Apple Panic
| Apple Panic | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Developer(s) | Brøderbund |
| Publisher(s) | Brøderbund |
| Designer(s) | Ben Serki |
| Platform(s) | Apple II, Atari 8-bit, PC booter, VIC-20 |
| Release date(s) |
Apple II: 1981 Atari 8-bit: 1982 PC Booter: 1982 VIC-20: 1982 |
| Genre(s) | Platform game, Puzzle |
| Mode(s) | Single-player |
Apple Panic is a 1981 platform game for the Apple II programmed by Ben Serki and published by Brøderbund Software. Apple Panic is an unauthorized version of the arcade game Space Panic.
Description
Electronic Games described Apple Panic in 1983 as "delicious true to" the gameplay of Universal's arcade game Space Panic.[1] As its introduction succinctly puts it, "The object is to dig holes and pound the apples through the holes." Using the keyboard, the player controls a character that walks left and right along platforms made of green brick, and climbs up and down ladders between them. The player can use a shovel to dig holes through the platforms, into which enemies will fall and become trapped. Once an enemy is stuck in a hole, the player must strike it repeatedly with the shovel until it falls through and hits the level below. This must be done quickly, because after about 17 seconds an enemy will be able to free itself, filling in the hole in the process. The player can also refill holes they've dug, or drop through them. The game is an example of the "trap-em-up" genre, which also includes games like Heiankyo Alien, Lode Runner, and Boomer's Adventure in ASMIK World.
There are three types of enemy in the game, the first and most numerous being the "apples". An apple will die if it falls a single level. As the player advances, green and blue enemies will start to appear, which must be dropped through at least two or three levels, respectively. This is accomplished by digging a series of holes, one directly below another, and trapping the enemy in the uppermost hole. The player earns extra points if they drop one monster on top of another (killing them both).
On each level the player has only a limited time to dispatch all the enemies, tracked by a bar at the bottom of the screen. There are four distinct configurations of platforms and ladders through which the game cycles, but in every one there will always be five platforms in which the player can dig.
Other versions
Apple Panic was rewritten in the Seed7 programming language in 2004-5.[2]
A version for the TRS-80 family exists that was written in 1982 by Yves Lempereur of Funsoft, Inc.
Versions for the Atari 800 and IBM PC were written by Olaf Lubeck.
Reception
Unlike Space Panic,[1] Apple Panic was very successful. Debuting in July 1981, the game sold 15,000 copies by June 1982, appearing on Computer Gaming World's list of top sellers.[3] Softline reported in 1983 that it was among the top 30 best-selling Apple software for almost two years, in contrast to the "two to four month life span" of the typical arcade game.[4]
BYTE in 1982 called Apple Panic "one of the most creative and novel games to be invented for a microcomputer".[5] PC Magazine in 1983 stated "Yes, Apple Panic is a pretty dumb game. It's also fun to play and pretty to watch ... a welcome change from the endless stream of shoot-em-ups in space".[6]
References
- 1 2 Pearl, Rick (June 1983). "Closet Classics". Electronic Games. p. 82. Retrieved 6 January 2015.
- ↑ Seed7 Panic, with source code
- ↑ "Inside the Industry" (PDF). Computer Gaming World. September–October 1982. p. 2. Retrieved 2016-03-28.
- ↑ Tommervik, Margot Comstock (March 1983). "By Golly, That's a Good Game! / Masters of the Mousetrap Maxim Tell Why". Softline. pp. 30–32. Retrieved 28 July 2014.
- ↑ "The Coinless Arcade". BYTE. December 1981. pp. 38–41. Retrieved 19 October 2013.
- ↑ Sandler, Corey (March 1983). "At Ease With PC". PC Magazine. p. 213. Retrieved 21 October 2013.