- - - = ( VIC-20 Cartridge Rarity & Gameplay list ) = - - -
By Ward F. Shrake and Paul A. Le Brasse
with the help of many folks on the I'net
Version 2.3b
Released on April 26, 2002
Visit "VIC-20 Digital Archaeology" on the web
for heaps of additional info, and many links:
http://classicgaming.com/vic20/
In the spirit of the "friendly computer"
this document may be freely copied and/or
used by anyone who wishes to do so. We do
ask that you give the authors credit by
name if and when you use this listing in
any other context. Thanks in advance!
Notes about this document.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
This list is the latest revision of a document that has been freely
available since September 1995. It has been tweaked and adjusted by
the same people for years. It is generally considered the best list
of its type, and has been widely distributed around the Internet.
One of the reasons this list is the "cream of its crop" is that the
people that put it together have personally collected every one of
these cartridges over the years. The small number of people working
on this text makes it easier to judge relative rarity over a wider
spectrum than might normally be the case. But more to the point, we
know which carts took us years to find, and which we saw constantly.
This list's organization is based on a confirmation system. If a cart
is listed in the upper section, it most definitely exists. We've had
our hands on at least one copy of that particular cartridge. In fact
we "digitally archived" every one of the carts listed in the upper
section. The resulting "ROM images" are available free on the web.
You can find links to these archives on the author's web site...
http://classicgaming.com/vic20/
Note that we did this without permission, but that we've often been
given complimented for it, by various of the original programmers.
In some cases, these authors no longer had copies of the games they
had written, until we had done our bit to preserve this software!
(If any copyright owners did object, we'd have that game removed.)
One step below the upper section is a place for all of the carts
that we are sure really do exist in cartridge form, but that have
so far eluded our grasp. In other words, someone besides ourselves
has positively confirmed these carts, but they are not archived yet.
We took our time to get confirmation of each and every cart, one by
one, through a network of well-known collectors we've grown to trust.
Towards the bottom is a section for rumored carts that we have never
found ourselves, and that as far as we know, neither has anyone else.
(In other words "vaporware" games are kept seperate from confirmed
games within this listing.) That alone makes the list highly reliable.
Below that is a list of hardware-related items and utility programs.
Listing them seperately reflects a few things, one of them being the
fact that because they generally involve something more inside them
than a simple ROM memory chip, that they don't easily fit into our
archiving efforts. It is therefore less confusing to seperate them.
Most people reading this list are retro-gamers. Why confuse things?
- - - - - - - - - - - - - -
As of version 2.00 of this list (August 2000), I am introducing big
changes to the way I rate the relative rarity of each cartridge.
We used to have letter codes, and a chart explaining them. From now
on, I plan to include a simple "one to ten" numeric code instead.
This change came about when the list's author was asked to contribute
a new VIC-20 cartridge software section to "Digital Press' Collectors
Guide," version six. (The "DPCG" for short.) Consistency with the
other sections in that guide meant I had to rework this list anyway,
so I figured I'd change the rarity codes here on a permanent basis.
Gives me an excuse to finally get this list up to "version 2.0", too.
Observant readers will note that I'm not currently using a "1" code.
That is because I feel that these carts are slightly harder to find
in the wild than (for example) an Atari 2600 cartridge. Perhaps much
harder to find? The "8" and "9" ratings represent about five percent
of the library each. Finding most of these took us a year or more of
constant searching... and that includes searching via the I'net! That
may improve in time, but the high numbers are deservedly so. The "10"
code I reserved for prototypes that never saw mass production in the
form of a cartridge. (But note that some did come out as tape games.)
Besides these rarity changes, I added a (gasp!) suggested price guide.
I had long resisted doing that, feeling it unfair of me to try to tell
others what they should pay for something. "It is worth what you will
pay for it; no less and no more" has long been my own personal opinion.
I was in the unenviable position of having to create a price structure
from scratch. Knowing what the cheapest carts usually go for was not a
problem. (In this case, around $2 each.) But choosing an upper price is
always going to cause some disagreement. I did my best to integrate two
different schools of thought on this, so the list is twice as useful.
The first school of thought is based on the observation that in most
cases, it is rare for a classic game cart price to rise above what it
cost at retail when it was new. (For a top price of roughly $40.) The
other school of thought says that it seems silly for one cart to sell
for more than a core system itself usually sells for. (Roughly $20.)
I based my price suggestions on the $40 top price, and worked down to
a known low of around $2 per cart. If it seems carts often go for far
less than the prices shown here, just cut these prices in half. I took
pains to make the relative price point steps valid, by custom-sorting
the list based on prices, and hand-tweaking till everything "flowed".
Sooner or later "price guides" were inevitable. Just remember not to
be overly concerned with the prices I listed. They are a guideline,
not something to be angrily enforced at gunpoint. "It's just a hobby."
See Digital Press' web site for more info on their Collectors Guide. I
myself am anxious to see the new one, with all the planned updates! (I
do not stand to make money on any of this, if you are worried about a
loss of credibility in regards to pricing, or any "ad" type comments.)
http://digitpress.com/
Besides this document, other texts exist that modern Vic20 hobbyists
or computer historians may find useful or interesting. These can also
be found on the internet. (Ward's team wrote many of them. Very little
other information about the Vic20 was freely available at the time.)
Among the documents available are a "Frequently Asked Questions" text,
various technical texts, archiving utility programs, a list of nearly
500 VIC-20 cassette tape games, and more. "Cartzilla!" is a huge text
which actually discusses and reviews the 180+ software cartridges now
known to exist for the VIC-20. (This list is used for quick reference.)
It would have been a shame if we forget part of our culture's history.
We few who first remembered the Vic20 with fondness are glad to see we
are no longer so few in number! We are pleased that a decade and a half
after the "friendly computer's" commercial lifespan ended, that people
still enjoy playing and collecting the games we so lovingly preserved.
Ward F. Shrake
Rarity code
Memory size | Price
| Game \ |
Company Cartridge name Part# \ play | | Year
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Academy IFR (Flight Simulator) [A989] 8k B 5 17 83
Atarisoft Battlezone [RX8547] 16k B- 5 15 83
Atarisoft Centipede [RX8504] 16k C 2 2 83
Atarisoft Defender [RX8507] 16k A- 3 8 83
Atarisoft Dig Dug [RX8510] 16k B 3 6 83
Atarisoft Donkey Kong [RX8513] 16k B 3 6 83
Atarisoft Galaxian [RX8541] 8k C+ 8 30 84
Atarisoft Jungle Hunt [RX8529] 16k B- 3 5 84
Atarisoft Moon Patrol [RX8532] 16k B- 3 5 83
Atarisoft Ms. Pac-Man [RX8544] 16k C+ 3 5 83
Atarisoft Pac-Man [RX8501] 8k C+ 3 5 83
Atarisoft Pole Position [RX8535] 16k B+ 3 7 83
Atarisoft Robotron: 2084 [RX8520] 12k B- 3 5 83
Beyond Mountain King 16k A+ 5 22 83
Boone Crater Raider [20001] 4k C 9 40 83
Boone Cyclon [20003] 8k A 9 40 83
Broderbund A.E. [Viccart-224] 16k B 7 25 82
Broderbund Lode Runner [Viccart-___] 16k B+ 5 19 83
Broderbund MasterType [Viccart-221] 16k B- 6 20 83
Broderbund SeaFox [Viccart-___] 16k B 8 32 83
Broderbund Skyblazer [Viccart-___] 16k A 8 36 83
CBS Soft. K-Razy Antiks [22107] 12k B+ 4 11 82
CBS Soft. K-Star Patrol [22108] 16k B+ 4 11 82
Commodore Adventure Land Adventure [Vic-1914] 16k B- 3 5 81
Commodore Alien [Vic-1906] 8k C 4 7 81
Commodore Avenger [Vic-1901] 8k C+ 2 3 81
Commodore Bank Robber An alternate name for "Raid on Fort Knox"
Commodore Clowns [Vic-1931] 8k C+ 4 9 82
Commodore Commodore Artist [Vic-1935] 4k C 5 12 82
Commodore Cosmic Cruncher [Vic-1922] 8k B 2 3 82
Commodore Cosmic Jailbreak [Vic-1927] 8k C 4 8 82
Commodore Draw Poker An alternate name for "Poker"
Commodore Garden Wars [Vic-1932] 8k C 4 7 82
Commodore Gorf [Vic-1923] 8k B- 2 4 82
Commodore Home Babysitter [Vic-1928] 8k C- 4 6 82
Commodore Jelly Monsters [Vic-1905] 8k A 8 36 81?
Commodore Jupiter Lander [Vic-1907] 8k B 2 3 81?
Commodore Menagerie [Vic-1926] 8k C- 4 6 82?
Commodore Midnight Drive [Vic-1909] 8k C- 3 3 81
Commodore Mission Impossible Adventure [Vic-1916] 16k B- 3 5 81
Commodore Mole Attack [Vic-1912] 8k C 4 8 81
Commodore Money Wars [Vic-1925] 8k C+ 4 9 82
Commodore Number Nabber, Shape Grabber [Vic-1941] 8k NA 5 10 82
Commodore Omega Race [Vic-1924] 8k A- 2 5 82
Commodore Personal Finance (utility) [Vic-1929] 8k NA 5 10 82
Commodore Pinball [Vic-1920] 16k C+ 3 5 82
Commodore Pinball Spectacular An alternate name for "Pinball"
Commodore Pirate's Cove Adventure [Vic-1915] 16k B- 3 5 81
Commodore Poker [Vic-1908] 8k C 4 7 81
Commodore Radar Rat Race [Vic-1910] 8k B+ 2 3 81
Commodore Raid on Fort Knox [Vic-1913] 8k C 4 7 82
Commodore Road Race An alternate name for "Midnight Drive"
Commodore Sargon II Chess [Vic-1919] 8k C 3 4 82?
Commodore Sea Wolf [Vic-1937] 8k B- 5 15 82
Commodore Slot [Vic-1904] 8k C 4 7 81
Commodore Speed Math & Bingo Math [Vic-1933] 8k C- 3 3 82
Commodore Star Battle [Vic-1902] 8k B+ 8 33 81
Commodore Star Post [Vic-1939] 8k C 5 12 82?
Commodore Super Alien An alternate name for "Alien"
Commodore Super Slot An alternate name for "Slot"
Commodore Super Smash [Vic-1921] 8k C 3 4 82
Commodore The Count Adventure [Vic-1917] 16k B- 3 5 81
Commodore The Sky is Falling [Vic-1911] 8k B- 4 9 81
Commodore Tooth Invaders [Vic-1938] 8k C+ 5 14 83
Commodore Vic Avenger An alternate name for "Avenger"
Commodore Visible Solar System [Vic-1930] 8k C 3 4 82
Commodore Voodoo Castle Adventure [Vic-1918] 16k B- 3 5 81
Creative Apple Panic [VI AP C] 12k C 4 8 82
Creative Astroblitz [VI AB C] 4k B- 4 9 82
Creative Black Hole [VI BH C] 4k B 5 17 82
Creative Choplifter [VI CL C] 8k A 3 9 82
Creative Household Finance (utility) [VI HF C] 8k NA 5 10 83
Creative In the Chips [VI CH C] 16k C 6 19 83
Creative Pipes [VI PI C] 8k C 6 19 83
Creative Rat Hotel [VI RH C]? 8k B- 5 15 82
Creative Serpentine [VI SE C] 8k B 4 10 82
Creative Spills and Fills [VI SF C] 8k C 6 19 83
Creative TerraGuard [VI TG C] 4k C+ 4 9 82
Creative Trashman [VI TM C] 8k B+ 4 12 82
Creative Videomania [VI VM C] 4k C 4 8 82
Daedalus Baldor's Castle 12k C+ 9 37 83
Epyx Fun with Music 8k B 8 32 83
Epyx Monster Maze 8k C+ 5 14 82
Handic A World at War 8k C- 9 34 8_
Handic Space Snake 8k D 9 33 82
HES Aggressor [C305] 8k C 5 13 82
HES Alphabet Zoo (education) [C326] 16k NA 6 18 82
HES Attack of the Mutant Camels [C318] 8k A 6 25 83
HES Facemaker (education) [C324] 8k NA 6 18 83
HES Gridrunner [C312] 4k B+ 3 7 82
HES HesMon (utility) [C302] 8k NA 3 4 82
HES HesWriter (utility) [C304] 8k NA 5 10 82
HES Kids on Keys (education) [C325] 8k NA 6 18 83
HES Kindercomp (education) [C322] 16k NA 6 18 83
HES Lazer Zone [C319] 8k A 5 21 83
HES Maze [C3__] 8k C+ 6 20 83
HES Mosquito Infestation [C3__] 4k B- 6 20 82
HES Pharaoh's Curse [C321] 16k A 7 28 83
HES Predator [C316] 8k B+ 6 23 82
HES Protector [C308] 8k B- 6 20 83
HES Robot Panic [C310] 8k B 6 21 82
HES Satellite Patrol [C3__] 4k B- 6 20 82
HES Shamus [C307] 8k A 5 21 83
HES Story Machine (education) [C323] 12k NA 8 25 83
HES Synthesound (education) [C306] 8k NA 5 10 82
HES Turtle Graphics (education) [C303] 8k NA 3 3 82
HES Vic FORTH (education) [C301] 8k NA 3 3 82
Imagic Atlantis [720051-1A] 4k A 2 6 83
Imagic Demon Attack [720050-1A] 4k A 2 6 83
Imagic Dragonfire [720052-1A] 8k B+ 5 19 83
Koala Tech. Dancing Bear 16k C+ 8 30 83
Mach. Lang. Amazing Maze 4k C 9 35 8_
Mach. Lang. Dot Gobbler 4k A- 8 35 8_
Mach. Lang. Tank Wars 4k C+ 9 35 8_
MSD Mobile Attack 8k C+ 8 30 8_
OEM Alien Sidestep 4k C- 9 34 83
OEM Bug Crusher 4k B- 9 38 83
OEM Space Ric-O-Shay 4k C 9 35 8_
Parker Frogger [PB1410] 8k D 2 2 83
Parker Q*Bert [PB1420] 4k C 3 4 83
Parker Tutankham [PB1430] 8k A 5 21 83
Reston Miner 2049'er 8k A+ 5 22 83
Romox Princess & Frog 8k C 9 35 83
Romox Topper 8k B 9 39 83
Romox Typo 8k C+ 9 37 83
Sega Buck Rogers: Planet of Zoom [005-04] 16k B- 4 9 83
Sega Congo Bongo [006-04] 8k C 4 8 83
Sega Star Trek (S.O.S.) [004-04] 8k B+ 4 11 83
Sierra Cannonball Blitz [CBL-401] 12k B- 7 24 82
Sierra Creepy Corridors [CCL-401] 8k B+ 7 26 83
Sierra Crossfire [CFL-401] 4k B+ 4 11 81
Sierra Jawbreaker II [JBL-401] 8k C+ 5 14 82
Sierra Lunar Leeper [LLL-401] 12k A 7 28 81
Sierra Threshold [THL-401] 8k A 7 28 81
Sirius Bandits [220__] 8k B+ 5 19 83
Sirius Capture the Flag [220__] 8k B+ 7 26 83
Sirius Deadly Duck [220__] 4k B 6 21 82
Sirius Fast Eddie [220__] 8k C 7 22 82
Sirius Final Orbit/Bumper Bash (2-on-1)[220__] 8k C/B+ 7 27 83
Sirius Snake Byte [22031] 4k C 6 18 82
Sirius Spider City [22015] 4k B+ 6 23 83
Sirius Squish'Em [220__] 8k? A 9 40 83
Sirius Turmoil [22005] 8k B 5 17 82
Sirius Type Attack [22010] 8k B 6 21 82
Spectra. Ape Escape [SC-215] 8k C+ 7 23 82
Spectra. Cave-in [SC-207] 8k C- 7 20 82
Spectra. Number Crunch [SC-208] 8k B- 8 30 82
Supersoft Tank Atak 8k C 9 35 82
TG Software Droids 8k C 7 22 83
Thorn EMI Computer War [THC 22006] 8k C 6 19 83
Thorn EMI Fourth Encounter [THC 22005] 8k D+ 5 9 83
Thorn EMI Medieval Joust [THC 22007] 8k C 8 28 83
Thorn EMI Mine Madness [THC 22008] 8k C- 8 25 83
Thorn EMI Mutant Herd [THC 22004] 8k C- 4 6 82
Thorn EMI River Rescue [THC 22001] 8k C- 4 6 82
Thorn EMI Submarine Commander [THC 22003] 12k C 4 8 82
Thorn EMI Vic Music Composer (education) [THC 22002] 8k NA 5 10 82
Tigervision Polaris [7-007-20] 8k B 8 32 83
Tigervision Springer [7-006-20] 16k C 8 28 83
Tronix Deadly Skies 4k B+ 6 23 83
Tronix Gold Fever 4k C+ 6 20 83
Tronix Scorpion 8k B 6 21 83
Tymac D'fuse [V2CDF] 8k B+ 9 40 84
UMI Alien Blitz [1619] 4k B- 7 24 81
UMI Amok [1611] 4k C 7 22 81
UMI Arachnoid [1605] 12k B 7 25 82
UMI Cloudburst [1636] 4k C 7 22 82
UMI Meteor Run [1613] 8k D+ 7 18 82
UMI Outworld [1635] 16k B+ 7 26 81
UMI Renaissance [1600] 12k C- 7 20 82
UMI Satellites and Meteorites [1650] 8k A- 7 27 82
UMI Skibbereen [1641] 4k C+ 7 23 82
UMI Spiders of Mars [1604] 16k B+ 7 26 82
UMI Sub Chase [16__] 4k C 8 28 82
UMI Super Amok [1642] 8k A 7 28 8_
UMI Video Vermin [1638] 8k A 7 28 82
Xonox Artillery Duel {CNS=1} [6235] 8k B 7 21 83
Xonox Chuck Norris Superkicks {AD=2} [6235] 8k C 7 21 83
Xonox Ghost Manor {SP=1} [6215] 8k D 6 18 83
Xonox Motocross Racer {TTB=2} [6245] 8k C 8 25 84
Xonox Robin Hood {SL=2} [6225] 8k D 6 18 83
Xonox Sir Lancelot {RH=1} [6225] 8k C+ 6 18 83
Xonox Spike's Peak {GM=2} [6215] 8k C+ 6 18 83
Xonox Tomarc the Barbarian {MR=1} [6245] 8k D+ 8 25 84
Note that Xonox carts sometimes came two-per-case, as "double-enders".
These carts had 2 sides (front and back?) that plugged into the VIC-20.
The initials seen above show what cart was paired with what other cart.
All of the Xonox carts above were made as both single and double-enders
but only the double-ender's part numbers are shown in the list above.
- - - = ( Confirmed but unarchived game cartridges ) = - - -
OEM Blackjack Confirmed by: Charles Bremer, who owns one.
- - - = ( Utility and hardware cartridges, etc. ) = - - -
This section lists any known, non-game cartridges. This includes
"productivity" and/or "utility" items, along with some hardware
items intended to add one or more features to your computer. Some
of these items are very difficult to categorize. Please be aware
that the purpose of this section is not to be the ultimate guide
to such items. A much better list exists, and I see no reason to
duplicate their efforts, so I'm just going to refer you to it...
http://www.zimmers.net/commie/docs/cbm-products.txt
The primary purpose of this overall list is to document cartridge
software, with a heavy emphasis on video games. Any other things
are really just included as sort of "bonus items". I don't wish
to be mean or rude, but be aware that just because a cart is not
listed in this section, that does not necessarily mean you have
found something that nobody else in the world has ever heard of.
It is probably more of an indication of disinterest in listing
such items, both on my part and on the part of my contributors.
You may also want to visit "ftp.funet.fi" (via FTP) and check
out their "/pub/cbm/schematics/" directories for more info.
Funet is a great resource for just about anything Commodore.
AEA-Soft AMT-1 (Vic-20 Version) Ham / packet radio cartridge.
Arbutus Total Promqueen EPROM programming hardware.
(This plugs into the Vic's user
port, not the cartridge port.)
Cardco Write Now! word processor
Century Moses 65C02 assembler, 27 new opcodes
Century Moses w/ 8K RAM 65C02 assembler, 27 new opcodes
Commodore Basic version 4.0 [Vic-____] (4k ROM)
Commodore Diagnostic Cartridge [Vic-____]
Commodore IEEE-488 cartridge [Vic-1112] (4k ROM)
This device allowed VIC-20 fans
to use older CBM printers and
disk drives, via an IEEE-488
port and added BASIC commands.
See funet's site for details.
Commodore Machine Language Monitor [Vic-1213] (_k ROM)
Commodore Programmer's Aid Cartridge [Vic-1212] (4k ROM)
Commodore Super Expander with 3K RAM [Vic-1211A] (4k ROM)
Commodore VIC speech synthesizer [Vic-1214] (?)
Commodore Victerm 40 [Vic-1610] (4k ROM)
Commodore See game list for titles. To keep the 19xx number series
as intact as possible, a few
non-game items were listed in
the first section of this list.
Data 20 Display Manager 40/80 column display device
Data 20 Video Pak 40/80 column display device
Datatronic ab Vic-Graf Swedish graph-making program
Eastern Vic Rabbit Datasette accelerator cart (2k)
Handic Screen Master 4k cartridge utility. New to
us at this point, but it seems
to add commands to the BASIC
operating system, for use by a
programmer or hardcore user. A
quick look at the circuit board
makes Ward think it was similar
to the C64's "Fastload" cart in
its ability to "disappear" out
of a memory map if it wanted to?
The actual maker may have been
"Micro Application" as that is
on both the cart label and "MA"
is seen in an internal copyright.
HES See game list for titles. To keep the HES cart numbering
system as intact as possible, a
few non-game items are listed in
the first section of this list.
Jason-Ranheim Promenade EPROM programming hardware.
Plugs into the Vic's user port.
A C64 version was also made by
the same company, and sold deep
into the 1980's. The company no
longer supports these products,
but allowed Ward to type in the
manual to the 2.0 version of
the software, and to post it on
the web for others to see / use.
Kantronics Hamtext Client for amateur packet radio.
Kantronics Radiotap Amateur radio interface item.
Microlog AIR-1 Ham / packet radio cartridge.
Pikstik Computapix UK graphics program.
Protecto Ent. Protecto 80 Voice Synthesizer "Make your computer talk".
Quick Brown Fox Quick Brown Fox word processor (8k ROM)
Skyles Arrow Datasette accelerator cart.
UMI BUTI (Basic UTIlity) [16__]
UMI ViTerm B [16__]
UMI Wordcraft 20 [16__] (16k ROM)
- - - = ( RAM expansion cartridges and/or mother boards ) = - - -
This section is incomplete -- not all features are listed
on all items -- but I welcome more detail if you have it.
This list is really geared towards documenting cartridge
software, but I feel it makes sense to include RAM details
since ROM images of many original carts can often be played
within a RAM cartridge context. See the "Cartzilla!" text
for detailed information on each programs RAM requirements:
http://classicgaming.com/vic20/filedown.htm#zilla
See the "Canonical List of Commodore Products" if you are
looking for the most complete Commodore product listings.
http://www.zimmers.net/commie/docs/cbm-products.txt
Abaris, Inc. Ram cartridge 16k With battery backup
Apropos Tech. RAMAX Motherboard with 2-slots, with 27k
Apropos Tech. RAMAX Jr. Motherboard with 2-slots, with 19k
APS "Select-A-RAM" 64k Motherboard with 2-slots, RAM write-
protect feature, and software that
would allow some multi-tasking to be
done by bank-switching. Plugging two
additional Select-A-RAMs into the
first one resulted in 192k of RAM.
Assembly Tech. RAM cartridge 16k
Cardco "Cardboard 3" Motherboard with 3-slots
Cardco "Cardboard 6" Motherboard with 6-slots
Cardco "Cardram 16" 16K Two banks of 8k. One 8-section dip
switch selects where each 8k goes;
four slot choices per each 8k bank.
Century RAM Cartridge 8k
Century RAM Cartridge 16k
Century RAM Cartridge 64k
Commodore RAM cartridge 3k [Vic-1210]
Commodore RAM cartridge 8k [Vic-1110] (Internally the PC board
seems to be ready to accept another
8k of memory? Could solder more in?)
Commodore RAM cartridge 16k [Vic-1111]
Compuscope RAM cartridge 8k
Compuscope RAM cartridge 16k
Compuscope Expander Motherboard with 4-slots
Compuscope Supermother Motherboard with 8-slots, pause
Computer Place CP Vic-20 Expander Motherboard with 4-slots
Data Toolbox Quad-slot Motherboard with 4-slots, reset, fuse
HES HesCard 20 Motherboard with 5-slots, 5 select
buttons, reset.
High Tech Ent. Busmaster Motherboard with 6-slots
High Tech Ent. Busmaster II Motherboard with 6-slots, soft enable
High Tech Ent. Minibus Motherboard with 3-slots
MSD, Inc. RAM cartridge 8k
Personal... RAM cartridge 8k ...Peripheral Products, or PPI
RAM electronics RAM cartridge 32k Configurable. (Marko's was set up to
be a switchable 3k, 0k, 24k set-up.)
Stonechip Elec. "Vixen" cart 16k
UMI RAM cartridge 3k
UMI RAM cartridge 8k
Voice World 24K Golden RAM Motherboard with 4-slots
Xetec RAM cartridge 32k Each 8k bank has an on/off dip switch.
- - - = ( "Vaporware" section, or carts which MIGHT exist ) = - - -
Note that the market for the VIC-20 changed over to the C64 at
roughly the end of 1983. In general, this means that carts that
were planned to have been made for the VIC-20, which were first
announced towards the middle or end of 1983, are less likely to
have been made than carts announced earlier. In general... don't
take that as absolute gospel, as there are always exceptions.
As a rule of thumb, it is fair to assume that carts announced
near the end of 1983 probably got made as C64 carts instead or
were dropped entirely. Remember that even if a company decided
not to go ahead with something as a production item, that does
not rule out one or more prototype copies waiting to be found.
(And if prototypes can be found, they can surely be archived.)
Some games originally announced as upcoming cartridge games
were made, but only in cassette tape format. This was usually
a way for companies to make a profit on a product they had
already invested money in, but couldn't make an acceptable
profit margin on, if the game was released as a cartridge. At
the end of the VIC's commercial life, most things were tapes.
In general, releasing things on tapes cut manufacturing costs.
If you are interested in tape archiving, you may want to check
out the efforts of Tim "Arma" Denning on the Internet. He has
already archived literally hundreds of tape games, and he did
it in such a way that the loading screens are intact, and are
preserved "as is" for historical and nostalgic reasons.
http://members.fortunecity.com/timfy/
20 Century Flash Gordon Summer 83 Power Play; press release only. It
may have come out as Spider City by Sirius.
APh Tech. Mission X According to notes on the Blue Sky Ranger's
web site, APh Technology Consultants once
began an unauthorized version of this game
for the VIC-20, but were told by VP Gabriel
Baum that (a) Mattel had not decided to do
VIC-20 releases, and (b) if they did, that
"Mission X" would not be included. How far it
was along before it was stopped is unknown.
(The BSR's programmed Intellivision games.)
Atarisoft Donkey Kong Jr. Never talked about in print that I know of,
but Greg Hightower's "Eclectic Games" web
site claims that he and/or his company made
this title for the VIC-20 at some point.
Atarisoft Joust Name listed in later ads, not in others, so
this title was probably one of the last of
the planned releases. There are four part
numbers missing from the series -- with three
of those coming towards the end -- so this
makes sense? There is some confusion in the
RX85__ series, but it looks like these holes
are 16 or 17, 22 or 23, 25 or 26, and RX8538.
Atarisoft Mario Bros. Jimmy Huey said this was once in development.
No idea what part number it would have been,
aside from it being one of the latter ones,
as Stargate apparently is the earliest one?
Atarisoft Stargate Name listed in early ads, not in later ads. I
am guessing from the part number series that
this was intended to be RX8516 or RX8517, as
a Robotron (#20) box said Stargate was out
already, and the other carts the box listed
were shown in perfect "part number" order.
However, one web site related to the TI home
computer line claimed the part number for
the Vic version of Stargate was RX8523? We
can only speculate until better info arrives.
Atarisoft Track & Field Never talked about in print that I know of,
but Greg Hightower's "Eclectic Games" web
site claims that he and/or his company made
this title for the VIC-20 at some point.
Atarisoft Typo Attack Tape? Seen on pg. 31, Sep84 "Compute!" Again,
no idea what part number it would have been,
but four holes exist, 3 of them later ones.
Broderbund Martian Raider Tape? Seen in ad, 7/83 Compute's Gazette
Broderbund Multi-Sound Sythesizer Seen in ad, 7/83 Compute's Gazette
Broderbund Shark Trap Seen in ad in 7/83 Compute's Gazette. More
recently, Leo LaFlamme confirmed that this
game does exist as a tape. The instructions
said his copy was the "cassette version"; in
other words, we still do not know for sure
if this came out as a cartridge or not? The
tape part number seems to be: "007 3108321".
That number came off the top of the tape
where the write protect tabs are, Leo said.
Commodore [Vic-1903] May be "Bridge; teach and play"? Brent Santin
sent Ward some Sep 1982 promotional literature
that lists that name as a planned cartridge.
Commodore [Vic-1934] Name needed. See comments for # 1940, below.
Commodore [Vic-1936] Apparently a clone of the arcade game Phoenix.
Brent Santin found a third-party catalog from
Sep 1982 that said this one was going to be
"Space Vultures" when it was released. An ad
in the Commodore-published "Power Play" mag
(volume 1, number 1, page 29) advertised a
game called "Lord of the Skies" saying that
"Killer birds and their UFO allies are out to
get you. As the birds become more valuable,
the bombs fall faster and faster. Kill the
bird before you get blasted." It was listed
under "Space Games". Never released, but may
have been programmed to an unknown extent? It
most likely never went to market since Atari
owned the rights and was sueing competitors
over copyright violations of licensed games.
The arcade game Phoenix definitely fell into
this category; Imagic was sued by Atari over
their Intellivision version of Demon Attack.
Commodore [Vic-1940] (See also Vic-1934 above.) These two carts are
narrowed down to two potential titles, but we
are not sure which is which? Brent Santin's
third-party Sep 1982 promotional catalog lists
"Wizard of Wor" and "Dog Patch" as soon to be
released, as of September 1982. An ad in the
Commodore-produced magazine "Power Play" (vol
1, no 1, pg 29) confirms that "Wizard of Wor"
was planned and "coming soon". How far these
were developed, we do not know? It seems the
release of the Commodore 64 put an end to the
development of these carts, but they might
have been completed before being abandoned?
We know that "Wizard of Wor" was released on
the C64 as a cartridge. When you plugged that
cartridge into Commodore's new "Magic Voice"
add-on device, it had audible speech. "Dog
Patch" would have been a home port of a 1977
arcade game. What complicates things is that
a competing home computer called the Bally
Home Arcade system -- modern retrogamers call
it the Bally Astrocade -- definitely had both
of these games. We don't know what the timing
of these events are, so we can't speculate on
what event came before or after any other? It
gets cloudier when you know that Bally sold
the rights to their computer to Astrovision,
but that they also apparently made agreements
of some kind with Commodore, at some point? I
would not rule out finding a VIC-20 version
of "Wizard of Wor" but I would not bet on a
Vic version of "Dog Patch". (But who knows?)
Commodore Jack Attack It was said in an article in the spring 1984
issue of "Power Play" that Commodore planned
to make a game called "Jack Attack" for the
C64 and the Vic20. The C64 version exists and
I just got in confirmation of a version from
1984 for the Commodore Plus/4 as well. (Jeff
Hellige owns a boxed copy.) But as far as I
know, no one has found a Vic20 version? If it
did come out as a cart, we presume it would
have been a brown-case, hand-assembled one,
as the Vic20 was dying, commercially, by then.
And since Commodore was the one killing it,
(to push the C64) I doubt they ever made one?
But if it did exist, and as a cart, the part
number would likely have been Vic-1942? Note
the we now have the existing holes plugged in
Commodore's part # list, up through Vic-1941.
A bit of trivia... Commodore's leader was a
man named Jack Tramiel. He was well-known for
a gruff demeanor, so this game's name is more
than likely a tongue-in-cheek reference to
what people perceived as his attacks on them?
Articles in CBM's own publications imply it.
Commodore [Vic-2011] VIC-Stat cartridge, per Jim Brain "CBM list".
Commodore [Vic-2012] VIC-Graph cartridge, per Jim Brain "CBM list".
Commodore [Vic-2013] VIC-Forth cartridge, per Jim Brain "CBM list".
Note that Bo Zimmerman now updates the list
of Commodore products that Jim Brain began.
(That list supecedes this one for accuracy.)
Commodore Basic 4.0 We have what seems to be a ROM image from a 4k
add-on to Commodore's built-in "BASIC 2.0";
it claims to be "BASIC 4.0" and it does work.
But we aren't 100% sure of its origin, what
part number it would have been and so on? We
guess it would have been in the #12xx series.
But it does work, and that's cool in itself?
Commodore (other info) Box art for the Vic20 system showed 2 unknown
titles, but with little further comment. From
the information available there it is hard to
even know if these were planned as carts or as
tapes: "Speed type" and "Electronic Calendar"?
Creative Alien Hotel Peter Fokos (of UMI fame) told Ward Shrake
this news: "Joann Lee worked on a project we
started for Creative called Alien Hotel. I
don't think it was ever finished because of
the 84 crash, that's when we closed Tensor."
Creative Save New York Press release only, in Jan 85 Computer Games.
Most likely only came out for the C64, but
the late announcement is intriguing in itself.
Datamost Round About Unconfirmed, but on other collector's lists.
Epyx Alien Garden May 1983 Electronic Games advertisement.
Epyx PlatterMania May 1983 Electronic Games advertisement.
First Star Panic Button Full review seen in May 84 "Compute!" mag
HES Fort Apocyalpse Seen: Ad page 79, Nov83 Compute's Gazette
HES Necromancer Seen: 1-line ad, pg111 Dec83 Compute's Gazette
HES Slime 1-line ad @ $13, pg111 Dec83 Computes Gazette
Jini Micro Mini Jini Seen in 1/2 page (99) ad in July 83 Gazette
Oceans Int Blockbuster Seen in press release, pg 40, Aug83 Gazette
Oceans Int Close Encounters Seen in press release, pg 40, Aug83 Gazette
Oceans Int Frogman Seen in press release, pg 40, Aug83 Gazette
Note that some of the confirmed carts listed
in the section above were once listed as
being available from Oceans International.
The confirmed copies are either from some
other (or simply an unknown) manufacturer.
Amazing Maze, Blackjack, Dot Gobbler, Tank
Wars and Space-Ric-O-Shay were all once this
way so the others may be found, eventually.
Micro-ware (See notation found at TYMAC, below.)
Micro-ware Key Quest 2-page review seen in Dec83 Compute's Gazette
Parker Popeye Milan Polle claims he had what seemed to be a
prototype of this cartridge, many years ago.
He said the first level was playable, but the
levels beyond that were unfinished; they were
graphically there, but were not playable. He
remembers their being two EPROMs inside, and
he believes a standard cart case was used. He
thinks the label might have been just a white
label or sticker, with the name hand-written.
Parker Super Cobra Cliff Gregory saw this listed in a catalog of
Parker Brothers games, saying it was going to
come out in the fall of 1983, for the Vic20
and for other systems. Unconfirmed otherwise.
Protecto Atari VCS Adapter Seen in various ads, unconfirmed otherwise.
The ads were fancy and expensive looking, but
never actually showed pictures of the item.
Quick Brown QuickFinger Tape? 7/83 1-pg ad, Compute Gazette, pg. 79
Quick Brown QuickMail Tape? 7/83 1-pg ad, Compute Gazette, pg. 79
Quick Brown QuickSpell Tape? 7/83 1-pg ad, Compute Gazette, pg. 79
Romox Anteater Seen in Oct83 Compute!, page 45. Full page ad
Showcase Astro Patrol The name "Showcase Software" turns out to be
Showcase Chicken just another name for "Synapse Software". Ads
Showcase Doughboy back in 1983 made it appear that way -- their
Showcase Glub Club address and phone information were identical
Showcase Pussyfootin' and even their shipping costs were the same --
Showcase Salmon run but that guess was confirmed; a "New Products"
Showcase Squeeze announcement in the October 1983 "Compute!'s
Gazette" magazine (page 140) reads as follows.
"Synapse Software, a producer of games for
Atari computers, has established the Showcase
Software line for the VIC-20. The initial
games produced are Astro-Patrol, a shoot-em-
up game; Squeeze, a humorous game set on a
farm; and Salmon Run. Each game sells for
$19.95". Ward can verify that those three do
exist, at least as tape games; see them at
http://members.fortunecity.com/timfy/. Ward's
interest in these titles (and one listed as a
Synapse game, below) is that earlier ads said
Synapse planned to make some of these as carts.
Background info: although Synapse ran only a
handful of ads in Compute! during 1983 & 1984,
they did run ads in the Compute!'s Gazette on
a pretty regular basis. July 1983 to October
1983 had ads which included small references
to three titles they say were then "available"
with "cartridge versions available soon". The
names listed were "Astro Patrol" and "Squeeze"
and "Harrier". Then in October came that "New
Product" announcement listed above. Then the
November issue had no ads from Synapse at all.
Then in the December 1983 Gazette, which also
had no ad from Synapse, comes an ad from this
"Showcase Software" company. This December ad
lists these seven titles as being for the VIC
only, format unspecified. (Tape assumed.) The
ad in December seems like an attempt to dump
available stocks of remaining VIC-20 titles at
bargain prices? They offered 1 free game with
the purchase of any 2 of the other titles. The
VIC-20 market was all but finished; Synapse
ads in the Gazette during 1984 are C64-only.
(They also take out more pages-per-issue.) We
are tracking down which of these titles ever
got ported over to the C64; some seem to have.
Sierra Sammy Lightfoot Mentioned in Oct 83 Gazette ad, but not in ad
for December. Did it only come out on C64?
Sierra Tronsworld Unconfirmed, but on other collector's lists.
Sirius Fantastic Voyage Seen: summer 83 Power Play
Sirius Repton Seen: $25, 1-line ad, pg79, Nov83 C. Gazette
Spinnaker Story Machine Seen: 6/84 Power Play ad. (Licensed to HES?)
Spinnaker Alphabet Zoo Was this released as a HES cart only? Both? A
fair amount of Spinnaker stuff was released
by HesWare, and it can get a bit confusing.
Synapse Harrier See "Showcase Software" titles above for more
information. This is the only title that was
promised early on as being "available" that
was not sold later through Showcase Software.
Why this one title was different is unknown.
TG Software Nightstrike Seen: 1/85 Computer Games
Tymac Bomber word Seen: 1/84 Compute's Gazette, page 81. This
Tymac Dot-a-lot was merely a text advertisement, not showing
Tymac Key Quest any screen shots, box art, or anything very
Tymac Res Q substantial in the way of proof they existed.
Tymac Space Bats However, at least one of these Tymac titles
Tymac Tic Attack did show up, and was archived: "D'fuse". It
Tymac Zap appears that "Micro-ware Distributing Inc."
sold products made by "TYMAC CONTROLS CORP.",
"COMPUTER:applications", "RAK-WARE" and others
according to a statement on D'fuse packaging.
They also carried C64 products, later on.
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Info you can help us to find, to fill in some blanks.
Missing carts:
If you actually own a cart that is not shown somewhere in our lists, up
above, please let Ward know about it, and he'll add it to this listing.
(But please check the other sections, if it deals with a utility or a
hardware type item, as these are generally listed seperate from games.)
The top section is only for *archived* software cartridges, followed by
vaporware listings, then hardware, utilities, RAM expanders, et cetera.
Part numbers:
In various places there are blank or incomplete part numbers shown. If
we knew them, we'd list them. But we don't, just yet. Some manufacturers
listed no part numbers on the carts themselves, but listed these on the
package's outer box instead. Atarisoft did this for sure. Creative seems
to be another one. Ditto for Sirius and Parker Brothers. Starting with
version 1.8 of this list, I've made educated (but incomplete) guesses for
some company lists, based on their patterns for other systems. If you have
any original software boxes, or other paperwork, help us all out on this.
Paul and I went through our collections long ago, so it is up to you now!
Information about certain rumored carts:
Anything we can get, will help! Ward enjoys being able to find different
peices of historical puzzles. Over time, we fit together what must have
happened. We've "regained" quite a bit of history that way, with the help
of all of you out there in Internet land. (Thanks again!)
Dates:
If you have any solid date for any cart, please let us know. What this
will do is let us establish a timeline, and compare and contrast it to
events we know about from other sources. For instance, it would really
be helpful to know when (exactly) certain carts were planned or talked
about as "coming soon". That way, we can figure out what else was going
on, that may have influenced decisions being made throughout the gaming
industry. Things like the release of the Commodore 64, the gaming crash,
when other game companies decided to release things which created some
sort of conflict between competing companies, and so on, all obviously
had the potential to change the course of VIC-20 history. Without solid
dates, we can't easily contrast what happened when, and figure out the
relationships between causes and effects. (Even semi-solid dates help!
And it doesn't have to be dates of carts, or even for the Vic20 itself.
Anything with the potential to help explain causes and effects, helps!)
Confirmations of vaporware software:
If you *now actually own a real cartridge* of a program we listed in our
"vaporware" section of the list, let Paul or Ward know about it. We have
only the information we listed, at this time. Many of the rarer carts we
initially felt were "NR" (never released) did show up in time. However we
are highly cautious about old memories of what *might* have been. We do
insist that confirmations be made only when a person physically owns one.
And of course, if it is not *anywhere* on our lists, and you're sure it
is not a cartridge for some other gaming system, please, tell us about
it! (The Emerson Arcadia "MPT-03" system has carts that have the same
gold finger spacing and general shape. These are sometimes mistaken for
VIC-20 cartridges. See http://classicgaming/arcadia/ for more info.)
Ward's e-mail address: ward.shrake@classicgaming.com
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Some recent loans from kind folks on the I'net...
with apologies to all the kind folks that loaned
Paul and myself carts, way back before we were
sure anyone would even want credit for doing it.
(Some do, some don't.) I have a meg-plus of old
e-mail that would help sort out who loaned what,
but I'm not anxious to sort through all of that!
Patrick Wickwire loaned his Cyclon cart for archiving purposes. Even if
it isn't the only one of its kind, it is still remarkably rare! (A
second copy was seen on eBay in January 2002, but no others were
found by modern collectors to the best of my personal knowledge.)
Tom Truszkowski loaned us his "Victerm 40" in prototype form, complete
with handwritten label. The name on the label (Jeff Hand) turns
out to be Commodore's main telecommunications person back then!
"Uncle Roger" Sinasohn loaned two carts; Dot Gobbler and Fun with
Music by Epyx. Dot Gobbler was a production cart, but I've only
heard of maybe three collectors having a copy, in all the years
I've been looking for Vic20 carts. Fun with Music was so rare
that I'd never heard a single mention of it being available for
the Vic20, until this one got loaned to us! Others have shown
up since then, but not in any huge numbers, that's for sure.
Cliff Gregory loaned me two real rarities; Amazing Maze & Bug Crusher.
Cliff is also helping with oodles of scanned graphics, for the
CD Project. Cliff has a very impressive Vic20 cart collection.
Charles Dysert archived Romox's Typo cart, and e-mailed us the ROM
image of the game, too. Getting the ROM that way made our day;
it's really rare. Nice to know others have the technical skill
and desire to keep these old carts from becoming extinct!
Francois Leveille sent me "BASIC Ver 4.0" for the Vic20. What comes
inside the Vic20 normally is version 2.0; the 4.0 version was
around from the PET days, but Commodore skimped out on things
when they made the Vic20. (And later, the C64.) A shame, as
this version of the operating system has many refinements. Of
note to hacker types is that it has a built-in hex monitor, to
make machine language programming easier to do.
David Strutt sent me Xonox's Motocross Racer. This cart was one of
the last Vic20 releases Xonox put out. While it is a production
cartridge, it is rare enough that we were not even aware it was
ever made for this system, until we were loaned one. (Usually a
cart like this is at least on our "vaporware" lists.) This cart
may be the last Xonox released for the VIC-20; the only other
carts shown on other system's lists were all "never released".
Edward Geist found the first copy of Droids. While he was not
willing to risk sending his copy through the mails, to loan it
to me for archiving, he did tell me where to go buy one myself
when he saw another one up for sale. (Which is just as good!)
Brent Santin loaned me three carts; "Squish 'Em" and "Vic Rabbit"
and "Space Ric-o-shay". (Vic Rabbit was actually an EPROM and
not a complete cart, but the info inside it is just as valid.)
Squish 'Em came on one of Romox' special cartridges, meant to
allow a special machine to reprogram it with any game they were
permitted by license to "sell" to customers. (I'm glad we got
all three of these, before they had succumbed to bit rot! A big
thanks to Brent, for his help on both this and the CD Project.)
Albert Yarusso loaned me "Crater Raider" by Boone. The cart looked
like it was ready for production; nicely done, colorful label
artwork, a wave-soldered circuit board inside, and so on. The
game came on an EPROM chip instead of a masked ROM, which was
about the only thing that implied "low production numbers"? I
have no idea why this is so hard to find, unless this was one
of a small group of carts made up for advertising purposes? In
roughly five years of keeping an eye out for VIC-20 carts, this
was the first cartridge-form copy of Crater Raider I had seen.
One more showed up on eBay in Jan 2002, but that's still rare.
Neil Chriss was kind enough to loan me his copy of "D'fuse". He was
the original author of the cart. He also gave Ward permission
to post the ROM image so everyone could see and play his game.
Seeing that this cart, formerly thought to be vaporware, does
exist, that gives more hope for some of the other cart titles
once advertised by Tymac and Micro-Ware to show up some day?
"Uncle Roger" Sinasohn strikes again, by loaning me two more carts.
This time it was "Tank Wars" by OEM / Machine Language Games,
and a utility by Handic (of Sweden) that the label refers to
as "Master VIC-20" but the screen refers to as "Screen Master".
Without the kindness of dedicated fans like these people, our VIC-20
cart archiving project would have never worked. Thanks for all your
help, folks! If you contributed a cart (many did over the years) but
don't see your name listed here, email Ward about it. Reminders help,
as we did not list such things by name until very late in the project.
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Closing comments
"Digital Archaeology" is an interesting hobby. Other gaming systems have
dedicated fan followings, who eventually track down all sorts of neat info
about the games released for their favorite gaming systems. That is what
I hope will continue to happen for the Vic20, both in stories and items.
(Be sure to support the tape archiving efforts over at "Arma's Place"!)
The "big three" console game systems (Atari 2600 VCS, Colecovision, and
Intellivision) have fan followings that get to celebrate, from time to
time, someone's finding of a rumored-but-never-found-before cartridge. I
love reading the "2600 Connection" newsletter, for just such fun news.
This is one reason I like the term "digital archaeology" so much, too; it
does seem a lot like "digging up" forgotten treasures. Understanding the
historical significance of such a find, or just appreciating it as is,
makes this hobby a lot of fun. And yes, this is all a sneaky ploy to get
more of you "out there" interested in helping to find such gems, as Paul
and I simply cannot do this on our own. Too much physical space to cover,
for one thing. So keep your eyes open, wherever you are located, OK? You
never know what one-of-a-kind gem you'll run across in your travels!
(End of document)