by Marcus Albers | Feb 4, 2026 | 1980s, C64 Vic20
As I’ve spent the last 5 days sick as a dog, trying desperately to focus enough to accomplish even the most basic tasks, I’m taken back to my childhood in the ’80s. Back then, a sick day was a careful balancing act between not feeling well enough to...
by Marcus Albers | Jan 25, 2026 | 1980s, Arcade, C64 Vic20
There is a particular kind of magic to an excellent arcade conversion on the Commodore 64. It is not just the thrill of seeing an arcade hit appear on your home computer, though that was absolutely part of the draw. A faithful conversion has to reproduce the arcade...
by Marcus Albers | Jan 18, 2026 | 1980s, Arcade, Console/Handheld
Throughout the history of 8- and 16-bit consoles, one of the most elusive achievements was to release a home port of a popular arcade game that did the original justice. Due to obstacles such as hardware requirements, licensing issues, and executive interference,...
by Marcus Albers | Jan 11, 2026 | 1980s, C64 Vic20
The dream of many a gamer is to turn their big gaming ideas into reality. The 8-bit micros of the 80s came with the tools to do so built in, with BASIC baked into the system. But, even with the extensive manual provided by Commodore for the C64’s Microsoft BASIC...
by Marcus Albers | Jan 3, 2026 | 1980s, C64 Vic20
For years, software was distributed on cartridges, cassette tapes, or diskettes. While programs were available via modem from BBSes, downloading in general wasn’t as ubiquitous as it is today. As 8-bit microcomputers gained popularity, one of their big selling...