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retrocomps.bsky.social

@retrocomps.bsky.social
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retrocomps.bsky.social @retrocomps.bsky.social · 4h
Give your 64's VAL function a lession in mathematics with this short-but-powerful machine language routine!
Article from a 1988 issue of COMPUTE!'s Gazette, featuring a hack to use functions from the C64's built in BASIC interpreter to interpret a broad array of BASIC statements as a function. Headings are Typing It In, Using Smart VAL, and Error Trapping.
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retrocomps.bsky.social @retrocomps.bsky.social · 10h
Long before Robot Unicorn Attack, "Always" got some serious MIDI work in this strange Tetris clone. This is TRIS-ME (1997). (Source.)
An old school Windows shareware title with a lot going on.  Menus are Play, Options, Info, and (greyed out) "TRIS-ME 1997 (C) Unregistered Version."  The playfield is a standard black field with falling Tetronimos composed of rounded spheres of various colors.  Top left are colorful notes of Level, Score, Money, and Bonus; playfield left is the Next indicator, with hearts, clovers, magic wands, and a timer.  Top right is a spellbook, with the colorful word "CAST!" below; below that are various spellcasting reagents, and their point values.  A strung-out orange tank cat with green stripes has a chat balloon, currently empty, where messages would appear; at the bottom right are the buttons "Play!", "Buy!", "Stole!", and "Return!"  The whole thing is set up against a faux-granite backdrop.
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retrocomps.bsky.social @retrocomps.bsky.social · 16h
If I had a dime for every sticker they included in the Gradiente Expert XP-800's box for their keycaps, I'd have $1.50. (Source.)
A three-piece computer unit. Up top, the white monitor reads: "MSX BASIC versão 1.1 Br 'G r a d i e n t e' 28014 bytes livres OK" up top, then "color auto goto list run" down below. The computer itself is a grey pizzabox, with black angular highlighting joining the two cartidge slots and the power light. Image bottom, the Expert's keyboard; a full keyboard, it includes multimedia buttons, a blue directional keypad, and the same angular black highlighting as is on the face of the computer proper. A small recess in the computer allows the keyboard to be locked in place, although this seems only to be to hold the keyboard in position, not to store the keyboard.
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retrocomps.bsky.social @retrocomps.bsky.social · 22h
Man, 80s computer books made even non-relational databases look fun. (Source.)
The cover to the book, "Writing Your Own Program: Creating A Database: Adventure Game." Each line is in its own font. The computer (a black affair with rainbow keys" depicts a scuba diver swimming, handcuffs in hand, as it is attacked by a giant cross octopus; the painted octopus is literally bursting out of the monitor. A tiny little banner in the corner states: "For Commodore 64 And Apple IIe Computers"
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retrocomps.bsky.social @retrocomps.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
"As the leading West Coast exhibition devoted to PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS of Artificial Intelligence, AI '88 provides a forum where vendors and users can meet to discuss specific needs, exchange ideas, and get down to serious buying and selling..." (Source.)
An ad for AI West (May 4-6 1998), in black and red. Up top, the beveled logo, with the red call to action: "Plan Now To Attend" Below, the full name: "The Artificial Intelligence and Advanced Computer Technology Conference and Exhibition" A full page red heading declares, "The ONLY West Coast Conference/Exhibition on ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE in 1988!" Smaller headings in the dense text emphasize The Conference ("Emphasis will be on COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS..." "32 Technical Sessions and 12 Tutorials are planned"), The Exhibitions ("Leading suppliers will be displaying their latest equipment..."), Who Should Attend ("Corporate Executives, Computer Systems Designers, Office Automation Specialists..."), Organized By (Tower Conference Management, DM Data, Applied Artificial Inteligence, Society for Computer Simulation, PC AI, Spang-Robinson Report). Bottom center is a clip-out coupon asking for information about attending or exhibiting (complete with line for Telex number), and bottom right is a red wireframe human head.
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retrocomps.bsky.social @retrocomps.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Mugshot Memory Test, "41½ Fun Projects for the Commodore 64", Dale Disharoon
Three screenshots of a face. First screenshot shows a blank face and a randomly generated face, labelled "Remember this man's face..." Second screenshot shows two slightly different faces, labelled "Sorry, that's not the man." Third screenshot shows a face in reconstruction, labelled "Okay, do you recognzie the nose?" with options for different noses.
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retrocomps.bsky.social @retrocomps.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
I could make a whole sub-bot based just on programming books with dragons on the cover. (Source.)
The cover to "Programming Your Own Adventure Games in Pascal" by Richard C. Vile, Jr.  In the distance, a castle appears.  In the mid-ground, a red dragon blocks the path to the castle; nearby, an Indiana Jones-type character shoots at the attacking dragon.
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retrocomps.bsky.social @retrocomps.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Pixel-A-Pixel for March '89 (Source.)
In purple frame, the results for the "Pixel A Pixel" art contest from the March 89 issue of Microhobby magazine; all these were made on the spectrum. Here, we have two first-place images, with 31 of 100 votes; the second place image has 27 of 100 votes. The first image by Tomas Aceytuno Dominguez is titled "Leuco" ("White" or "Pale" or "Colorless", I'm not sure); it depicts a man in fron tof a crashed spaceship, holding a gun at some unshown beast; stars and planets appear in the background over cold icy mountains, and growths appear, indicating a frozen forest. Second is a picture of Judas Priest, by Pedro José González Casares; it shows two rockers with their foots up on speakers playing guitar, while colored lights on stage and strobing camera effects indicate they're in a busy show. Third is a picture of a pegasus rampant, by Jorge Morga Bachiller; in a white circle it shows a white pegasus, rampant, its wings spread (and one wing escaping the circle), a huge untamed mane.
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retrocomps.bsky.social @retrocomps.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Some people say I focus too much on Commodore computers, but they're just sour appleheads. (Source.)
From page 203 of the Apple Almanac:  A drawing of two people talking to each other.  On the left side of the image is a man, in a striped polo, with an Apple II for a head. To the right side is a woman, in a blouse, with an Apple Disk II disk drive for a head. They're using their hands animatedly, the man spreading his hands for emphasis, the woman touching her disk-drive head to indicate listening. Illustration drawn by Martin Cannon.
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retrocomps.bsky.social @retrocomps.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
The subject of the 2025 film True North, the Henry F. Hall Arson was one of the first cases of computer based protests... and one of the the first deaths adjacent to a computer.
A picture of Henry F. Hall. Windows on a high floor are open, and punch cards (then worth millions of dollars of labor) are being poured out. (When the students had demanded justifications for their grades, the principal told them the justifications had been "lost" in the school's internal mail system.)  Piles of cards are pouring over the street as police mill around outside.A photo from above, showing police and firetrucks standing in piles of punch cards, and a crowd of onlookers watching.  Televisions crews at the time reported the crowd encouraging the police to burn down the building with the students inside.
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retrocomps.bsky.social @retrocomps.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
For a machine called the "Spectravideo," how come it's a grey and white box with only a tiny splash of red?
An ad from the August 1983 issue of Compute! magazine. Page top, the heading "PRESENTING THE REMARKABLE SV-318." Beneath is a photo of the machine hovering in an abstract blue and white field; the machine has a white case, a red-and-yellow logo, a 71 key keyboard with grey chiclet keys, and most notable of all, a red joystick machine right about the size of a pinball plunger instead of cursor keys. Page center, the slogan: "The personal computer you'll grow into, not out of." Page bottom left, a dense table presenting the Spectravideo as superior to its competitors (accomplished with gentle amounts of lyings, such as saying the Commodore 64 doesn't have a cartridge slot). Extremely dense text appears page bottom right. At the very bottom, the red-and-orange "SV 318" logo appears, followed by "For under $300" and the final, ultimate disclaimer: "This device has not been approved by the Federal Communications Commission."
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retrocomps.bsky.social @retrocomps.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
Just 2170 miles to go...
Screenshot of the 1992 DOS edition of Oregon Trail Deluxe. The center right gives the weather, Continue, and Options. The center left gives a picture of Independence Missouri (that town hall is still standing!) and a status: "June 1, 1848. You started down the trail with 1 ox, 2 sets of clothing, 200 bullets, 1 wagon wheel, 1 wagon axle, 1 wagon tongue, 100 pounds of food, and $1,490.00" Left controls, top to bottom, are Map, Guide, Status, Rations, and Buy; right controls, top to bottom, are Trade, Talk, Rest, Pace, and Hunt.
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retrocomps.bsky.social @retrocomps.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
The Inheritance: Chaos in Scotland (C64; Infogrames, 1987) (Source.)
The Inheritance: Chaos in Scotland (C64; Infogrames, 1987). The player's view, outside a green mansion (with turuquoise planters and a black security camera); they've driven up on a yellow and red car with pontoon fins (sort of a sendup of a 540K.  A balding butler (with jowls, mauve shirt, black tie, and purple pants) says:  "Come in, Mr. Stone. We're expecting you. If you would like to follow me."
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retrocomps.bsky.social @retrocomps.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
Is it a wargame? Is it a chess clone? Yes.
From K-Power Magazine issue 1, a 'Screening Room Strategy' article for "Archon: Where Brain Meets Brawn." Broad sections include Icons (showing pieces), Strategy Screen (showing a chessboard), Combat Arena (showing the real time combat screen), and Getting Started.
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retrocomps.bsky.social @retrocomps.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
Commodore Amiga CD32
The Amiga CD32, an early 32-bit console. The grey box has a CD drive on the left (with a transparent beveled bubble reimescent of late 90s design) and the usual ports on the right, including a volume rocker, on the right (with faux louvres reminscent of late 80s design).
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retrocomps.bsky.social @retrocomps.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
Fallout (PC, 1996)
The main interface for the game Fallout. The PC is currently in a cave; a two-headed cow corpse is visible screen left. Top center is dominated by the Pipboy view. Left are the player's current inventory (a rifle and two stacks of ammunition); top center is the PC's appearance, a grey green army man; middle is the current armor, some football-pad-looking leather armor; bottom shows the left hand is empty, and the right hand has a grey pistol. Top right are the character's key stats (ST 15, DX 17, IQ 11, HT 14, PD 2, DR 7, Move 7, Dodge 7), attack stats (Magnum, 3d bullet), Total Weight 10, Points 138, and Unspent Points -38. Bottom left is a log showing everything the player has looked at, an inventory button, the menu button, HP 14, FP 15, the left hand button showing Punch/Kickthe right hand button showing a Magnum, three toggles for action control, a Pip-Boy button, a Character Sheet button, a button for movement, and a mollyguard that would show combat options.
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retrocomps.bsky.social @retrocomps.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
MAD TV (DOS, 1991)
A full-screen image of a wood TV set; the wooden box is branded "MOTOROLA" There's a dial for volume and for channel, plus a logo plate of what looks like a boot; the box has a screen at right, ventilation for the electronics within. On the tube there is the MAD TV logo, a freckled white woman with messy blonde hair in a white shirt, cheerily talking about the graphic in the corner of the screen; she appears to be talking about a spleen. Unusually for a game of its era, there is an artists' signature in the bottom right: AND RAE, signature for Thomas Andrae.
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retrocomps.bsky.social @retrocomps.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Curse of the Azure Bonds
A "Gold Box" computer program, labelled "Official Advanced Dungeons & Dragons Computer Product: Curse of the Azure Bonds: A Forgotten Realms Fantasy Role-Playing Epic, Vol. II" In the inset image, a chainmail-and-cape equipped soldiar, Alias, rests a long sword on her shoulderpads. Behind her, a mace-equipped lizardman, Dragonbait, stands at the ready. Behind them, the Wizard's Tower, one of the villainous locations they will encounter. At bottom, the logos of TSR (in letters designed to look like an overhead dungeon map drawn on graph paper) and Strategic Simulations Inc (with the large letter Ss made of opposing arrowheads) appears at the bottom.
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retrocomps.bsky.social @retrocomps.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
One thing I really like about MSX Fan magazine are these extremely thorough overviews of the the programs in the back of the magazine, describing the purpose for each line and variable in the program in plain Japanese. (Source.)
A magazine article about the MSX game Temimu. Top left, a screenshot showing a knockout; top header, the name 'Temimu' by Hirota Yusuke, for the MSX and the MSX 2/2+ with 8K RAM. First column, the meaning of each variable; the first group are for the physics and status of each Temimu, the second group are for controlling which attack is in motion. The next three columns give descriptions for each subroutine within the BASIC program. The inset box, "A Word from the programmer", describes how he feels over the hill for only having started programming in BASIC when he was in highschool and seeing kids programming in assembly at age 12. A few non-implemented moves are drawn in, like the Sleeper Whole Cobra Twist, the Romero Shooter, the Bear Hug, and one I can't even begin to read, although they all look like birds being pushed up against each other.
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retrocomps.bsky.social @retrocomps.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
The 'ribbon' metaphor for Windows programs was divisive. But it was a far sight better than what came before. (Source.)
A screenshot of Word 2003. This screenshot has 27 toolbars, a menu (with only seven items) that you have to expand for some reason, very few text labels, tiny icons, and no obvious way to chord from one page to the next. Each toolbar is coded different, so they are of varying widths, some are floating, some are up top while some are down below, and one is a side pane for some reason. That's not to say anything about the dozens of controls hidden within the menu proper. The tiny text editing area, dwarfed by the dozens of toolbars with dozens of controls, reads: "It is getting a bit crowded in here!"
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retrocomps.bsky.social @retrocomps.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
♪ The song I sing will tell the tale of a cold and wintry day; / when evil fled, and brave men bled, the Dark One came to stay... ♫
A Commodore 64 screenshot. Underneath the gothic font header of "The Bard's Tale by Michael Cranford", a bard plays a lute and sits on a barrel, drink at his side; customers lean in to listen. Below are the lyrics above: "The song I sing will tell the tale of a cold and wintry day;"
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retrocomps.bsky.social @retrocomps.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
The 'Clementina', Argentina's first computer, a Ferranti Mercury mainframe named for its demo program that played "My Darling Clementine." Installed 1961, and effectively destroyed in Onganía's Night of Long Batons in 1966.
A replica of the Clementina computer. It's an 18m long computer with a desk, a QWERTY machine with photoelectric tape reader on the right, and a hardware monitor on the left; image left, one vacuum tube rack lies open, revealing the vacuum tube network within.
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retrocomps.bsky.social @retrocomps.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Galaxy Travelers (Stuart & Donna Paltrowitz; BASIC, 1983) (Source.)
Two astronauts sit in a cockpit.  On the tall viewscreen before them, they see a flying wing heading twoards an alien planet in deep, dark space.
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retrocomps.bsky.social @retrocomps.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
GET PLUGGED IN
A man with an evil hipster smile, wearing a No Fear shirt, looks up at you, in an orange background.  He's looking up over red glasses, so you know he's evil.  The title reads, "Get plugged in".  Around the hipster floats various consumer electronics:  a portable DVD player, a pager, a cordless phone, a satellite disk, a settop DVD player.  The text reads:  "When you log-on at www.buyitnow.com you'll discover a whole new concept of shopping. You'll find pagers and plasma TV's and everything in between.  In addition we've got tools, toys, sports items and even things for your dog or cat.  We also offer the best customer service on the web through e-mail, live chat, or phone @ 1-888-55BUYIT.  Just remember, no matter where you are or what you are shopping for, at www.buyitnow.com we have a store for you!"  Below the logo and motto it says "Shop now @ www.buyitnow.com Secure Fast & Fun!"  From the October 1999 issue of Family PC.
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retrocomps.bsky.social @retrocomps.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
In 1968, a professor posited that students do not actually learn; they simply memorized words and strung them together in arbitrary fashion, learning to pass time-pressed examiners not the material. Prof. Mendoza put this to the test by creating a program that actually combined material randomly.
From "Cybernetic Serendipity: the Computer and the Arts," published 1968:

3503 Programme 4a

The breeze drifted by. Across the fields softly moved the clouds and then the breeze, which calmly touched the treetops drifted across the fields. Quietly the sun shone over the woods. The sky calmly shone across the fields.

Out of the door ran Squirrel and off hurried Hare who munched and crunched two buns happily. Off slowly flew Old Grey Owl and Squirrel soon ate two buns. Old Grey Owl who peered at a strawberry pie munched and crunched two buns but noisily Little Grey Rabbit who peered at an old oak tree slowly ran down the path to the woods. Soon she hurried down the path to the woods but then she sniffed at two buns. She hurried down the path to the woods.
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retrocomps.bsky.social @retrocomps.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Murder. Treason. Sabotage. Espionage. Intergalactic war. Just another day on the planet Harmony. (Source.)
Up top, an alt deco take on a spaceship control concole, with a brown chair at the silvery panels; the three monitors show workers at the base of a pyramid, a three-dimensional map (currently highlighting the planet Harmony: "Friendly, population:low, Tech Level:medium"), and a topographic map with a selection cursor. The catchphrase "Murder. Treason. Sabotage. Espionage. Intergalactic war. Just another day on the planet Harmony." is in the middle. Dense, breathless ad copy below gives multiple paragraphs of reasons to play the game ("Introducing Maelstrom", "Mind-Bending Strategy", "Heart-Stopping Action", "Ever-Changing Plots"), and an 800 number to call to order. The logos for Merit Software and Don Bluth Multimedia appear at page bottom, as well as the box art (the same spaceship instrument panels as shown above).
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retrocomps.bsky.social @retrocomps.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Ever wonder how hit CBS Show 'Whiz Kids' turns the stars into star hackers? Issue 1 of K-Power Magazine has the secret!
A program listing titled "How 'Whiz Kids' Fakes It: Check out this program CBS uses to make Richie Adler look like a whiz kid typist!" Translations are available for the Commodore 64, TRS-80 Model 4, Timex Sinclair 1000 and 1500, Apple, Atari, IBM, TI-99/4A, TRS-80 Color, TRS-80 Model III, and VIC-20 computers. A tiny picture of Richie Adler, a nerd in fannel wearing glasses and typing at a deconstructed keyboard, appears in the bottom right.
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retrocomps.bsky.social @retrocomps.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
DELPHI Lets Your Imagination Run Free
An abstract picture of a man and woman on a monitor, looking at each other while reaching out of the monitor to type on the same keyboard. The monitor is surrounded by features like "Download Software" (a disc), "Multiplayer Games" (cards), "E-Mail, Fax & Telex" (an envelope with wings), "Internet Services • Mail, Telnet & FTP" (a globe with atomic orbitals), "Special Interest Groups" (a guitar), and "Reference & News Serives" (a book). The bottom headline touts "Five Hours Free!" while giving instructions to log in.
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retrocomps.bsky.social @retrocomps.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
KNIGHT'S QUEST (Source.)
The title screen for a Commodore 64 game. The title in yellow block characters reads: KNIGHT'S QUEST. The options, on a grey scroll, are: Draft New World, Set Up New Game, Play Saved Game, Leave The Quest. Down below, two knights charge each other, with a castle and mountain in the distance.
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retrocomps.bsky.social @retrocomps.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
"Find out why members of the Dumb Terminal Fan Club are some of the smartest people around..." (Source.)
Up top, the headline:  "The Dumb Terminal lets you put it all together."  Image center, a striking fellow with curly hair stand behind his Dumb Termina with a gride grin, in front of the handtools and booklets he presumably used to assemble his Dumb Terminal.  Around him is dense ad copy, describing how it includes "all essential electronic components" and the ability to join the Dumb Terminal Fan Club (with T-shirt if you include $6).  The bottom right hand corner is a mail-in card.  Byte Magazine for January 1978, Volume 3, Issue 1, page 59.
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retrocomps.bsky.social @retrocomps.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
Kevin and Kell was one of the first webcomics, but before that, it was a print comic for the BBS/ISP industry magazine Boardwatch. (Source.)
Kevin (a rabbit) unplugs his computer, and looks into the wire. Pulling the wire over his head, he disappears into the network and travels along the wire. Surprised, Kevin pulls himself out of the wire. In the last panel, Kell asks: "How's the new server?" Kevin states: "It seems to have more bandwidth."
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retrocomps.bsky.social @retrocomps.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
FUTURE COMPUTERS? (Source.)
The cover of Byte, the Small Systems Journal, for April 1981. In it, a Robert Tinney piece depicts a small bezeled computer on a man's steel wristwatch; the tiny QUERTY keyboard and four side function keys fit on the face, while the micro-CRT reads, "INSERT DISK". Two fingers gingerly load the 5 1/4mm diskette into the side of the wristwatch.
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retrocomps.bsky.social @retrocomps.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
Writing BASIC Adventure Programs for the TRS-80 (Frank DaCosta, 1982) (Source.)
The cover for a book, "Writing BASIC Adventure Programs for the TRS-80", by Frank DaCosta.  The call text reads, "Create exciting computer games while you learn valuable new programming techniques!"  A dragon curls around a TRS-80, taking a swipe at a knight who is standing on the keyboard, his sword raised to take a swing at the fearsome beastie perched on the monitor and disk drives.
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retrocomps.bsky.social @retrocomps.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
Aroma Disc Player (Charles of the Ritz, 1983) (Source.)
A batch of discs for the Aroma Disc Player, some of which are in wax paper sleeves and some of which are in Digipak sleeves.  Scents include Pina Colada, Christmas Tree, Fireplace, and Seduction.An ad for The "Aromance" Aroma Disc Player by International Fragrance Technologies.  A hand is pushing a disc into the frontloader; a small wisp of presumably scented steam is rising out of vents on top, into the text of the ad.  Up top it reads, "The electric room freshener.  There's no better gift to clear the air."  The ad copy describes its guarantees, the three free discs included (the ones pictured are Christmas Tree, Honeysuckle & Rose, and English Garden), as well as a subscription plan offering three records every six weeks for $10.95 plus shipping.Box art for the Aroma Disc Player, showing a slender disc being loaded into a frontloading disc player.  Source:  https://www.soft-electronics.com/A later model, the Aromance 2100 looks less like a TRS-80 and more like a CD player, with power switch, slideable "Intensity" control, and a printed-on "power" light.
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retrocomps.bsky.social @retrocomps.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
SENSORY OVERLOAD (Source.)
The cover of the August 1995 issue of Fusion Magazine ("The Magazine of Interactive Entertainment").  In it, below the headline "SENSORY OVERLOAD" (in Apple's Chicago font), the model Dean Hager wearing a wiry hairdo and welding goggles grimaces, while the goggles themselves repeat "SENSORY OVERLOAD...SENSORY OVERLOAD"  He is surroudned by a remote, a DVD player, and an X-Band, while a feed of games and movies (Monkey Island, Judge Dredd, Street Fighter 2, Batman, DOOM, Braveheart, and Startrek) are jammed into his eyes.  Headlines read "Sensory Overload: Movies, Games and More are at the push of a broadband button now," "Go to the movies on the Net," "3DO on thin ice?" and "Sound Advice: The Top PC Boards."  (Notes in the magazine's photo credits claim that the welding goggles were sold at Tiffany's, and I'm only 60% sure that's a joke.)
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retrocomps.bsky.social @retrocomps.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
Alter Ego (Mac, 1986)
An old System 6 status window reads: "That wraps up your status for the very first years of life. I hope you like yourself. If not, you can always try to improve in the years to come. There's plenty of time." Buttons are Continue and Escape.
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retrocomps.bsky.social @retrocomps.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
Uploads Galore!
A dense article lists all the uploads to a Color Computer/OS9 usergroup in the August 1990 issue of The Rainbow magazine.
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retrocomps.bsky.social @retrocomps.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
Power Dolls (FM Towns, 1994)
Superimposed over both halves, the title "Power Dolls". The left half has a green-to-blue gradient, the silhouette of a mecha, the words "Detachment of Limited Line Serivce Scenario Simulation Game Copyright 1994 Kogado Software Products" and the optiosn "Game Start, Data Load, Quit." The right shows a headshot of the mecha, one single green piercing eye looking at the viewer while exposed hydraulics lift the head into place from the dense armor around it.
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retrocomps.bsky.social @retrocomps.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
Knights of Xentar (1995) (Source.)
Up top, the title of the game, Knights of Xentar.  Bottom, the status of Demond and Rolf, the part's members, along with menus (Item, Magic, Status, Equip, File, System) and currency (6873 Sovereigns).  In the middle of the screen the head of Rolf (a blue-haired well-bearded man) says:  "Hey, do you have a sudden urge to sing Culture Club songs?"
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retrocomps.bsky.social @retrocomps.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
CARRYING FRUITS JR. (Source.)
A type in BASIC program listing from the September 1988 issue of micomBASIC magazine, for the Hitachi BASIC Master Jr. Up top, a little illustration shows the title and our hero, a boy struggling to get the giant apple into the shed. The article describes that it is a port of a game published in Bee Magazine. Sections indicate how to type in the game and how to play; a callout section shows a memory map detailing where various routines are put; article bottom, sideways to fit more lines in, is the dense BASIC language instructions.
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retrocomps.bsky.social @retrocomps.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
Popful Mail (PC8801, 1992) (Source.)
An ad for the fantasy platformer Popful Mail. Top center is our heroine, Popful Mail, a cheerful red-headed swordswoman with elfin ears and a bindle on her sword. Top left is an inset of Tatto, the party magician, with a staff topped with a half-moon. Top right is an inset of Gaw, the party's scrungly dragon thing. Bottom left inset is Slick, a white-haired elf, the party explosive master, looking like a mad scientist. Bottom right inset is Glug, a heavyset dwarf, holding hammer and wrench. Top background is a watercolor painting of a forested swamp, with volcano and castle in the background; bottom background are screenshots (emphasizing the quality animation). Purchasing details appear page bottom (mail or fax, cash-on-delivery; 8700 yen).
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retrocomps.bsky.social @retrocomps.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
Death Knights of Krynn took the familiar gold box D&D formula and moved it the world of Dragonlance, where Arthurian heroes fought Gothic horrors.
In a landscape screenshot, the top shows a rotting knight flying on a skeletal dragon, with red eyes watching the attacking knight from the night sky. The text reads: "Maya screams in despair as she recognizes the gruesome remains of her ex-lover. Sir Karl brandishes his sword as his death dragon swoops towards the scattering crowd. Press button or return to continue."
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retrocomps.bsky.social @retrocomps.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
Rogue (DOS, 1984)
ROGUE: The Adventure Game. The game of Rogue was originated by: Michael C. Toy and Kenneth C.R.C. Arnold Adapted for the IBM PC by: John Lane. Significant design contributions by: Glenn Wichman and scores of others. Public Domain Software - 1984, not to be sold. Rogue's Name? Player
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retrocomps.bsky.social @retrocomps.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
Business is WAR!
In the red and gold grid background, a businessman faces a scrolling screen of business statistics. In the foreground, a suited businessman wears a VR helmet, with green light streaming from the interface. The title promises "The Only Action-Packed 3D Business Strategy Game", the motto states "Business is WAR!", and a brief pull quote says "Doom meets Wharton School. Aspiring capitalists test their mettle in FORBES CORPORAE WARRIOR where aggressiveness and savvy decision making can build empires. - Crain's"
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retrocomps.bsky.social @retrocomps.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
COMPUTERS PUT PEOPLE OUT OF WORK (Source.)
This newspaper-political-cartoon style comic from the book "A Common Sense Guide to Selection of a Computer System" shows a very mean all-in-one computer giving the boot to a hapless old man, kicking him out the door and down the stairs.
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retrocomps.bsky.social @retrocomps.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
LEARN TO TYPE OR GET BLOWN TO BITS.
An ad from the August 1983 issue of Compute! Magazine. Up top, the slogan: "Learn to type or get blown to bits!" Page center, a boy sitting at his computer trying to type gets exploded; the evil face on the CRT has a lightning nose that is reaching out of the machine to explode the boy. Below, dense breathless ad copy proclaims "MasterType makes typing a blast," "MasterType earns a ten-gun salute," and "MasterType teaches your fingers to fly." At the very bottom, the Lightning Software logo appears below the MasterType logo.
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retrocomps.bsky.social @retrocomps.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
WE'RE PUTTING A RACETRACK RIGHT THROUGH YOUR LIVING ROOM
Up top, in a font where almost every line segement is subtly convex to imply speed, the title:  "WE'RE PUTTING A RACETRACK RIGHT THROUGH YOUR LIVING ROOM"  Middle, image of an Atari 2600 game, hand-painted - you can tell it's hand-painted because there are angles and trails the 2600 can't produce.  Most of the bottom half of the ad is full of breathless prose promising the "toughest challenge of your driving career"; the bottom left shows the green box of the game.  To the bottom right, there is an invitation to "join the Activision Fun Club and save £1."  At the bottom, the familiar rainbow Activision logo, above their slogan: "We put you in the game."
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retrocomps.bsky.social @retrocomps.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
"How do we tell would-be customers that the Internet gives people the world?" "Have the only image in the ad be the world, surrounded by twelve Internets." "Brilliant!" (Source.)
From A PLUS magazine, issue 1: An ad on a black skyscape, showing the Earth surrounded by 12 copies of the word "INTERNET." It reads  "Si usted es un viajero virtual..." ("If you are a virtual voyager...") "Unase a los mejores y navegue en primera clase" ("Join the best and travel in first class."  The logo for Amerinet (some green letters, with a grey sphere behind the white letters 'eri', all with white shadow highlighting) appears at bottom.  On the right side is a tag with phone numbers and address in Miraflores.
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retrocomps.bsky.social @retrocomps.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
The VTech Precomputer Powerpad
A grey laptop of early 90s design, with dozens of 'function' keys for each built in application - and a surprisingly nice mechanical keyboard - but the 'screen' is a tiny 4 line 20 character LCD surrounded by a faux Windows interface.
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retrocomps.bsky.social @retrocomps.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
"20 top titles available..." (Source.)
Top right, the text "VIDEO EXCITEMENT in the palm of your HAND" - the first words are in blocky sans serif text, but 'hand' is stretched vertically. To the left side, a kid wearing a black denim jacket, blue jeans and yellow polo jumps to hold his Tiger electronic game. Middle, the Tiger Out Run game itself - a handheld console, white with painted scenery on the edges and unlit LCD; the left circle has two buttons, the right circle has two buttons (Speed and Brake), and four function buttons are in the center; a grille for the bleeptronic speaker is on the bottom of the "console." Ad right, breathless copy describes the challenges players face when they take "the Out Run challenge."  At the bottom of the ad, the logo for "Tiger Grandstand: The Leading Name in LCD Games" appears.
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