101 BASIC Computer Games linked on Astounding Computer History

“This is not the first collection of computer games and simulations nor will it by any means be the last.”

If you’re using a Macintosh, you can still program in BASIC if you want to. I recommend Chipmunk Basic but there are others.

If you’re also fascinated by the history of computers (and, frankly, there’s little other reason to use BASIC on your Macintosh, given the other programming options available—there’s a reason there are no BASIC programs in 42 Astoundingly Useful Scripts) there is no book more important, historically, to home computing than David Ahl’s collection of BASIC games. It’s the father of all of the “xx programs for home computers” books that came later, and thus the grandfather of 42 Astoundingly Useful Scripts and Automations for the Macintosh.

Prosumer home computer gamers mined this book for years for some of the best-loved computer games of the era. I doubt the Game of Life would be as popular if it weren’t for its inclusion in this book; it’s not even a game.

If you’ve ever played a Lunar Lander variation, or a tactical space game with quadrants, Klingons, and refueling stations, or a horse race game with characters moving across the screen… it started with 101 BASIC Computer Games.