The world's first PC game is now on iOS, but does it hold up today?
Gameplay: The "Time Waster" type of game is very popular on mobile devices today, and DONKEY.BAS falls squarely into that category. The goal of the game is to avoid smashing your car into a donkey for as long as possible. You have two lanes to switch between, and the donkey will appear in one of them every few seconds. If you hit the donkey, you lose a life. Once you lose all five lives, the game is over. Your car will move closer to the top of the screen every time you miss the donkey, and when you get to the top, you score a point and move back to the bottom of the screen. The more points you have, the faster the game goes. It is a "get a high score" kind of game, and it does feature Game Center leaderboards to compare your high score with that of other players. The gameplay can get frustrating at times, but overall, it's decent.
Controls: All you do in DONKEY.BAS is switch the lane that your car is in. This is done by tapping the screen. It's clean, it's simple, and it works.
Graphics: About as retro as retro gets, DONKEY.BAS features a three color palette complete with big, blocky pixels forming one color sprites. It's somewhere between a Coleco Telstar Arcade and an Atari 2600 in terms of graphical technology. It's not great by any stretch, but it gets the job done.
Sounds: DONKEY.BAS had a pounding orchestral score, but only if you're playing one through your iPhone's Music app. Otherwise, the only in-game sounds are simple beeps every time you switch lanes, and a short series of beeps that plays when you lose. It's primitive, just like the graphics, but hey, this game is from 1981, after all.
Conclusion: DONKEY.BAS is an OK game if you're sitting in a waiting room or on a bus trying to pass some time. It's also a must have for anyone into retro gaming. There are better games for $0.99, but I still recommend giving this one a try.
Final Rating: 7.0/10
Gameplay: The "Time Waster" type of game is very popular on mobile devices today, and DONKEY.BAS falls squarely into that category. The goal of the game is to avoid smashing your car into a donkey for as long as possible. You have two lanes to switch between, and the donkey will appear in one of them every few seconds. If you hit the donkey, you lose a life. Once you lose all five lives, the game is over. Your car will move closer to the top of the screen every time you miss the donkey, and when you get to the top, you score a point and move back to the bottom of the screen. The more points you have, the faster the game goes. It is a "get a high score" kind of game, and it does feature Game Center leaderboards to compare your high score with that of other players. The gameplay can get frustrating at times, but overall, it's decent.
Controls: All you do in DONKEY.BAS is switch the lane that your car is in. This is done by tapping the screen. It's clean, it's simple, and it works.
Graphics: About as retro as retro gets, DONKEY.BAS features a three color palette complete with big, blocky pixels forming one color sprites. It's somewhere between a Coleco Telstar Arcade and an Atari 2600 in terms of graphical technology. It's not great by any stretch, but it gets the job done.
Sounds: DONKEY.BAS had a pounding orchestral score, but only if you're playing one through your iPhone's Music app. Otherwise, the only in-game sounds are simple beeps every time you switch lanes, and a short series of beeps that plays when you lose. It's primitive, just like the graphics, but hey, this game is from 1981, after all.
Conclusion: DONKEY.BAS is an OK game if you're sitting in a waiting room or on a bus trying to pass some time. It's also a must have for anyone into retro gaming. There are better games for $0.99, but I still recommend giving this one a try.
Final Rating: 7.0/10
Info
Publisher: Microsoft (MS-DOS), XVision (iOS)
Developer: Bill Gates & Neil Konzen (MS-DOS), XVision (iOS)
Release Date: 1981 (MS-DOS), 2012 (iOS)
Platforms: iOS (reviewed), MS-DOS
Price (as of 3/3/2012): $0.99
Publisher: Microsoft (MS-DOS), XVision (iOS)
Developer: Bill Gates & Neil Konzen (MS-DOS), XVision (iOS)
Release Date: 1981 (MS-DOS), 2012 (iOS)
Platforms: iOS (reviewed), MS-DOS
Price (as of 3/3/2012): $0.99
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