Gameplay is basically the same as the VIC-20 original, but with slightly better graphics and a few more clock cycles to play with.
Abductor, VIC-20
Abductor is an early shoot ’em up from Jeff Minter and Llamasoft; releasing exclusively for the VIC-20 in 1983. The game is a sort of a cross between Galaxian and Defender, except that the aliens swoop down to try to take six arbitrary ‘men’ that you’re protecting. The unfortunate thing is that this idea doesn’t work that well in practise…
Rat Man, VIC-20
Described on the title screen as a “freaked-out game from Llamasoft“, Rat Man is a simple hammer-bashing game from the early days of the Commodore VIC-20 and Jeff Minter. Frankly, though, it hasn’t stood the test of time very well…
Headbanger’s Heaven, VIC-20
First released in 1982 through Llamasoft, Headbanger’s Heaven is arguably Jeff Minter‘s worst game, although that said: it’s still reasonable fun to play. I did read that the game originated on the ZX Spectrum and was converted to the VIC-20. Whatever possessed them to convert it is not clear, though…
Gridrunner, VIC-20
Jeff Minter‘s original 1982 VIC-20 version of Gridrunner is not a bad game overall. It’s a simple Centipede variant fought on a basic grid background, with sprites zipping all over the place and insects trying to get the better of you by destroying you before you can destroy them.
Blitzkrieg, VIC-20
Blitzkrieg is a city-bombing game by Jeff Minter, first released for the Commodore VIC-20 in 1982 through Llamasoft. It is notable for two reasons…
3D Labyrinth, VIC-20
3D Labyrinth is a first-person maze game by Jeff Minter of Llamasoft. It was published for the VIC-20 in 1982 and features very basic graphics, showing your view as a series of perspective-based drawings that change with every step you take.