Author: Brian Wiser
Back in 1985, Transylvania was a popular adventure game written by Antonio Antiochia and published by Penguin Software. Henning Stams, a fan of the game, wanted a version in his native German language and created one! He dubbed the conversion “Transsylvanien: Ein Spannendes High-Resolution-Spiel” (a fascinating high-resolution game). Previously, I wrote about the Transsylvanien 5.25″ disk that I recovered in 2019, courtesy of Mark Pelczarski (Penguin Software president) who gave me a box of his disks to recover. Some of that…
Seattle, Washington — July 30, 2023 — Thanks to the tireless workings of Paul H. Lee, Henry Pedro, Brian Wiser, and Bill Martens, the popular Bulletin Board System, GBBS Pro, has received a significant update to version 2.3 – both the software and the expanded physical manual that accompanies it with an additional 142 pages. GBBS Pro 2.3 is a user-friendly, highly-modifiable Bulletin Board System (BBS) for communications and entertainment. It has advanced features that can be configured by a…
Seattle, Washington — July 30, 2023 — An early Bulletin Board System, Net-Works II, has received a an update to version 2.6 – and a new physical manual over 100 pages. Net-Works II is a Bulletin Board System written by Nick Naimo for the 300 baud Hayes Micromodem. For a time, it was the most popular BBS software for the Apple II computer. As many as 60 BBS’s were using the software in 1984. Availability Net-Works II is available through the A.P.P.L.E….
Seattle, Washington — June 20, 2023 — The Apple II KeyCaps OpenType font created by John Snape has been released. The font allows you to make key presses clear in your text, and also includes over 160 glyphs and ornaments for Apple II and Mac documents, such as the Open-Apple and Solid-Apple keys. The printed manual includes instructions and samples of all the fun and useful icons. Availability Apple II KeyCaps Font is available through the A.P.P.L.E. bookstore with production and…
Seattle, Washington — June 20, 2023 — Apple Pugetsound Program Library Exchange (A.P.P.L.E.) is pleased to announce the immediate release of Space Intruder – a new, exhilarating arcade-style Apple II game developed by Raphael Rezende. It offers a captivating experience that puts players’ skills and endurance to the ultimate test. With fast-paced gameplay, endless levels, and challenging mechanics, Space Intruder promises to deliver an unforgettable odyssey through space. Availability To accompany the game, A.P.P.L.E. has published a Space Intruder manual – updated…
Today, I learned about two uncommon but risky situations with the VidHD card for the Apple II that can result in data loss. John Brooks and I discussed the details and I’ve edited and updated the manual on our website. In brief: Most users do not encounter the first problem as they boot to a menu, or boot from a hard drive or other mass storage in the first six seconds, so the 5.25″ drive is not active during the…
Seattle, Washington — February 27, 2023 — Apple Pugetsound Program Library Exchange (A.P.P.L.E.) has published “A.P.P.L.E. Pascal Anthology” – an Apple II programming tutorial book compiled by Bill Martens. The A.P.P.L.E. Pascal Anthology provides an extensive dive into the Pascal programming language on the Apple II computer. Many utility programs and in-depth topics are included, encompassing over 225 pages. Featuring a variety of example programs, references, and a handy glossary – guiding you further in your understanding of the Apple…
Seattle, Washington — July 23, 2022 — Apple Pugetsound Program Library Exchange (A.P.P.L.E.) has published “Big Computer Games: Enhanced Edition” – a new edition of the classic games programming book from 1984. Originally edited by David H. Ahl of Creative Computing, this “Enhanced Edition” has a new preface from David written in 2022. The cover has been redesigned and the book contains over 120 pages of enhanced scans. Third in the Creative Computing series of best-selling computer games books, Big…
Seattle, Washington — July 23, 2022 — Apple Pugetsound Program Library Exchange (A.P.P.L.E.) has published a manual designed by Brian Wiser for “Witch Trial” – an Apple II adventure game by Dan Henderson, Dr. Marc A. Golombeck, and Roby Sherman. The 45 page manual is printed in color on premium paper, and includes a complete walkthrough with pictures, a redesigned color map, and an art gallery featuring all game screens and Easter eggs. Step back in time to 1600s England!…
Seattle, Washington — July 23, 2022 — Apple Pugetsound Program Library Exchange (A.P.P.L.E.) has published “A Graphics Toolkit” – an Apple II programming tutorial book written by Randi J. Rost. A Graphics Toolkit teaches you the art of creating graphical libraries for use in games and other programs. Tutorial articles guide you through machine language and BASIC programs that can be used in your own games. Availability A Graphics Toolkit is available through the A.P.P.L.E. bookstore with production and fulfillment…
Seattle, Washington — July 23, 2022 — Apple Pugetsound Program Library Exchange (A.P.P.L.E.) has published a new manual for “Double High” written by Robert C. Clardy and Alan B. Clark for the Apple II computer. Generate text in different typefaces, sizes, colors, and angles from your Apple II programs on the Double Hi-Resolution screen. Originally published by Synergistic Software in 1987, it features an easy-to-use editor for creation of your own unique character sets, with 46 fonts included. Assumes a…
Seattle, Washington — July 23, 2022 — Apple Pugetsound Program Library Exchange (A.P.P.L.E.) has published a manual for “Ringoban” – a game written by Mike Beaumont in 2021. Ringoban is an Applesoft BASIC version of the game Sokoban for the Apple II. This version by Mike Beaumont contains 90 levels of brain-warping fun. Work through the levels one-by-one and become the master of the Ringoban. It provides a great challenge for even the best puzzlers as well as the information…
Seattle, Washington — July 23, 2022 — Apple Pugetsound Program Library Exchange (A.P.P.L.E.) has published a new manual for the game “Terminal Boredom” written by Karl Bunker in 1986 for the Apple II computer. Terminal Boredom is an illustrated game of the “adventure” type. However, rather than the usual slay-the-dragon / destroy-the-giant-robot / find-the-hidden-treasure stuff typically found in such games, the primary object is simply to keep your on-screen alter ego from falling asleep. In addition to giving it something…
Seattle, Washington — July 23, 2022 — Apple Pugetsound Program Library Exchange (A.P.P.L.E.) has published a new manual for “Trik: Contract Bridge” written by Jim Hilger in 1980 for the Apple II computer. Trik is a full-featured single player Contact Bridge game. Features include playing a straight up game, building a hand, duplicating other games, sample hands for learning the game, and many others. Trik is written in Apple II Integer BASIC. The game uses standard codes during play, allowing…
Seattle, Washington — July 23, 2022 — Apple Pugetsound Program Library Exchange (A.P.P.L.E.) has published a new manual for “Directory Title Writer” written by Val J. Golding in 1981 for the Apple II computer. Directory Title Writer is a DOS 3.3 utility that lets you create elaborate and fancy file names on your Apple II disk catalog. Type inverse, flash, and lower case directly from the keyboard. Availability Directory Title Writer is available through the A.P.P.L.E. bookstore with production and…
Seattle, Washington — February 10, 2022 — Apple Pugetsound Program Library Exchange (A.P.P.L.E.) is proud to announce three new “enhanced” books: Peeking at Call-A.P.P.L.E. 1978, 1979, and 1980 – a nostalgic look back at the early years of the Apple computing revolution through the eyes of Call-A.P.P.L.E. magazine and the Apple Pugetsound Program Library Exchange (A.P.P.L.E.) user group. These books have been out of print for over 40 years. Articles from each respective year of Call-A.P.P.L.E. magazine are organized into…
NeoFinder 8 was recently released for the Mac and is a substantial upgrade to a program that has been developed over 25 years. If you have been looking for something to catalog and manage your drives, photos, videos, DVDs, and audio CDs, NeoFinder continues to be the best program available. Beyond great features, Norbert M. Doerner is one of the most responsive developers I have encountered – listening to and implementing feature suggestions. NeoFinder is 64-bit, built for Intel and…
At KansasFest in 2019, Mark Pelczarski (Penguin Software president) gave me a few boxes of disks for which he no longer had the equipment to read, but said that according to the labels, “There might be some interesting stuff on these,” wondering if the disks were still even readable and if anything could be extracted. There was indeed “interesting stuff” on the disks and here’s a small preview: draft images from an unreleased adventure game, and a fan’s German translation of the…
Seattle, Washington — July 23, 2021 — Apple Pugetsound Program Library Exchange (A.P.P.L.E.) and Jules H. Gilder are proud to announce the immediate availability of the book Apple Software Protection Digest. You will learn how to protect, unprotect and backup your Apple II software. Inside this collection are Jules H. Gilder’s six rare issues published between 1985 and 1986. Availability Apple Software Protection Digest is available through the A.P.P.L.E. bookstore with production and fulfillment by Lulu.com. A new disk image…
Seattle, Washington — July 23, 2021 — Apple Pugetsound Program Library Exchange (A.P.P.L.E.) has released a new manual for “Applesoft Program Editor” by Richard Hackl. Applesoft Program Editor (APE) is a popular Applesoft BASIC editor for DOS 3.3 and ProDOS that helps you enter lines and correct mistakes. It works in Applesoft, in the Monitor, and can even be used within the programs you write. Availability The “Applesoft Program Editor (APE)” manual is available through the A.P.P.L.E. bookstore with production…
