Obscure Software Titles

[Image: A photo of an 8-inch floppy disk, a 5.25-inch floppy disk, and a 3.5-inch floppy disk]

This list of software titles was produced by Richard Green. For the
most part, the software titles on this list are ones that I came
across in some form at one time or another and which seem to have
subsequently fallen into obscurity since the time when they were
publicly released. The main purpose of this list is that of
documentation and preservation. (As old age goes, some of the listed
software titles date back to the mid-1980s or possibly even earlier!)
This list was last updated on March 16, 2023.

The software titles on this list are in alphabetical order by title
name. Many of the listed software titles were released by individual
developers or small entities and are in the category of computer
games. Indeed, it would seem that entertainment (and even
"edutainment") software titles are likely to have a shorter life cycle
in comparison to productivity software that is maintained and updated
for future hardware platforms. Note that the situation may arise where
the provided information for contacting a software author or publisher
is out of date or no longer accurate. Although digital distribution of
software may not seem unusual in 2023, software distribution in past
eras would sometimes involve compilations of software applications
being distributed on CD-ROM discs or even floppy disks. For instance,
there were several software compilations on floppy disks that were
released by the now-defunct Boston Computer Society (BCS.) Among other
places, the file libraries of the America Online (AOL) service have
carried many files and software titles (i.e. shareware/freeware) over
multiple eras, though files and software titles have almost certainly
been added and removed over the passing of time. In the Applefritter
article "Digital Spelunking at America Online" (August 2, 2006), Tom
Owad talks about looking for files in old (and sometimes forgotten)
libraries on the AOL service. This article is at
<https://www.applefritter.com/aol> on the Web.

(As a side note on the topic of the AOL service and obscurities, there
may also have been AOL forums that have since fallen into obscurity.
One such forum was the somewhat notable "Online Home Companion" which
involved a number of topics but in which computer-related talk was
generally disallowed. Among others, author Tom Lichty mentioned the
Online Home Companion as being his favorite AOL forum in the book "The
Official America Online for Windows Membership Kit & Tour Guide:
Version 2.0" (Ventana Press, 1994, page 18.))

For the purposes of this list, the specification of a software title's
license type as "freeware" means that the software can be used without
any obligation to provide a monetary payment or similar item of value
to the author of the software. For some freeware titles, recipients
are permitted to redistribute copies of the software to a certain
extent.

To increase the likelihood that this list will be readable in future
eras, it has been designed so that it can be easily converted to a
plain text format, with each line being up to 70 characters in length.
The text of this list has been placed in the public domain via the
Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Universal Public Domain Dedication. For more
information about this dedication, please visit <https://
creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/> on the Web or write to
Creative Commons at PO Box 1866, Mountain View, California 94042 USA.
(On the topic of using a plain text format to facilitate future
readability of content, the Project Gutenberg site has a Frequently
Asked Questions page. On this page, there is an entry, "Why is
Project Gutenberg so set on using plain text?", that may be of
interest. This Frequently Asked Questions page can be viewed at
<https://www.gutenberg.org/help/faq.html> on the Web.)

The photo of the three floppy disks is derived from an existing photo
that was made available on Wikimedia Commons at
<https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Floppy_disk_2009_G1.jpg>
and which was taken by George Chernilevsky. There is a user page
at <https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:George_Chernilevsky> on 
Wikimedia Commons for George Chernilevsky. Both the original photo
and this modified version have been released into the public domain.

All trademarks are the property of their respective owners.


Software Title: Altair
Version: 1.5 (copyright 1995)
Author(s): Barry Day
Author(s) Contact Info: BarrD at aol dot com
License: Shareware (US$10)
Platform: Apple Macintosh (Classic OS)
Description: In this two-player game, each player drops balls into a
6x7 grid with the objective of getting four balls in a vertical or
horizontal or diagonal sequence. The gameplay is similar to that of
the Connect Four game. The Altair computer game features four
computer-controlled opponents, in addition to the ability for two
persons to play against each other.
Notes: This game was included on the CD-ROM that came with the book
"Tricks of the Mac Game Programming Gurus" (Hayden Books, 1995.) For
mailing the shareware fee, the Altair game specifies an address in
Medford, New Jersey, USA. The copyright notice for this game specifies
an entity called "INEPTEC."

Software Title: Amazing
Author(s): Steve Capps
License: Probably freeware
Platform: Apple Macintosh (Classic OS)
Description: The Amazing game generates a maze for the user to solve
and offers a choice of four difficulty levels. The game features
black-and-white graphics and from what one remembers, a player who
successfully completes a maze is rewarded with an image of a penguin
character.
Notes: At the Folklore.org Web site, Andy Hertzfeld mentioned a letter
from Bill Gates at Microsoft about Mr. Gates having spent a lot of
time playing the Amazing game, among other things. More details are
available at <https://www.folklore.org/StoryView.py?project=Macintosh&
story=Switcher.txt&characters=Steve%20Capps&sortOrder=Sort%20by%20Date
&detail=high&showcomments=1> on the Web.

Software Title: Amortize
Version: 2.1
Author(s): Jerry C. Welsh, Jr.
Platform: Apple Macintosh (Classic OS)
Description: The Amortize software takes input from the user about the
details of a financial loan, including the number or amount of
payments, the rate, and the date on which the loan was obtained, after
which an amortization table is generated.
Notes: A copy of the Amortize software was included on a "The Best of
Educorp" disk from MacWorld. (The copyright year of the disk's
compilation was 1990.)

Software Title: Animation Class Library
Version: 2.5
Author(s): Pacific Media WorX
           <https://web.archive.org/web/19980423221922/
           http://pacmedia.com/aclindx.htm>
           Playground
           <https://plus.google.com/101197985934252804844/>
Author(s) Contact Info: Playground
                        Rue de la Faucille 2
                        CH-1201 Geneva, Switzerland
                        center at playground dot mcnet dot ch
                        100124,1546 (CompuServe)
License: Probably proprietary
Platform: Apple Macintosh (Classic OS)
Description: According to the Animation Class Library (ACL) version
2.5 documentation, which was written by Yves Schmid, the ACL is a
software library implemented as a set of C++ classes. The ACL
incorporates an animation engine which is designed to facilitate
interactive animations and which includes such features as support for
bitmap and vector-based graphical objects, multiple color palettes and
fade effects, and collision detection with custom masks. The ACL also
incorporates application framework classes and support for multi-
channel sound playback.
Notes: The documentation for version 2.5 of the ACL along with two
sample applications was included on the CodeWarrior 10 Gold Tools
CD-ROM from Metrowerks, Inc.

Software Title: AstroBlast
Version: 1.1 (copyright 2000)
Author(s): artHire.com (Jarir Maani)
License: Freeware
Platform: Apple Macintosh (Classic OS)
Description: In this game, the player must fire shots at asteroids in
outer space to prevent any asteroids or fragments thereof from
damaging a satellite. The game includes a top-down map and a first-
person perspective viewer.
Notes: Version 1.1 of the AstroBlast game was included on the
MacAddict CD-ROM #52 (December 2000.) (MacAddict is now called
MacLife.)

Software Title: Babe-O-Rama
Version: 1.2 (copyright 1994)
Author(s): Brian Cyr and Jim Byer
Author(s) Contact Info: cyrano b at aol dot com
License: Freeware
Platform: Apple Macintosh (Classic OS)
Description: The Babe-O-Rama application is a joke program with a
suggestive icon that depicts a woman's face. When launched, the
application displays a "Reformatting Hard Disk..." message accompanied
by a progress bar, after which a "just kidding" message is displayed.
No data is actually erased.
Notes: The Babe-O-Rama application was included on the disk that
accompanied the book "New and Improved Stupid Mac Tricks" from
Bob LeVitus (AP Professional, 1995.)

Software Title: Backdrop
Version: 2.16 (March 24, 1987)
Author(s): Tim Maroney
License: Public domain
         (Even so, the documentation requests that
         users not redistribute modified copies.)
Platform: Apple Macintosh (Classic OS)
Description: The Backdrop software lets the user choose an image in
the MacPaint/FullPaint format or the StartupScreen format to be used
as the desktop background. Among other things, the Backdrop software
can randomly choose an image file from a directory that holds multiple
images. Because the size of an image might be larger than the size of
the screen (this was back in the days of 512 x 342 screens), the
Backdrop software allowed the user to specify a view rectangle for an
image in order to display a specific portion as the desktop
background. Technical details about the underlying workings of the
Backdrop software were included in the documentation.
Notes: The documentation mentioned the Backdrop software as being
provided "courtesy of" Centram, Inc. (Centram also produced the TOPS
local area network file sharing software.) An address in Berkeley,
California, USA was given with regard to contact info.

Software Title: Bash Big Blue
Author(s): Frederick A. Huxham
License: Probably freeware
Platform: Apple Macintosh (Classic OS)
Description: In this game, from what one remembers, the player would
try to click on an image of the IBM logo which would repeatedly
reappear in random locations on the playfield. Clicking on the logo
would produce an animation of the logo crumbling, and the conclusion
of a game session could involve the display of a man's smiling face.
This game featured black-and-white graphics.
Notes: Information in the Bash Big Blue software specifies that it was
created in January 1985 and gives an address in Berkeley, California,
USA for monetary contributions, with the note that the contributions
will go to "a fun senior year at Cal" ("Cal" probably referring to the
University of California, Berkeley.)

Software Title: BeeBop
Version: 1.04
Author(s): Daniel Clav (programming), Jean Claude Meurisse (music),
           Sylvie Jamard (artwork)
License: Shareware
Platform: Apple Macintosh (Classic OS)
Description: The gameplay of the BeeBop game is quite similar to that
of the Breakout video game wherein the player has to hit a ball
against a number of blocks to remove them, along with the need to
sometimes hit the ball with a paddle to aim the ball or to keep the
ball from going out of play. The BeepBop game also includes such
features as the ability to sometimes fire missile shots from the
paddle; these missile shots can help to propel the ball upwards to a
further extent.
Notes: From what one remembers, some of the levels in the BeeBop game
are only available to registered users. For mailing the shareware fee,
the BeeBop game specifies an address in Bretteville Sur Odon, France.
The BeepBop application was included on the CD-ROM that came with the
book "Learn C on the Macintosh" (Second Edition) (Addison-Wesley,
1995.)

Software Title: BeeBop II
Author(s): Daniel Clav (programming), Jean Claude Meurisse (music)
License: Shareware
Platform: Apple Macintosh (Classic OS)
Description: The gameplay of the BeeBop II game is quite similar to
that of the Breakout video game wherein the player has to hit a ball
against a number of blocks to remove them, along with the need to
sometimes hit the ball with a paddle to aim the ball or to keep the
ball from going out of play. The BeeBop II game also includes such
features as the ability to sometimes fire missile shots from the
paddle; these missile shots can help to propel the ball upwards to a
further extent.
Notes: For mailing the shareware fee, the BeeBop II game specifies an
address in Bretteville Sur Odon, France. From what one remembers, a
user can receive a registration code that allows the ball speed and
paddle size in the game to be adjusted. The BeepBop II application was
included on the CD-ROM that came with the book "Learn C on the
Macintosh" (Second Edition) (Addison-Wesley, 1995.)

Software Title: Behind Dark Castle
Author(s): John Rotenstein
Platform: Apple Macintosh (Classic OS)
Description: The Behind Dark Castle applicaton allows users to easily
edit saved games for the game Beyond Dark Castle.

Software Title: Betapeede
Version: 1.3 (demo, copyright 1992)
Author(s): Ron A. Kaps
License: Shareware (US$5)
Platform: Apple Macintosh (Classic OS)
Description: The Betapeede game is similar to the Centipede video
game. In the Betapeede game, the game speed and the speed of certain
game elements can be adjusted.
Notes: A demo version of the Betapeede game was included on the CD-ROM
that came with the book "Learn C on the Macintosh" (Second Edition)
(Addison-Wesley, 1995.) Users who sent in the shareware fee could
receive a version of the game that featured more levels and player
lives than the demo version. For mailing the shareware fee and/or
contacting the author, the Betapeede documentation specified an
address in Omaha, Nebraska, USA.

Software Title: Big Cheese Key
Version: 1.2.1 (March 25, 1994)
Author(s): Andrew Welch, published by Ambrosia Software
Publisher Contact Info: Ambrosia Software
                        PO Box 23140
                        Rochester, New York
                        14692, USA.
                        <https://www.ambrosiasw.com/>
License: Shareware (US$10)
Platform: Apple Macintosh (Classic OS)
Description: From what one remembers, the Big Cheese Key software
would allow a user to quickly conceal what was displayed on their
screen by pressing a specific key combination. Such an action would
cause the screen content to be temporarily replaced by a window that
had the appearance of a text editor.
Notes: A description of the Big Cheese Key software was included in
the DOCMaker edition of an Ambrosia Times newsletter (November 1994,
volume 1, issue 3.) A copy of this newsletter was included on the
CD-ROM that came with the book "Learn C on the Macintosh" (Second
Edition) (Addison-Wesley, 1995.) In the forums at the Ambrosia
Software Web site, David Dunham from tech support mentioned in a
posting on April 28, 2000 <http://www.ambrosiasw.com/forums/index.php?
showtopic=165&st=0&p=1543#entry1543> that Ambrosia Software does not
market or distribute former software titles that are no longer on
their Web site.

Software Title: Bonk
Author(s): Mike Darweesh <http://www.darweesh.org/~mjd/>
Platform: Apple Macintosh (Classic OS)
Description: In this game, there is a grid where the face of a
simplistic character repeatedly appears in one or more of the squares
before disappearing after a period of time in each case. When a face
appears in a square, the player must click the face before it
vanishes. As such, the gameplay of the Bonk game is similar to that of
the Whac-A-Mole arcade game. From what one remembers, the player can
sometimes also throw a bomb to presumably deal with the character
faces in an easier manner, though there may be duds among the bombs.
In addition, given what one remembers, it may be that the game ends
after a certain number of the faces escape (i.e. vanish before the
player clicks them.)

Software Title: Bop the Smile! (B&W)
Author(s): Taylor Daynes(?)
Platform: Apple Macintosh (Classic OS)
Description: In this game, the objective is to repeatedly click on a
smiley face that changes its position. From what one remembers, there
is (at least sometimes) a nearby flowerpot that the player should
avoid clicking on.
Notes: From what one remembers, this game was created with the
SuperCard environment and the information in the game may have
mentioned the possibility of a future color version. In addition,
this game may have been made available on America Online.

Software Title: Cairo ShootOut
Version: 1.2a (September 1987)
Author(s): Duane Blehm / HomeTown Software
           (Ulysses, Kansas, USA.)
License: Freeware (formerly shareware)
Platform: Apple Macintosh (Classic OS)
Description: This shooting gallery game features black-and-white
graphics, including targets that carry small pictures from the
dingbat Cairo font. The game also includes a number of images that
have an Egyptian theme. By decoding certain messages, a player may
get the opportunity to "enter the King's tomb" as a bonus.
Notes: This game was originally shareware but it was rereleased as
freeware after the unexpected death of the author, Duane Blehm. With
the original shareware version of the Cairo ShootOut game, the player
had to order and enter a registration code in order to play beyond
the first few levels. The rereleased freeware version of the game was
modified by Derrell (Bill) Clark at the request of Duane's parents to
be fully functional and does not require any registration code. In
addition, the freeware version of the game specified that registration
codes and source code for the game are no longer available. The
shareware version of the game included information about the almost
idealistic prospect of "enforced shareware" being able to facilitate
the distribution of software via electronic means, particularly with
regard to avoiding such costs as packaging and disk duplication, etc.

Software Title: Cap'n Magneto Cheato (or MagnetoCheato)
Author(s): Joel McNamara / Watercourse Software
License: Freeware
Platform: Apple Macintosh (Classic OS)
Description: The MagnetoCheato utility lets a user cheat in the Cap'n
Magneto game from Al Evans by altering a saved game file.

Software Title: CelPaint
Version: 1.0d2
Author(s): Steve Israelson
Author(s) Contact Info: steve_israelson at mindlink dot net or
                        pfhorte at rogers dot wave dot ca
License: Freeware
Platform: Apple Macintosh (Classic OS)
Description: The CelPaint application assists users in creating
animated sequences. The user can produce or copy multiple images
that can then be shown in rapid succession to see how the animation
sequence looks. Among other features, the user can specify that a
frame be somewhat transparent (or "onion-skinned") to facilitate
the process of producing a subsequent frame that is similar to the
previous one.
Notes: Version 1.0d2 of the CelPaint application was included on the
CD-ROM that came with the book "Tricks of the Mac Game Programming
Gurus" (Hayden Books, 1995.) Steve Israelson also produced the Pfhorte
map editor for the Marathon game.

Software Title: CheeseToast
Version: 1.0.1 (copyright 1993)
Author(s): Jim Bumgardner <https://jbum.com/>
Author(s) Contact Info: jbum at jbum dot com
License: Freeware
Platform: Apple Macintosh (Classic OS)
Description: In this game, the player pilots a teapot around in outer
space and shoots at enemies in a manner similar to the "Asteroids"
video game.
Notes: Version 1.0.1 of the CheeseToast game was included on the
CD-ROM that came with the book "Tricks of the Mac Game Programming
Gurus" (Hayden Books, 1995.) The source code for the game, which
was intended for the THINK C environment and which appeared to
incorporate both C code and 680x0 assembler code for sprite rendering,
was also included.

Software Title: Colour Billiards
Author(s): The Reed Institute
Platform: Apple Macintosh (Classic OS)
Description: From what one remembers, the Colour Billiards game
implemented a number of billiards games with color graphics and
various adjustable options.
Notes: The Colour Billiards software may have been created with the
Rascal development environment. According to US copyright registration
#TX0001837280 (June 17, 1986), a Rascal compiler/development system
was authored by Richard Crandall, Scott Gillespie, and Greg Stein (the
Reed Institute was the employer for hire for these three persons.) The
"Rascal" name meant "Real time Pascal," according to the Reed College
page at <https://www.reed.edu/cis/about/historical_highlights.html> on
the Web.

Software Title: CounterPoison
Version: 1.0
Author(s): Richard Green
License: Freeware
Platform: Apple Macintosh (Classic OS)
Description: In this two-player board game, there are twelve removable
counters, and each player removes one or two of the counters per turn,
in a manner similar to the Nim game. (The CounterPoison game also
features a "poison" counter, and the player left with only this
counter loses the game.) In addition to the ability for two persons to
play against each other, the game supported a computer opponent that
could be configured to play in one of three modes.
Notes: This game was produced using the Microsoft QuickBASIC software
and was made available on America Online for a while.

Software Title: Cyclone
Author(s): High Risk Ventures (defunct as of December 31, 1997)
           <https://web.archive.org/web/20200504175059/
           http://mike-kelly.us/programming/hrv/hrv.htm>
Author(s) Contact Info: highrisk at aol dot com
License: Shareware (US$10)
Platform: Apple Macintosh (Classic OS)
Description: In this game, the player pilots a spacecraft and must
destroy an enemy base by firing at it. As part of the process, the
player must blast gaps in a number of rotating concentric rings
that surround the base. This game is said to have similarities to
the 1980 "Star Castle" video game from Cinematronics.
Notes: The Cyclone game was reviewed in the January 1994 issue of
the Inside Mac Games electronic magazine. Mike Kelly, whose resume
specifies that he worked at High Risk Ventures in the 1990s, had
a Web page with information about the Cyclone game. An archived
version of this page can be viewed at <https://web.archive.org/web/
20211128210540/http://mike-kelly.us/programming/hrv/cyclone.htm> via
the Internet Archive's Wayback Machine. Version 1.2.1 of the Cyclone
game was included on the CD-ROM that came with the book "Learn C on
the Macintosh" (Second Edition) (Addison-Wesley, 1995) and the game
documentation specified a contact address in Eugene, Oregon, USA for
High Risk Ventures.

Software Title: Diagonal
Version: 1.0 (copyright 1995)
Author(s): Guoniu Han
Author(s) Contact Info: guoniu at cartan dot u-strasbg dot fr
License: Freeware
Platform: Apple Macintosh (Classic OS)
Description: In this two-player board game there are several locations
on the board along with connections between some of the locations.
Each player has three game pieces and the object for a player is form
a diagonal arrangement of their pieces. The game features a computer-
controlled opponent.
Notes: This game was included on the CD-ROM that came with the book
"Tricks of the Mac Game Programming Gurus" (Hayden Books, 1995.)

Software Title: Diatom
Author: Chris Capener
Author(s) Contact Info: PO Box 994
                        Cupertino, California
                        95015-0994, USA.
License: Shareware (a small donation is requested
                   from users who like the software)
Platform: Apple Macintosh (Classic OS)
Description: The Diatom software generates black-and-white geometric
designs that are similar to some of the designs from a Spirograph toy.
Information in the software specifies that the drawing is based on the
Fourier Transform and that the software uses an algorithm from Brian
McGhie. From what one understands, the user can change the appearance
of the designs in the Diatom software by adjusting the number of points
and certain aspects of "pulses" that the designs incorporate, among
other things. In addition, the Diatom software included the ability to
send output to a printer or an HP plotter device.
Notes: The copyright year for version 1.0 of the Diatom software is
1985.

Software Title: Dominoidz
Publisher: Softdisk, Inc. (written by Sean Golden)
Platform: Apple Macintosh (Classic OS)
Description: In this game, the player guides a character by the name
of Dominic around the playfield to collect dominoes, while avoiding
one or more marbles (called dominoids) that roll around the playfield.
From what one remembers, the game's graphics are in black-and-white,
but the marbles may appear in red if color is available.
Notes: The Dominoidz game was published on Diskworld #18 and was based
on an Apple II game that was written by Jim Weiler, according to
information in the Dominoidz software. The copyright year for the
Dominoidz game is 1989.

Software Title: Duck Hunt
Author(s): Edgar Circenis / Nordic Software
Platform: Apple Macintosh (Classic OS)
Description: The Duck Hunt game involves duck hunting with the
ability to adjust the species and wind speed, among other things.
Notes: According to the MacTech article "Build a Network Painting
Program" (volume 5, issue 7 (1989)) by Edgar Circenis and Rod
Magnuson, Edgar Circenis graduated from the University of
Nebraska--Lincoln with a B.S. C.S. in addition to being employed
at Nordic Software. This article is currently available at
<http://www.mactech.com/articles/mactech/Vol.05/05.07/JamPaint/
index.html> on the Web.

Software Title: Eliza
Version: 1.0
Author(s): Stephen Hunt
Author(s) Contact Info: 76136,452 (CompuServe)
License: Possibly public domain
Platform: Apple Macintosh (Classic OS)
Description: This application simulates a psychiatrist (to a certain
extent) in the manner of the ELIZA software. Among other things, this
application supports speech synthesis via the MacinTalk technology.
Information about the original ELIZA software can be found at
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ELIZA> on the Web.
Notes: With regard to Stephen Hunt, the information in the Eliza
application specifies the location of Ridley College, St. Catharines,
Ontario, Canada. The Eliza application was included on a disk that
accompanied the book "Stupid Mac Tricks" (Addison-Wesley, 1990.) The
book was authored by Bob LeVitus. According to page 73 of the book,
the original program was produced by Creative Computing of Morristown,
New Jersey, USA.

Software Title: Enchanted Menus
Author(s): IMI Software. Written by Fred D. Reed.
Author(s) Contact Info: PO Box 485
                        Surfside, California
                        90743-0485, USA.
License: Probably freeware
Platform: Apple Macintosh (Classic OS)
Description: This system extension causes pull-down menus to appear
at random locations on the screen.
Notes: This software was included on a disk that accompanied the
book "Stupid Mac Tricks" (Addison-Wesley, 1990.) The book was
authored by Bob LeVitus. The copyright date for this software
specifies the year range of 1987 to 1990. In a December 9, 1988
posting on the Usenet group comp.sys.mac <https://groups.google.com/d/
msg/comp.sys.mac/TO9QzwMrwwY/MXkHyiAHx5AJ>, Jonathan Pratt mentioned
the commercial software title "On Cue" for facilitating the opening of
documents and applications on the Mac platform. The "On Cue" title was
also produced by IMI Software.

Software Title: Executive Decision Maker
Author(s): CE Software
License: Freeware
Platform: Apple Macintosh (Classic OS)
Description: When the user clicks the "Think" button in this desk
accessory, the software displays a set of changing numbers and a
set of animated falling balls, among other things. From what one
remembers, the software displays a "recommendation" for the user
after the animation finishes.
Notes: This software was included on a disk that accompanied the
book "Stupid Mac Tricks" (Addison-Wesley, 1990.) The book was
authored by Bob LeVitus. The copyright year for this software is
1984. According to page 63 of the book, this software was authored
by Donald Brown.

Software Title: EyeCon
Version: 1.1 (copyright 1989)
Author(s): Michael C. Koss
License: Freeware
Platform: Apple Macintosh (Classic OS)
Description: This application places a set of resizable eyes on the
screen. The eyes follow the cursor, and it is possible to have
multiple sets of eyes on the screen at once. In addition, the eyes
follow the cursor even when the EyeCon application is in the
background.
Notes: This application was included on a disk that accompanied the
book "Stupid Mac Tricks" (Addison-Wesley, 1990.) The book was authored
by Bob LeVitus. According to the about box, this version of the EyeCon
application was "Inspired by the PM version."

Software Title: FileTree
Version: 4.70 (June 28, 1987)
Author(s): Jody S. Kravitz
Author(s) Contact Info: kravitz at foxtail dot com
License: Shareware (US$15)
Platform: Apple Macintosh (Classic OS)
Description: For one or more disks, the FileTree utility generates a
listing of the files (and possibly folders-not sure) on the disk(s).
The listing can include such information as names and locations (i.e.
directory paths) of items. Among various functions, the FileTree
utility includes an option (or perhaps a diversion?) wherein the
computer attempts to graphically solve the "Towers of Hanoi" puzzle.
Notes: The FileTree utility was developed using the Consulair Mac C
software. Among other goals, the author of the FileTree software had
an interest in seeing how shareware programs propagate among users,
according to information given in the FileTree utility. A copy of the
FileTree utility was included on a "The Best of Educorp" disk from
MacWorld. (The disk's compilation had a copyright year of 1990.)

Software Title: Fish!
Author(s): Ed Fries and Tom Saxon (Tom & Ed's Bogus Software)
           <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ed_Fries>
License: Shareware (US$19.95 + US$3.00 S&H)
Platform: Apple Macintosh (Classic OS)
Description: The Fish! software would display animated fishes and
other underwater creatures (such as octopuses) that would travel
across the user's desktop. It was also possible to have the Fish!
software display fishes against a blank background for the purpose
of a screen saver. The Fish! software featured an editor for altering
and/or creating sea creatures to be displayed. In the publicly
released version of the Fish! software, the editor would not
save any changes. Supposedly, users who paid the shareware fee
could receive a version of the Fish! software that had a fully
functional editor.
Notes: The Fish! software was included on a disk that accompanied the
book "Stupid Mac Tricks" (Addison-Wesley, 1990.) The book was authored
by Bob LeVitus. For mailing the shareware fee, the Fish! software gave
an address in Bellevue, Washington, USA. The "Memo Builder" software
for producing stand-alone document files on the Mac platform gives
credit to Tom Saxon and has a copyright year of 1987 for the entity
"UpTime." The contact address for UpTime is PO Box 299, Newport, Rhode
Island 02840 USA.

Software Title: Fruits of Passion
Version: 2.4
Author(s): Chrisoft (Christophe Andres)
Platform: Apple Macintosh (Classic OS)
Description: The Fruits of Passion software allows the icon for the
Apple menu to be replaced with a different icon.
Notes: From what one remembers, the Fruits of Passion software may
have been included on a disk that came with one of the "Stupid Mac
Tricks" books by Bob LeVitus. According to Google Books, volume 10
of InCider (1001001 Inc., January 1, 1992) specifies an address in
Strasbourg, France with regard to Chrisoft and Christophe Andres.

Software Title: Geo World
Author(s): Tom Snyder Productions(?)
License: Probably proprietary
Platform: Apple II
Description: From what one remembers, the Geo World software involved
choosing locations for mining and analyzing core samples with regard
to gold and other underground resources. Information about a "Geo
World" software title for the Apple IIe system is given at
<https://web.archive.org/web/19970716144620/http://www.ednet.ns.ca/
educ/program/lrt/eval/recomm.htm#Geo%20World> on the Web. (The
specified URL is an archived version of a Web page from the Internet
Archive's Wayback Machine.)

Software Title: Googol Eyes
Version: 1.1
Author(s): Bohm S. Kim
Author(s) Contact Info: kimbs at aol dot com
License: Possibly public domain (see "Notes:" below)
Platform: Apple Macintosh (Classic OS)
Description: This application displays a set of eyes on the screen.
The eyes can be repositioned and will follow the cursor even when the
Googol Eyes application is in the background.
Notes: The documentation for the Googol Eyes application states that
"Googool Eyes is public domain, share and enjoy!" The Googol Eyes
application was included on the MacWorld Mac and Power Mac SECRETS
Sampler Software Collection CD-ROM (3rd Edition, June 1996.)

Software Title: GooPanel
Version: 1.0 (March 14, 1991(?))
Author(s): Steve Bollinger / Cyberite Systems
Author(s) Contact Info: billkatt at engin dot umich dot edu
License: Freeware
Platform: Apple Macintosh (Classic OS)
Description: According to its documentation, the GooPanel software
allows control panels ('cdev' files) to be opened in their own
custom-size windows outside of the Control Panel desk accessory under
System 6 and also allows control panel files to be opened when stored
in a different folder from the System Folder (though limitations
apply.)
Notes: For contacting Cyberite Systems, the GooPanel documentation
gives an address in Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA.

Software Title: Grunt
Author(s): Farhad Akhmetov and Mark Chetverikov
Author(s) Contact Info: FarhadA104 at aol dot com
License: Shareware (US$10)
Platform: Apple Macintosh (Classic OS)
Description: In this platform-based game, a pig must travel through a
castle to retrieve all the fragments of a magic jewel that was broken.
The game environment also has strange enemies to deal with.
Notes: This game was included on the CD-ROM that came with the book
"Tricks of the Mac Game Programming Gurus" (Hayden Books, 1995.) For
mailing the shareware fee, the Grunt documentation specifies an entity
called "FORMAC SOFTWARE" at an address in Los Angeles, California,
USA.

Software Title: Hot Air Balloon
Author(s): Bill Clark
License: Probably freeware
Platform: Apple Macintosh (Classic OS)
Description: In this game, the player controls a hot air balloon as it
drifts along. To avoid such obstacles as a flying bird, the player must
be able to adjust the altitude of the balloon. Though the game's
graphics were probably black-and-white, one seems to remember that
the game's interface was very clean and well designed.
Notes: According to the documentation, the Hot Air Balloon game was
developed with the TML Pascal environment and it was specified that
users could obtain the source code for the game by sending US$15.00 to
an address in Bakersfield, California, USA. Also, the copyright years
for the software were 1987 and 1988 and the documentation included a
message of thanks to Duane Blehm of HomeTown Software.

Software Title: iCrash
Version: 4.0r7
Author(s): MacSurfShop (appears to be defunct as of May 19, 2005)
           <https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2005/05/360/>
License: Probably freeware
Platform: Apple Macintosh (Classic OS)
Description: The iCrash game has the gameplay of a Breakout-type game
with a round iMac mouse in place of a ball. According to the iCrash
page at <http://www.macgamefiles.com/item/13987/iCrash/> on the Web,
the game features blocks with the iMac colors.
Notes: Version 4.0r7 of the iCrash game was included on the MacAddict
CD-ROM #52 (December 2000.) Also included on the CD-ROM were the "PC
Pound" game (similar to the "Whac-a-Mole" game but avoid hitting Steve
Jobs) and the "PC Dork" game (also somewhat like the "Whac-a-Mole"
game wherein the player "shoots" a PC salesman) from MacSurfShop.

Software Title: IAGO
Version: 1.0
Author(s): David Reed
License: Freeware, possibly public domain
Platform: Apple Macintosh (Classic OS)
Description: The IAGO game is a black-and-white implementation of the
Othello game or possibly the Reversi game. Among other features, the
IAGO game had a "Job Security" option which displayed a fake
Multiplan(?) spreadsheet over the game window. (According to the Web
site for the World Othello Federation, there are a number of
differences between the Othello game and the Reversi game. For one
thing, the Reversi game came out long before the Othello game and the
latter was invented in the 1960s. In addition, the Reversi and Othello
games have some differences in the rules with regard to the initial
placement of the game pieces and the ability for gameplay to continue
even if one player cannot make any moves. For more details, see the
news item "'Reversi' versus Othello" which can be viewed at
<https://www.worldothello.org/news/47> on the Web. Also of note is
that the Othello trademark is owned by MegaHouse Corp., according
to the Web site for Anjar Co. LLC; see <https://www.anjar.com/products
/othello-2> for details.)
Notes: Although the author of the IAGO game is said to be David Reed,
the game may have included a reference to "MindScape SoftWare." The
version information for version 1.0 of the game includes a reference
to September 29, 1984.

Software Title: Jiggling Jugs
Version: 1.0 (copyright 1994)
Author(s): Jim Byer and Brian Cyr
Author(s) Contact Info: cyrano b at aol dot com
License: Freeware
Platform: Apple Macintosh (Classic OS)
Description: The Jiggling Jugs application has a suggestive icon that
depicts a woman. When launched, the application displays a warning
that its content is only for viewing by mature audiences, before
displaying a set of jug containers that jiggle and move around the
screen over a black background. (In other words, not what a user might
have expected.) This application might be usable as a manually-
launched screen saver, among other possibilities.
Notes: The Jiggling Jugs application was included on the disk that
accompanied the book "New and Improved Stupid Mac Tricks" from
Bob LeVitus (AP Professional, 1995.)

Software Title: Jingle Bell Mac
Version: 1.4
Author(s): Maxwell Q. Edison and Alan Glenn
License: Freeware
Platform: Apple Macintosh (Classic OS)
Description: This application plays the "Jingle Bells" tune. Each note
of the tune is derived from the audio in a sound file that the user
specifies. (The application comes with several sound files.
Alternatively, the user can specify one of their own.) In addition,
this application displays a Christmas tree that has animated lights
and the application also displays a number of holiday-related
messages, including some that contain humor.
Notes: This application was included on the MacAddict CD-ROM #4
(December 1996.) For contacting Alan Glenn, the Jingle Bell Mac
software specified an address in Midland, Michigan, USA. An archived
Web page is available at <https://web.archive.org/web/20050408103525/
http://www.provide.net/~moorepower/ahg/> via the Internet
Archive's Wayback Machine. This archived page has information about
software that was produced by Alan Glenn.

Software Title: Kaleidos Kache
Version: 1B2 (where "B" is the "beta" sign) (October 1989)
Author(s): Edward G. Harp
License: Shareware (US$25)
Description: According to the Kaleidos Kache documentation, the
software is intended for tracking finances with regard to checking
accounts and savings accounts. Among other things, reports can be
printed and the user can store information regarding other individuals
(i.e. payees) and different categories of expenses and income.
Notes: For sending the shareware payment or contacting the author, the
Kaleidos Kache software specifies an address in Littleton, Colorado,
USA. Also, it is specified that users who send in the shareware
payment will receive the latest version of the software, along with a
more complete manual. A copy of the Kaleidos Kache software was
included on a "The Best of Educorp" disk from MacWorld. (The copyright
year of the disk's compilation was 1990.)

Software Title: Label Secrets Pro
Version: 1.0
Author(s): Jeffrey Robbin (programming), David Pogue (secrets and
           original idea)
License: Proprietary
Platform: Apple Macintosh (Classic OS)
Description: According to the documentation, the Label Secrets Pro
software causes the Label menu in the Finder software to display a
secret message. In addition, the software is designed so that by
default a different secret is displayed on each day for nearly a year.
A user can add their own secret messages or edit or delete existing
ones if they discover the "secret" editor in the Label Secrets Pro
software.
Notes: Version 1.0 of the Label Secrets Pro software was included on
the MacWorld Mac and Power Mac SECRETS Sampler Software Collection
CD-ROM (3rd Edition, June 1996.)

Software Title: Layout
Version: 1.9
Author(s): Michael C. O'Connor
Author(s) Contact Info: 76004,1447 (CompuServe)
License: Possibly public domain
Platform: Apple Macintosh (Classic OS)
Description: This utility allows users to adjust certain attributes of
the Finder software. These attributes include icon spacing, the colors
in the Color menu, and the font that is used in window displays of
file listings.
Notes: This utility was included on a disk that accompanied the book
"Stupid Mac Tricks" (Addison-Wesley, 1990.) The book was authored by
Bob LeVitus. From what one remembers, this utility was designed with
pre-7.0 system software in mind, so it may or may not work with
version 7.0 and later of the Finder software.

Software Title: Legend
Version: 1.0
Author(s): Bohm S. Kim
Author(s) Contact Info: kimbs at aol dot com
License: Shareware (US$15)
Platform: Apple Macintosh (Classic OS)
Description: This game takes place in a dungeon environment where the
player must deal with enemies and try to avoid running out of health.
Notes: This game refers to a "Princess Lori" character, but it is not
clear as to whether this character is actually implemented. This game
and its source code were included on the CD-ROM that came with the
book "Tricks of the Mac Game Programming Gurus" (Hayden Books, 1995.)
For mailing the shareware fee, the Legend documentation specifies an
address in Stanford, California, USA.

Software Title: Lost Clown (or possibly "The Lost Clown")
Version: 2.2(?)
Platform: DOS
Description: From what one remembers, this was a platform game that
involved a lost clown (surprise?) There were lollipop power-ups and
hazards that included pits of water, among other things. If the
clown "died" from falling into a water pit, the game would display
a newspaper headline about the clown being unable to swim, from what
one seems to remember. The opening screen of the game may have
featured a somewhat animated clown face and the game may have had
certain data stored in files with a .raw filename extension.
Notes: From what one remembers, this game was made available on
America Online. At the Universal Videogame List Web site, there is a
page at <https://www.uvlist.net/game-106931-The+Lost+Clown> about an
MS-DOS game called "The Lost Clown" from Steve Walther. It is not
clear as to whether the game on the UVL page is the same as the game
mentioned here. At the same time, the game on the UVL page does seem
to be similar to (or possibly the same as) an MS-DOS game, "The Lost
Clown," which was produced by a Stephen Walther and which included a
contact address in Modesto, California, USA, plus a copyright year of
1993 in the case of version 1.1.

Software Title: MacEdge
Publisher: Think Educational Software
           (Potsdam, New York, USA.)
License: Probably proprietary
Platform: Apple Macintosh (Classic OS)
Description: The MacEdge software was mentioned in the journal of the
Washington Apple Pi user group (volume 7, no. 11, November 1985, pg.
10) as being a collection of educational software programs in the
categories of math and reading. The collection came on a floppy disk
with a target audience of primary school to junior high and included
such titles as "Count on Mac," "Additional Subtraction," and "Memory
Match," according to the entry for MacEdge at the University of
Toronto Libraries. (The entry for MacEdge was formerly available at
<http://search.library.utoronto.ca/details?2118598> on the Web.)
Notes: According to the Syracuse Herald American article "Little time
for books" by Janis Barth (December 30, 1984, pg. 50), Think
Educational Software was started by two computer science students,
Frank Marafino and Gregory Berkin, at Potsdam College.

Software Title: Mac Edge II
Version: 5.0 (1985)
Publisher: Think Educational Software
           (Potsdam, New York, USA.)
License: Proprietary
Platform: Apple Macintosh (Classic OS)
Description: The Mac Edge II product consisted of a bootable floppy
disk with a custom graphical interface (the T.E.S. Quick Finder) for
choosing among a number of educational games. (A few third-party
references have spelled the product name as "MacEdge II," though this
may not be correct.) The collection featured three "reading" games and
five "math" games. For example, the "Alphabet Train" game involved
specifying the correct letter to complete an alphabetical sequence,
and the "Memory Match II" game featured Concentration-type gameplay
with images, words, or homophones, among other choices. In the
mathematical category, the "Table Race" game involved guiding a race
car to the finish as quickly as possible while solving math problems
that were specified at each point, and there was another game that
involved counting collections of items. A number of the games
contained a reference to the "SkillBuilders" trademark. The Mac Edge
II product was able to run on a Mac Plus system, and, from what one
remembers, on a Mac 512K system.
Notes: According to the Syracuse Herald American article "Little time
for books" by Janis Barth (December 30, 1984, pg. 50), Think
Educational Software was started by two computer science students,
Frank Marafino and Gregory Berkin, at Potsdam College.

Software Title: MacFootball
Author(s): Edd Vrcich / Emerald City Software
License: Shareware
Platform: Apple Macintosh (Classic OS)
Description: From what one remembers and from details elsewhere, the
MacFootball game was an implementation of American football. At least
one version of the game incorporated B&W visual elements. Among other
things, the game included the names of professional American football
teams (such as the 49ers and the Steelers) and implemented a
rectangular "field" with distance markings and a "football" indicator
that changed position throughout a game.
Notes: The Universal Videogame List Web site has a page at
<https://www.uvlist.net/game-210696-Mac+Yahtzee> that mentions a "Mac
Yahtzee" game that was authored by Edd Vrcich of Emerald City Software
and released in 1987. Another game of American football on the same
platform was the commercial "NFL Challenge" game from Xor Corporation.
The "NFL Challenge" game had an interface that was somewhat similar to
the main MacFootball interface window.

Software Title: Macjack
Version: 4.0 (copyright August 20, 1990)
Author(s): Lance Gharat
License: Freeware
Platform: Apple Macintosh (Classic OS)
Description: From what one remembers, this implementation of the
blackjack card game opened with a somewhat animated sequence and
featured black-and-white graphics. The documentation mentions
features that include multiple tie options, doubling options,
dealer strategies, and an optional casino deck marker.
Notes: This game was produced with the ZBasic 5.0 software. The game
uses sounds from external files of the 'FSSD' type and custom sounds
are supported. (To combine multiple sounds into one file, the game
documentation mentions the "MultiSound" utility from the same author
as the Macjack game.) The game also supports speech synthesis via the
MacinTalk driver. The documentation gives a contact address for the
author in Chico, California, USA, and mentions an option whereby users
can generate custom decks from a MacPaint file by sending US$5 to the
game's author.

Software Title: MacNinja
Author(s): Ron Minor
License: Shareware
Platform: Apple Macintosh (Classic OS)
Description: In this game, a karate student must use karate-type moves
against a ninja. (Yes, the ninja _is_ dressed in an almost all-black
outfit, and yes, the player must duck if the ninja throws a metal
star.) From what one remembers, the graphics in the game are in
black-and-white. The names of different colors (i.e. "white") are used
to represent different levels for the player, probably similar to the
use of different belt colors to indicate real-life karate rankings.
Notes: One version of the game specified an address in Las Vegas,
Nevada, USA for mailing the shareware fee.

Software Title: MacStardate
Version: 1.0.1 (copyright 1992)
Author(s): Jacob B. Zimmerman
Author(s) Contact Info: zimerman at phoenix dot princeton dot edu
License: Freeware
Platform: Apple Macintosh (Classic OS)
Description: The MacStardate software displays the stardate in a small
window. In the case of the MacStardate software, the stardate value is
calculated from the local time for the user's system, as opposed to
Greenwich Mean Standard Time.
Notes: The MacStardate software uses the Stardate.c code from Jay
Windley. The software was included on the MacAddict CD-ROM #2
(October 1996.)

Software Title: Mac Tuberling
Author(s): John Calhoun / Soft Dorothy Software
           <http://www.softdorothy.com/>
Author(s) Contact Info: softdorothy at gmail dot com
Platform: Apple Macintosh (Classic OS)
Description: From what one remembers, the Mac Tuberling application
had black-and-white graphics and the application was geared towards
children. In the Mac Tuberling environment, the player could drag
eyes, mouths, and other similar items onto a potato in order to create
a character of sorts. In this way, the Mac Tuberling environment had
some similarities to the Mr. Potato Head toy. From what one remembers,
the name of a Mac Tuberling part (i.e. "eye" or "mouth") would be
spoken aloud when the player chose that part for dragging it into the
potato. Furthermore, according to the Mac Tuberling documentation, the
names of the parts were spoken by the author's girlfriend in order to
increase the educational aspect of the application.

Software Title: MathFlash
Publisher: Palantir Software
           (Houston, Texas, USA.)
License: Proprietary
Platform: Apple Macintosh (Classic OS)
Description: From what one remembers, the MathFlash software was
designed to help persons with mathematical skills by generating math
problems for them to figure out. A brochure from Palantir Software
listed features of the MathFlash software that included flash card
presentation of math problems, timed drills, and awards in the form
of graphical icons. The brochure gave an availability date of April
1985. The MathFlash software may have come on a brown floppy disk
with a pink label, and one seems to remember that the software
incorporated copy protection wherein the original disk had to be
inserted in order to use the software. Among other things, the
MathFlash software was able to run on at least one Mac model that
predated the Mac Plus system.
Notes: In a June 21, 1995 posting on the Usenet group il.jobs.offered
<https://groups.google.com/d/msg/il.jobs.offered/-/EorGxePtMz0J>,
George Bigham mentioned his role as the director of marketing at
Palantir Software, with the indication that the company went out of
business sometime shortly after 1987.

Software Title: Melodic Ear Trainer
Version: 1.1 (copyright 1994)
Author(s): David Bango / Educational Computer Resources
           (Lake Grove, New York, USA.)
Author(s) Contact Info: proteus2 at aol dot com or
                        7133,1555 (CompuServe)
License: Shareware (US$20)
Platform: Apple Macintosh (Classic OS)
Description: The Melodic Ear Trainer software plays a sequence of
notes in a random pattern with the idea that a music student can play
back the notes via the software. For students, the Melodic Ear Trainer
software provides training in such skills as music sight reading and
ear training. According to the documentation, aspects of the melodies
such as the length and tempo can be adjusted, and the software
optionally supports the use of a MIDI-interfaced musical keyboard.
Notes: Version 1.1 of the Melodic Ear Trainer software was included
on the CD-ROM that came with the book "Learn C on the Macintosh"
(Second Edition) (Addison-Wesley, 1995.) Included with the software
was an Educational Computer Resources catalog that mentioned various
software titles in the categories of reading, phonics, music,
mathematics, and Sunday school topics.

Software Title: Melt
Author(s): Gordon A. Acocella
License: Freeware
Platform: Apple Macintosh (Classic OS)
Description: When activated, this desk accessory causes the screen
display to undergo a "melting" effect whereby the content slides
towards the bottom of the screen.
Notes: This software was included on a disk that accompanied the
book "Stupid Mac Tricks" (Addison-Wesley, 1990.) The book was
authored by Bob LeVitus. According to the Melt documentation, the
Melt software was produced with the Aztec C environment.

Software Title: MEKANIKA
Author(s): Pegasus Software
Author(s) Contact Info: Pegasoft at aol dot com
License: Shareware (US$5)
Platform: Apple Macintosh (Classic OS)
Description: In this platform-and-ladder game, the factory worker
Vladimir Kostov must destroy robotic drones and mechanical drillers in
order to save the jobs of his fellow workers.
Notes: The about box for this game refers to the Game Builder
environment that was copyrighted by John M. Dole. For mailing the
shareware fee, the MEKANIKA documentation specifies a C. M. Kaesviharn
at an address in La Mirada, California, USA. From what one remembers,
this game was made available on America Online. The copyright year
for this software is 1995.

Software Title: Metronome
Version: 2.0.0
Author(s): Simon Wynn
Author(s) Contact Info: 70214,2472 (CompuServe)
License: Shareware (US$20)
Platform: Apple Macintosh (Classic OS)
Description: This application provides the functionality of a simple
musical metronome for which the tempo and certain other attributes can
be adjusted. The Metronome application features several different
instrument sounds.
Notes: This application was included on the CD-ROM that came with the
book "Learn C on the Macintosh" (Second Edition) (Addison-Wesley,
1995.) For mailing the shareware fee, the Metronome documentation
specifies an address in San Bruno, California, USA. (Another
specified option was registration via CompuServe's Software
Registration service.)

Software Title: Microtype, The Wonderful World of Paws
Publisher: South-Western Publishing Co.
License: Probably proprietary
Platform: Apple II
Description: From what one remembers, this software title was designed
to help users practice typing and to improve their typing proficiency.
One seems to remember that the software featured an orange-colored cat
character. Among other functions in the software there was an activity
with a name that was something like "Paws's Run." In this specific
activity, the user would type out sentences with the goal of having
the cat traverse a path from beginning to end while picking up all of
the points and prize objects along the way.
Notes: The US Department of Education page at <https://eric.ed.gov/?id
=ED291343> on the Web mentions a "Keyboard Success: MicroType PAWS
Version" teacher's guide which was authored by Ann Fidanque (plus
other authors) and which was published in 1985 by the International
Council for Computers in Education (Eugene, Oregon, USA.) According to
the abstract, the book can be used without actual software though it
is designed to be used with certain versions of the "Microtype, The
Wonderful World of Paws" software. In addition, there was an
accompanying "Keyboard Success! Microtype 'PAWS' Version. Computer
Flip Book" for students in elementary and middle school environments;
this book came from the same publisher and is described at
<https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED291344> on the Web.

Software Title: Mind Over Mac
Version: 1.8
Publisher: Think Educational Software
           (Potsdam, New York, USA.)
License: Probably proprietary
Platform: Apple Macintosh (Classic OS)
Description: According to page 2109 of "The Software Encyclopedia" by
R.R. Bowker Company (2000, retrieved via Google Books), Mind Over Mac
was a collection of software titles from Think Educational Software
that included the games of Destroyer, Trivial Intrigue, MasterCode,
On-the-Contrary, and Third Dimension. The On-the-Contrary game had the
gameplay of a Concentration-type game.
Notes: Another application that was included in the Mind Over Mac
collection was the simplistic String Art, which generated abstract
designs. According to the Syracuse Herald American article "Little
time for books" by Janis Barth (December 30, 1984, pg. 50), Think
Educational Software was started by two computer science students,
Frank Marafino and Gregory Berkin, at Potsdam College. In a YouTube
comment (see <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5vFQrEIvmvU&lc=
z22xg3izptukv1yn5acdp4315farwbtmsb0g1hhrnitw03c010c> on the Web),
Frank Marafino mentioned that String Art was included in the
collection as a bonus but was not mentioned in the product literature
or packaging.

Software Title: Moving Cursors Tutorial
Platform: Apple Macintosh (Classic OS)
Description: Moving Cursors Tutorial was a HyperCard document. From
what one remembers, Moving Cursors Tutorial contained information and
HyperTalk scripting code that showed how to implement animated cursors
in the context of HyperCard documents. In addition, Moving Cursors
Tutorial contained a number of cursor ('CURS') resources for animated
cursors.
Notes: According to the Internet Archive, there was a HyperCard
document, Moving Cursors, that was authored by Pablo Calamera. Moving
Cursors may have been similar to, or possibly the same document as
Moving Cursors Tutorial. The contact information in Moving Cursors
specified "Intelligent Solutions c/o Pablo Calamera" and an address
in San Jose, California, USA.

Software Title: Nerve
Version: 2.0(?)
License: Shareware
Platform: Apple Macintosh (Classic OS)
Description: From what one remembers, the gameplay in the Nerve game
involved defusing a bomb which incorporated a number of red cylinders
among its parts. The description for the game may have stated that a
"steady hand" was called for.
Notes: The Nerve game had been created with the SuperCard environment
and the game incorporated color graphics, from what one remembers. If
a user sent in the shareware fee, they would receive a registration
code that would disable the registration reminder and enable certain
cheat codes, among other things. The Nerve game may have been made
available on America Online.

Software Title: Operation Diva
Version: 1.0 (copyright 1993)
Author(s): Robert Chancellor and Thomas Chan
License: Shareware (US$10)
Platform: Apple Macintosh (Classic OS)
Description: In this game, the player must travel through multiple
levels of an alien spacecraft to rescue the daughter of a Council of
Planets councilman. Along the way, the player can pick up more
powerful weapons and other useful items. From what one remembers, the
gameplay is often such that the enemies specifically move only when
the player does. Even so, the player may have to avoid and/or destroy
enemies in order to complete levels. (In addition to enemy aliens,
there are also fixed laser beams that can cause damage.)
Notes: This application was included on the CD-ROM that came with the
book "Learn C on the Macintosh" (Second Edition) (Addison-Wesley,
1995.) For mailing the shareware fee, the Operation Diva documentation
specified an address in El Segundo, California, USA. It appears that
the Operation Diva game was publicly published by Pointware
Corporation in 1992. For more information regarding the publication of
the game, please visit <https://web.archive.org/web/20141117013008/
http://www.allgame.com/game.php?id=16535&tab=overview> on the Web.
(The specified URL is an archived version of a Web page from the
Internet Archive's Wayback Machine.)

Software Title: Oracle
Version: 2.1.0
Author(s): Andrew Welch, published by Ambrosia Software
Publisher Contact Info: Ambrosia Software
                        PO Box 23140
                        Rochester, New York
                        14692, USA.
                        <https://www.ambrosiasw.com/>
License: Shareware (US$10)
Platform: Apple Macintosh (Classic OS)
Description: The Oracle software would display a quotation after the
user's system had completed the startup process. According to a
description of the Oracle software, the quotations in the software's
built-in library were thoughtful in nature. In addition, permission
had been obtained for the Oracle software to incorporate material that
had previously appeared in the Synchronicity divination software from
Paul O'Brien and Visionary Software.
Notes: Version 2.1.0 of the Oracle software was included on the CD-ROM
that came with the book "Learn C on the Macintosh" (Second Edition)
(Addison-Wesley, 1995.) In the forums at the Ambrosia Software Web
site, David Dunham from tech support mentioned in a posting on April
28, 2000 <http://www.ambrosiasw.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=165
&st=0&p=1543#entry1543> that Ambrosia Software does not market or
distribute former software titles that are no longer on their Web
site.

Software Title: Orion
Version: 1.82 (September 3, 1988)
Author(s): Robert P. Munafo <http://mrob.com/>
License: Freeware, formerly shareware
Platform: Apple Macintosh (Classic OS)
Description: The Orion application features black-and-white graphics
and simulates flight through outer space. Among other things, the
information in the application mentions a hypothetical spacecraft that
the passenger perceives as greatly exceeding the speed of light.
Notes: According to information on Robert Munafo's software page
<http://mrob.com/pub/comp/mac-software.html> and Orion page
<http://mrob.com/pub/comp/orion.html>, the Orion application was
produced for the Mac 128K model in 1985 and was written entirely in
assembly language (the application references the MDS assembly
language development system) for the sake of speed.

Software Title: PacketSend
Version: 1.0B2 (copyright 1991)
Author(s): Kurt Vandersluis / The Network Group, Inc.
           (Seattle, Washington, USA.)
Author(s) Contact Info: KVANDERSLUIS (AppleLink)
License: Shareware (US$50.00 + US$4.00 S&H)
Platform: Apple Macintosh (Classic OS)
Description: The PacketSend software was released by The Network
Group, Inc., an AppleTalk training and consulting company. This
software is implemented as a HyperCard document and is designed to
facilitate the troubleshooting of routers on AppleTalk networks by
sending digital packets such as ZIP Query, ZIP GetNetInfo, and ZIP
GetZoneList. Though a separate protocol analyzer is required in order
to receive and view answers to the packets, the PacketSend software
can help obtain network information from routers.
Notes: The PacketSend software was mentioned in the February 1992
issue of MacUser in the "Trouble Shots" column. Users who sent in the
shareware payment for the PacketSend software could receive a manual
plus the latest version of the software.

Software Title: ParaDecode
Author(s): John Calhoun / Soft Dorothy Software
           <http://www.softdorothy.com/>
Author(s) Contact Info: softdorothy at gmail dot com
Platform: Apple Macintosh (Classic OS)
Description: From what one remembers, the ParaDecode utility was made
available on America Online by Soft Dorothy Software. The function of
the ParaDecode utility was to generate registration numbers for the
shareware version of the Pararena game. (Soft Dorothy Software also
produced and released the shareware version of the Pararena game.)
Notes: For users who want to unlock shareware versions of the Pararena
game, John Calhoun of Soft Dorothy Software has given permission for
the release of the password and number combination consisting of
"Pararena" (without quotes, passwords are case insensitive) and the
registration number 97003.

Software Title: Parrot
Version: 1.0b1
Author(s): Bernard Bernstein
Author(s) Contact Info: bernard at cs dot colorado dot edu
                        or BERNARDB at applelink
License: Freeware
Platform: Apple Macintosh (Classic OS)
Description: The Parrot software uses memory-based buffers to store
audio that it receives via the sound input device. The stored audio
is played back in a random fashion. According to the documentation,
the Parrot software was originally written for use at a Halloween
party.
Notes: Version 1.0b1 of the Parrot software was included on the CD-ROM
that came with the book "Tricks of the Mac Game Programming Gurus"
(Hayden Books, 1995.)

Software Title: PippinPuss
Author(s): Bill Neville
License: Probably freeware
Platform: Apple Macintosh (Classic OS)
Description: The PippinPuss software is implemented as a HyperCard
document. In the PippinPuss software there is an apple, along with
various parts (such as different sets of eyes and noses) that can be
dragged onto the apple in a manner similar to a Mr. Potato Head toy.
Notes: A copy of the PippinPuss software may have been included with
the book "Mac Party!" (Windcrest/McGraw-Hill, 1993.) This book was
authored by Brad and Debra Schepp.

Software Title: PUZZ'L
Author(s): Duane Blehm / HomeTown Software
           (Ulysses, Kansas, USA.)
License: Freeware (formerly shareware)
Platform: Apple Macintosh (Classic OS)
Description: In this game, the player supplies a black-and-white image
and chooses a set of puzzle pieces to make a jigsaw puzzle. The user
can attempt to assemble the puzzle while the game tracks the time.
Notes: From what one remembers, this game was originally shareware and
required ordering a registration code for full functionality but it
was rereleased as freeware after the unexpected death of the author,
Duane Blehm. (Another shareware game from Duane Blehm, Cairo ShootOut,
was altered by Derrell (Bill) Clark at the request of Duane's parents
to be fully functional freeware.) Registration codes for the shareware
version of PUZZ'L and source code for the game are probably no longer
available from HomeTown Software.

Software Title: Pyramid
Author(s): Phil Bush(?)
License: Probably shareware
Platform: Apple Macintosh (Classic OS)
Description: In this game, the player has a number of cards in a
pyramid formation and the goal is to remove all of the cards by
finding pairs of cards that fit certain criteria, from what one
remembers. (Cards can be removed as one pair at a time.)

Software Title: Rubik's Wrap
Author(s): Dennis Johnson
License: Shareware (US$5)
Platform: Apple Macintosh (Classic OS)
Description: From what one remembers, this game involved an area of
colored squares which could be rearranged by being subject to one or
more rounds of scrambling. The player would then have to rearrange
the squares back to their original layout. As one might guess, there
was probably a similarity between the gameplay of this game and that
of a Rubik's Cube game. Among the options for configuring the Rubik's
Wrap game was the ability to adjust the number of colors that were
used in the game and the ability to "lock" parts of the playfield.
Notes: From what one remembers, the Rubik's Wrap game specified an
address in Oakland, California, USA for mailing the shareware fee.

Software Title: Safari II
Version: 1.1.3
Author(s): John Gallaugher
Author(s) Contact Info: GALLAUGHER at aol dot com or
          70137.763 at cis dot com
License: Freeware
Platform: Apple Macintosh (Classic OS)
Description: In this game, the player fires at animals (to tranquilize
them) as they run across the playfield. Some of the game's aspects
are adjustable.
Notes: The source code for this game was included on the CD-ROM that
came with the book "Tricks of the Mac Game Programming Gurus" (Hayden
Books, 1995.) The source code was for the THINK C environment, but it
was possible to convert the source code to work with the CodeWarrior
environment. The copyright year in the source code is 1991. For
contacting John Gallaugher via postal mail, the source code specifies
an address in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA.

Software Title: Sail Away
Version: 1.0 (copyright 1987-1989)
Author(s): Jerry D. Lumpkins
Author(s) Contact Info: 75156.3350 at cis dot com
License: Freeware
Platform: Apple Macintosh (Classic OS)
Description: From what one understands, the Sail Away application
was a sailboat simulator that incorporated both color and B&W
graphics along with such sailing hardware as mainsheet and
daggerboard controls. The simulation had three difficulty levels.
Notes: Version 1.0 of the Sail Away software was included on the
MacAddict CD-ROM #2 (October 1996.) For contacting the author, an
address in Metairie, Louisiana, USA was given.

Software Title: Screen Gems
Author(s): Chris Derossi (Dimmer utility), Bill Steinberg (Switch-a-
           Roo utility), Paul Mercer (Color Desk utility); the
           collection was published by Microseeds Publishing
Publisher Contact Info: Microseeds Publishing
                        7030-B W. Hillsborough Ave.
                        Tampa, Florida
                        33615, USA
Platform: Apple Macintosh (Classic OS)
Description: As described in InfoWorld (volume 11, issue 3, January
16, 1989, page S30), Screen Gems was a package containing three
utilities that related to video display on the Macintosh II model.
The Dimmer utility (authored by Chris Derossi) was a screen saver of
sorts that would dim the screen to a specified level of darkness after
a period of idle time, the Switch-a-Roo utility (authored by Bill
Steinberg) was an FKEY that would let users quickly switch a monitor
between two different preconfigured modes, and the Color Desk utility
(authored by Paul Mercer) would allow a PICT file or a Gray View file
to be used as the desktop background. In addition, two "extra" items
of software were included in Screen Gems: the Globe software would
display a rotating globe with adjustable speed, and the TN-3 utility
would allow the Finder software's basic color palette to be adjusted.

Software Title: Scruffy II
Author(s): Brian Barnes
           <http://www.ambrosiasw.com/ambrosia_times/november_96/
           3.6UpClose.html>
License: Shareware (US$10)
Platform: Apple Macintosh (Classic OS)
Description: In this side-scrolling platform-based game, the dog
Scruffy travels through multiple levels of Mars City to rescue his
girlfriend who has been kidnapped (dognapped?) by King Martian. The
game features a number of strange enemies, including ninja bunnies,
walking telephones, and toasters. There are several bosses to defeat
along the way, including the final boss who appears in the from of
"the mysterious villain" on the last level. At intervals, there is
a bonus game where Scruffy drives a car along a Mars City street with
the goal of gaining extra lives. (This bonus game could almost be a
game by itself.) The game also features several tracks of background
music.
Notes: With regard to the programming language that was used for the
Scruffy II game, the documentation says among other things that "No,
it's all written in assembly, and actually, it was finished in 1993!"
There was also a posting in an iDevGames forum about the use of 68K
assembly language in the Scruffy II game (and the previous Scruffy
game.) An archived copy of the forum post can be viewed at <https://
web.archive.org/web/20160801084907/http://www.idevgames.com/forums/
thread-4817-post-29356.html#pid29356> on the Web via the Internet
Archive's Wayback Machine. The Scruffy II game was included on the
CD-ROM that came with the book "Tricks of the Mac Game Programming
Gurus" (Hayden Books, 1995.) For mailing the shareware fee, the
Scruffy II game specified an entity called "Frank Software" at an
address in Kalamazoo, Michigan, USA.

Software Title: SCSI Evaluator
Version: 1.03
Author(s): Digital Microware (written by William A. Long)
License: Shareware (US$20)
Platform: Apple Macintosh (Classic OS)
Description: This utility allows a user to run a number of different
tests and obtain information regarding SCSI disk drives.
Notes: For sending the shareware payment, the SCSI Evaluator
application gives an address of PO Box 3527, Mission Viejo,
California, 92690 USA.

Software Title: Sexplosion II
Author(s): Bob Schumaker
License: Probably freeware
Platform: Apple Macintosh (Classic OS)
Description: From what one understands, the Sexplosion II application
is a joke program which displays a "cracked screen" effect when
launched. The application has a somewhat suggestive icon which depicts
a woman.
Notes: An archived version of a Web page by Bob Schumaker is available
at <https://web.archive.org/web/20030405175959/http://www.io.com/
~cobblers/software/mactricks.html> via the Internet Archive's Wayback
Machine. From what one remembers, the Sexplosion II application was
included with one of the books in the "Stupid Mac Tricks" series by
Bob LeVitus.

Software Title: Solitaire
Version: 1.0
Author(s): Ron Aldrich
License: Probably freeware
Platform: Apple Macintosh (Classic OS)
Description: From what one remembers, this is a no-frills
implementation of a Solitaire-type card game with simple B&W graphics.

Software Title: Space Bubbles
Author(s): Bill Sammons (Phantom Software)
License: Probably freeware
Platform: Apple Macintosh (Classic OS)
Description: From what one remembers, the Space Bubbles game involved
moving a spacecraft horizontally at the bottom of the playfield while
shooting at targets that appeared above and moved around. The game
featured black-and-white graphics.

Software Title: SpaceInvader!
Version: 1.02 (copyright 1992)
Author(s): Hui Dong
Author(s) Contact Info: hui at rainbow dot uchicago dot edu
License: Shareware (US$20)
Platform: Apple Macintosh (Classic OS)
Description: In this game, the player moves a spacecraft left and
right along the bottom of the playfield while shooting at enemies and
other targets that appear above (and which often move around.) There
are also enemy shots and other hazards to be avoided. The game
features a number of different enemies, including time bombs that
don't move but which must be destroyed quickly and some enemies that
can impair the player's spacecraft without destroying it (i.e. by
disabling its gun or reversing the movement controls.) There are also
a number of different powerups and bonuses.
Notes: This game was included on the CD-ROM that came with the book
"Learn C on the Macintosh" (Second Edition) (Addison-Wesley, 1995.)
For contacting the author and/or mailing the shareware fee, the
SpaceInvader! game specifies a physical address in Chicago, Illinois,
USA.

Software Title: SpiNit
Author(s): Jonathan Gary (U of Rochester, NY) and
           Bill Johnson - Exodus Software
License: Freeware
Platform: Apple Macintosh (Classic OS)
Description: This system extension causes windows to open with a
"spinning" effect.
Notes: This software was included on a disk that accompanied the
book "Stupid Mac Tricks" (Addison-Wesley, 1990.) The book was
authored by Bob LeVitus. According to page 70 of the book, the
SpiNit software was created for the Hack Contest of MacHack '89.
The copyright year for this software is 1989.

Software Title: Stella Obscura
Author(s): John Calhoun / Soft Dorothy Software
           <http://www.softdorothy.com/>
Author(s) Contact Info: softdorothy at gmail dot com
License: Probably freeware
Platform: Apple Macintosh (Classic OS)
Description: In the Stella Obscura game, which has black-and-white
graphics, the player fires at enemy spacecraft. The notable feature of
the Stella Obscura game is that the game is meant to be viewed via a
stereoscopic viewer which causes each of the player's eyes to see a
separate image. By doing this, the view of the playfield includes an
aspect of depth that would probably not otherwise be there. The game
includes information about how to build a stereoscopic viewer using
such items as a Saltines cracker box and black paint.

Software Title: Subliminal
Version: 1.0 (copyright 1991)
Author(s): Bob LeVitus (idea) and Evan Gross (design and programming)
           <http://www.boblevitus.com/>
License: Freeware
Platform: Apple Macintosh (Classic OS)
Description: The Subliminal software chooses a short message from a
list and displays the message for at least one second, with a message
being displayed every few minutes. The message display time and delay
intervals are adjustable, and the user supplies a text file containing
the list of messages to display (the software includes two list
files.)
Notes: The Subliminal software was included on the disk that
accompanied the book "New and Improved Stupid Mac Tricks" from Bob
LeVitus (AP Professional, 1995.) Evan Gross also developed the Spell
Catcher software. In 2012, Evan Gross passed away. For more details,
see the Macworld article "Mac Efficiency 101: Spell Catcher"
(February 2, 2001) by Deborah Shadovitz; this article is available
at <https://www.macworld.com/article/1021061/deb.html> on the Web.
Another relevant article is the TidBITS article "Farewell to Evan
Michael Gross, Author of Spell Catcher" (July 20, 2012) by Adam Engst;
this article is available at <https://tidbits.com/2012/07/20/farewell
-to-evan-michael-gross-author-of-spell-catcher/> on the Web.

Software Title: Tab Room Manager
Version: 1.05 (copyright 1995)
Author(s): Ben Olken
Author(s) Contact Info: benjamin dot olken at yale dot edu
                        PO Box 205131
                        New Haven, Connecticut
                        06520, USA.
License: Freeware
         (The "Read Me" file, which mentions version 1.04,
         says that recipients of the software must notify
         the author that they are using the software.)
Platform: Apple Macintosh (Classic OS)
Description: The documentation specifies that the Tab Room Manager
software is designed to assist with the tabulation process for
standard-style speech tournaments. Pairing of rounds and tabulating
debate is not implemented.
Notes: Version 1.05 of the Tab Room Manager software was included on
the MacAddict CD-ROM #2 (October 1996.)

Software Title: The Talking Moose and His Cartoon Carnival
Author(s): Steve Halls / Published by Baseline Publishing
License: Proprietary
Platform: Apple Macintosh (Classic OS)
Description: The Talking Moose software was originally written by
Steve Halls and first released in 1986, as mentioned in the Wired
article "Hey Mac, the Moose is Loose" (August 13, 2001) by Leander
Kahney; this article is available at <https://www.wired.com/2001/08/
hey-mac-the-moose-is-loose/> on the Web. The software featured an
animated moose head that would appear at intervals and make humorous
or witty remarks. The Talking Moose also incorporated spoken speech
via the Macintalk text-to-speech technology. In the early 1990s,
there was a commercial release of the Talking Moose via Baseline
Publishing. From information elsewhere, this Talking Moose release
included a phrase editor, a "Moose Proof" desk accessory for
converting text into speakable form, and a HyperCard document,
"Moose Goes Hyper," for use with the HyperCard environment, among
other things. In addition, there was a "Cartoon Carnival" in the
Baseline release that included such alternate characters as Herb
the Corporate Jester, P.T. Penguin, and Stinko the Evil Clown.

Software Title: TAO
Author(s): Gary A. Thompson
Author(s) Contact Info: 72447,2455 (CompuServe)
                        or GA.THOMPSON (GEnie)
License: Freeware, US$5 donation requested from those
         who find the game's source code to be useful.
Platform: Apple Macintosh (Classic OS)
Description: Though the name stood for "This Ain't Othello," the TAO
game is likely an implementation of the Othello game or possibly the
Reversi game. From what one remembers, the TAO game featured black-
and-white graphics and support for speech synthesis via the
MacinTalk speech driver. In addition, the game had an option to do
"Downright Obnoxious" alerts, and the completion of a game would
bring a message that (at least sometimes) included attitude.
(According to the Web site for the World Othello Federation, there are
a number of differences between the Othello game and the Reversi game.
For one thing, the Reversi game came out long before the Othello game
and the latter was invented in the 1960s. In addition, the Reversi and
Othello games have some differences in the rules with regard to the
initial placement of the game pieces and the ability for gameplay to
continue even if one player cannot make any moves. For more details,
see the news item "'Reversi' versus Othello" which can be viewed at
<https://www.worldothello.org/news/47> on the Web. Also of note is
that the Othello trademark is owned by MegaHouse Corp., according to
the Web site for Anjar Co. LLC; see <https://www.anjar.com/products/
othello-2> for details.)
Notes: According to information in the TAO game, Gary Thompson wrote
the game around the year 1986. At the time, Thompson was part of
LSMSA's first graduating class and was majoring in computer science as
an undergraduate at the University of Southern Louisiana in Lafayette.
In addition, the game's source code was made available on CompuServe
and GEnie. For contacting Mr. Thompson with regard to money, the game
specified an address in Littleton, Colorado, USA. Information about
the TAO game can also be found at Bruno de la Boisserie's page about
Reversi games on the MacOS platform <http://brunodlb.pagesperso-orange
.fr/othelmac.htm> (Note that the text of the page is in French.)

Software Title: Teknosys Used File Creator and Type Combinations
Author(s): Teknosys, Inc.
Author(s) Contact Info: 3923 Coconut Palm Drive, Suite 111
                        Tampa, Florida
                        33619, USA
                        (Note that the teknosys at aol dot com e-mail
                        address appears to be no longer functional.)
License: Freeware
Platform: Multiple (list is text including special characters)
Description: The Teknosys Used File Creator and Type Combinations list
is intended for MacOS software developers and consists of a
compilation of many file creator and type codes that have been used on
the MacOS platform as hidden metadata to associate icons and documents
with applications and other software. The specified purpose of the
list is to assist MacOS software developers in choosing unique creator
codes for released software titles. (Creator codes for software to be
publicly released should be registered with Apple, Inc. to check for
previous usage and to guard against reuse by others.) The description
in the list claims that the list includes many creator codes that have
not been registered with Apple (though the list obviously does not
include every creator code ever used), along with creator codes for
software that may not have been publicly released, among other things.
(As of 2015, it appears that Apple, Inc. no longer accepts
registration of creator codes. In addition, OSX 10.6 (Snow Leopard)
ignores creator codes when determining which application should open
a document; the same is also likely true for later OSX versions.)
Notes: Among other places, the Teknosys Used File Creator and Type
Combinations list (dated April 30, 1996) was included on the
CodeWarrior 10 Gold Tools CD-ROM from Metrowerks, Inc.

Software Title: Vanlandingham
Author(s): Mike Morton
License: Probably freeware
Platform: Apple Macintosh (Classic OS)
Description: The Vanlandingham program displays a black-and-white
animation of a bouncing ball with a checkered pattern on the outside.
Notes: The information in the Vanlandingham program indicated that the
program was "the Macintosh's answer to the Amiga's 'Boing!' demo." The
Vanlandingham software included a reference (described as a "paid
advertisement") to the Boston Computer Society (BCS) user group, with
a contact address in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. In the MacTech
publication (volume 2, issue 6, from 1986), there was an article by
Mike Morton, "Alternate Video Screen Animation," which talked about
some of the techniques that were used by the Vanlandingham program,
among other things. As of now, this article can be viewed at
<http://preserve.mactech.com/articles/mactech/Vol.02/02.06/
VideoScreenAnim/index.html> on the MacTech Web site.

Software Title: VClock
Platform: Atari ST
Description: From what one remembers, the VClock software would
display an analog clock in a window.
Notes: The VClock software was included on a disk that came with a
computing-related magazine (possibly ST Review) in the UK; the same
magazine mentioned other Atari ST titles such as the Dr. Tirric audio
software.

Software Title: Video Poker
Version: 2.0
Author(s): Eric Zimmerman
License: Shareware (US$15)
Platform: Apple Macintosh (Classic OS)
Description: This is an implementation of a video poker game with a
graphical interface and (probably) black-and-white graphics. The
game's features include information about certain card combinations
(such as "low pair," "four of a kind," and "royal flush,") along with
the ability to record gameplay information to a file for later
perusal, among other things.
Notes: The Video Poker application was created with the Zbasic
compiler. For contacting the author and/or sending the shareware
payment, the Video Poker application specifies an address in San
Diego, California, USA. A copy of the Video Poker application was
included on a "The Best of Educorp" disk from MacWorld. (The
copyright year of the disk's compilation was 1990.)

Software Title: Videx Fun Pak
Publisher: Videx, Inc. (Authored by Ron Aldrich)
License: Probably proprietary
Platform: Apple Macintosh (Classic OS)
Description: From what one remembers, and from information given
elsewhere, the Videx Fun Pak software features black-and-white
graphics and allows the user to choose and play a game from a set of
four different games (King Albert, Four in a Row, Klondike, or
Sevens.) Among other features, the Videx Fun Pak software featured a
visual "control knob" as part of the interface for choosing a game.
Notes: According to Google Books, the Videx Fun Pak software is
mentioned on page 1813 of The Software catalog: Microcomputers, Part 2
(Elsevier, 1987.) The relevant page specifies that Four in a Row is a
strategy game, and that Sevens is a card game, among other things.

Software Title: WaterBalloons
Author(s): Aaron Bowles
License: Probably freeware
Platform: Apple Macintosh (Classic OS)
Description: The WaterBalloons game featured a small game window and a
top-down view of a city street. From a balcony above the street, the
player would try to drop water balloons onto people that walked by
below. The game featured three different persons with a different
sound effect for each person when they were hit.
Notes: The Waterballons game may have been produced with an authoring
environment from Macromedia (possibly Macromedia Director.)

Software Title: Wator
Author(s): Robert Martin
Author(s) Contact Info: 70156,240 (CompuServe)
License: Shareware (optional US$5 donation is appreciated)
Platform: Apple Macintosh (Classic OS)
Description: The Wator application simulates a simple world in which
there are fish and sharks. The fish have an unlimited food supply. The
sharks must eat fish in order to avoid starvation. When starting the
application, the user can specify values regarding the number of fish
and sharks, the fish and shark gestation rates, and the shark
starvation rate. As time goes by, the application visually plots the
fish and shark populations.
Notes: According to Larry Leinweber's page at
<http://www.leinweb.com/snackbar/wator/> on the Web, one source of
information about the Wator simulation is A.K. Dewdney's article
"Sharks and fish wage an ecological war on the toroidal planet Wa-Tor"
in the December 1984 issue of Scientific American. The documentation
for the Wator application specifies an address in Waukegan, Illinois,
USA for sending contributions to the author.

Software Title: WordPlay
Publisher: Palantir Software
           (Houston, Texas, USA.)
License: Probably proprietary
Platform: Apple Macintosh (Classic OS)
Description: According to a brochure from Palantir Software, the
WordPlay software allows a user to create, solve, and print crossword
puzzles, including puzzles of the diagramless and acrostic variety.
Among the features mentioned are different levels of hints for users
and tracking of a user's elapsed time. The brochure gave an
availability date of April 1985.
Notes: In a June 21, 1995 posting on the Usenet group il.jobs.offered
<https://groups.google.com/d/msg/il.jobs.offered/-/EorGxePtMz0J>,
George Bigham mentioned his role as the director of marketing at
Palantir Software, with the indication that the company went out of
business sometime shortly after 1987.

Software Title: WorldTime
Version: 1.5.1 (copyright 1993)
Author(s): J. David Sexton
Author(s) Contact Info: 72730,1304 (CompuServe)
License: Shareware
         (Payment is optional, the user
         decides as to a "fair price.")
Platform: Apple Macintosh (Classic OS)
Description: The WorldTime control panel determines the date and time
in two different cities based on the current system time. A built-in
list of major world cities is included.
Notes: For users who wanted to pay the author of the WorldTime
software, an address in Fort Collins, Colorado, USA was given.

Software Title: ZeroGravity
Author(s): Duane Blehm / HomeTown Software
           (Ulysses, Kansas, USA.)
License: Probably freeware
Platform: Apple Macintosh (Classic OS)
Description: This game involves an astronaut-type character and
a zero-gravity chamber. After the character enters the round
zero-gravity chamber, the player has to adjust the character's
position as necessary over a period of time so that the character
does not drift too close to the walls of the chamber. The game has
three difficulty levels.
Notes: This game included certain elements that seemed to relate to
the 1968 Stanley Kubrick movie 2001: A Space Odyssey, such as a
hibernation pod from which the character would initially emerge.
While the character was being guided to the airlock entrance for the
zero-gravity chamber, the game played the "Blue Danube Waltz" tune.
Though versions of the ZeroGravity game may mention source code, the
author of the game, Duane Blehm, unexpectedly died after the game's
release and source code for the game is probably no longer available
from HomeTown Software.