David's Kong - Unknown Author/Freeware, 1984 - IBM/PC (4K)
5I'm recording plays of many of the CGA games I played back in the '80s - stay tuned.
A quick play of the Donkey Kong clone, David's Kong, released for the IBM/PC in 1984 as freeware
David's Kong was extremely simple and quite challenging because of the sluggish controls. It was programmed in Microsoft's GW-BASIC, a language suitable for simple games and small business programs. Since GW-BASIC was included with most versions of MS-DOS, it was also an easy and low-cost entry for many aspiring programmers to learn the fundamentals of computer programming. Maybe David was a young aspiring programmer learning to program by copying one of the most popular game concepts of the time.
I grew up in an IBM/PC family, with both my mom and dad in technology. My dad had been working for IBM in the '60s as a software engineer and when the personal computer revolution swept across in the late '70s and early '80 the original IBM PC quickly became an established part of our household. The mighty IBM Model 5150 was definitely not a machine meant for games nonetheless it was the most magical and fascinating device. While the 4-color CGA was hideous compared to other machines of the time it's a lovely memory of a forgotten time, now nearly 40 years old. The awkward color palette has a very special place in my heart today.
My reflexes and eye-hand coordination surely ain't what they used to be:)