Random Commodore 64 Screenshots

@rndc64screens.bsky.social

Posting random screenshots of Commodore 64 things (mosly games), and writing a bit about each. Not a bot (AFAIK), and all screens were taken manually by myself. Corrections are welcome! Ko-Fi: https://ko-fi.com/joachimfroholt

Loogaroo/Werewolf Simulator (1988) This is a fairly simple text/graphics adventure game written in GILSofts Graphic Adventure Creator (GAC) authoring system. Ingame it identifies itself as Loogaroo, but on the packaging of the budget release by Top Ten Software, it's called Werewolf Simulator. 1/3

Navigating the city in Werewolf Simulator on the Commodore 64.

Championship Sprint (1988) The sequel to Super Sprint, and it's basically more of the same. Four cars race around a track viewed from high above, and two of them can be player-controlled. It's not as fun as the Atari arcade game with its steering wheels, but that can't really be helped. 1/2

Championship Sprint on the Commodore 64.

Mr. Wimpy: The Hamburger Game (1984) This game is heavily inspired by Data East's arcade hit Burger Time, but with a small mini game preceeding the main platformer gameplay. It was published as a promotional tie with the Wimpy fast food chain, which did quite well in the UK in the Eighties. 1/3

Mr. Wimpy on the Commodore 64.

Devil's Wheel (198x) A truly weird game that I never figured out how to play properly. You're a bear and have to navigate circular paths, jumping from one to another where they connect, and you must avoid getting stung by wasps. I think the point is to bring honey back to your cubs in the cave. 1/2

Devil's Wheel on the Commodore 64.

Uchi Mata (1986) This is an unusual fighting game in that it is an attempt at delivering a realistic portrayal of the martial arts combat sport Judo. It was released by UK publisher Martech, who brought in British Olympic judoka Brian Jacks (bronze in 1967 and 1972) to promote it. 1/4

Uchi Mata on the Commodore 64.

Graphics BASIC (1983) An interesting one. Graphics BASIC is an extension for Commodore 64 BASIC created by Ron Gilbert and Tom McFarlane. Yes, THAT Ron Gilbert. Monkey Island, et.c. It was published by HES (Human Engineered Software), and was the first commercial product Gilbert worked on. 1/3

Example program from Graphics BASIC on the Commodore 64.

Hyper Sports (1985) An excellent conversion of Konami's Track & Field sequel from the arcades. Hyper Sports features a varied set of events, ranging from swimming and skeet shooting to gymnastics and weight lifting, and they're all well done and fun to play in their own way. 1/3

The weight lifting event in Hyper Sports on the Commodore 64.

Apple Cider Spider (1984) A cute little platformer by Sierra On-Line. You play a tiny spider and have to find your way to the attic of an apple cider factory where your family is waiting. Each level is centered around a step in the production of the cider, with unique challenges to overcome. 1/3

Apple Cider Spider on the Commodore 64.

Kid Grid (1983) This is a clone of the Konami arcade game Amidar, and it's actually pretty decent too. As in the original, the player moves around a fixed rectilinear lattice, attempting to visit each location on the board while avoiding the enemies. Yes, I stole that description from Wikipedia.1/2

Kid Grid on the Commodore 64.

Fighter Pilot (1984) Definitely not going to make this landing in Digital Integration's combat flight simulator Fighter Pilot. The game was originally created for the ZX Spectrum by David Marshall, who had a background working on flight control systems for the Ministry of Defence. 1/3

Fighter Pilot on the Commodore 64. That's the runway to the left.

Great Gurianos (1987) A sort of okay-ish conversion of Taito's sort of okay-ish side-scrolling action/beat-'em-up from the year before. The game is known for its large character sprites, the ability to knock off your opponent's armour parts, and for being very hard. 1/3

Great Gurianos on the Commodore 64.

Solitaire (1991) Proof that I'm indeed using RND. :) This is a simple peg solitaire game created in BASIC by Geir Arne Hjelle. It's one of those simple text based games that do what they're supposed to well enough, and it even features multiple solitaire-versions. A bit slow, though. 1/3

Solitaire (not exactly the best version) on the Commodore 64.

World Games (1986) World Games is a great sports game by Epyx, featuring multiple sports and other activities from all around the world (hence the name). They're all reasonably in-depth mini games, and as usual with Epyx' sports games up to eight players can compete. (1/3)

Well, this was a failure. World Games on the Commodore 64.

Zoids: The Battle Begins (1986) See if you can make any sense of this screenshot from Zoids: The Battle Begins, a highly experimental tactics/strategy game based on the mecha franchise of the same name. You pilot your Spiderzoid through a cave system, and the goal is to rebuild Zoidzilla. 1/2

Zoids on the Commodore 64. I've no idea what is going on here. I did give the game a proper go a few years ago, but have now forgotten everything I learned.

Pitstop II (1984) A fantastic Formula 1 inspired arcade racer from Epyx where you compete against another driver on a series of iconic race tracks from around the world. The game always uses a split screen, and if you don't have a human to play against the computer will race instead. 1/3

Player 1 is in the pits while Player 2 is hoping to catch up on Brands Hatch in Pitstop II on the Commodore 64.

Gee Bee Air Rally (1987) This is an air racing game from Activision, featuring some pretty nice aircraft sprites (modelled after the Granville Gee Bee Model Z Super Sportster). It's set in the 20s and 30s, and features some nice pictures between races (as well as when you crash). 1/2

Gee Bee Air Rally on the Commodore 64.

My Favourite #C64 Two Player Games - No. 16 Street Sports Basketball Andrew Spencer took International Basketball to the streets & gave us another gem. Cool presentation, fab graphics, loads of humour & brilliantly playable, it’s terrific two-player fun. Simply the best basketball game on the C64.

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Archon: The Light and the Dark (1983) This is a great strategy/action game from Free Fall Associates and Electronic Arts. At first glance it looks like a fantasy version of chess, but in this game the pieces will actually fight it out on the battlefield when they meet on the board. 1/3

Archon on the Commodore 64.

Snake Byte (1983) Snake Byte is a very early Snake-style game, one of (if not the actual) first where the gameplay is pretty much exactly like we associate with the genre today. Control a snake that grows as you eat apples, and once you've eaten enough it's onto the next level. (1/3)

Snake Byte on the Commodore 64.

Piratebusters v1.0FL (1985) This is part of the message you get if you try playing a copied version of Beach Head II by Access Software. It used a copy protection known as Piratebusters, which worked by checking for certain bytes on original disks that were impossible to copy normally. 1/2

Piratebusters message on the Commodore 64.

Cyberdyne Warrior (1989) Cyberdyne Warrior is a flick-screen action-/platform game wher you have to explore various planets in the search of missing droids. Avoid coming into contact with enemies, plants and other hazards, but pick up money and other bonuses. This is the title screen. 1/3

Cyberdyne Warrior on the Commodore 64.

Combat School (1987) Combat School from Ocean is a pretty solid conversion of Konami's arcade game, where you play as a recruit who has to go through basic training – seven individual sports minigames – before being sent out to rescue the President in your first actual mission. 1/3

Combat School on the Commodore 64.

Atomic Handball (1985) Behind the exciting name, we find a bog-standard but competent Breakout-clone written in BASIC. It uses sprites, and the ball can move in different angles based on where it hits the paddle, so that's good. But the paddle is too fast, making it hard to control. (1/2)

Atomic Handball on the Commodore 64.

Software Star (1985) With his game Football Manager, Kevin Toms basically created a new genre. The game became hugely popular, and turned Toms from solo developer to boss of his own successful games publisher. This might have been the inspiration for his next game, Software Star. 1/3

Software Star on the Commodore 64.

Lane Mastodon vs. the Blubbermen (1988) In this Infocomics release, we follow the adventures of accountant turned superhero, Lane Mastodon, as he saves humanity from the terrible blubbermen of Jupiter. They're using a space ray to enlarge our insects, and must be stopped before it's too late! 1/4

Lane Mastodon on the Commodore 64.