October 2026
•October 2026 Edition•
A mini show report! On September 12-13, I was able to attend my first ever Vintage Computer Festival Midwest at the Schaumburg Convention Center in Schaumburg, IL. The sheer size of the gathering was amazing. I think they were expecting a couple thousand people. The main hall was an enormous exhibit space that seemed to be a combination of commercial vendors, private traders, and just people showing off stuff. Every old computing-related device you ever heard of was likely there, and many you may have never heard of. There were computer clubs, including SCAT from the Chicago area and more general vintage computing clubs from Michigan and Wisconsin. If we wanted to, SPACE would fit right in at this show! There was also a series of talks, very much like the professional conferences I have attended over the years for work, so I well understood how to navigate that. I went to a talk on the original VT100, I watched (but did not participate in) the official show auction that went on for hours. I heard the editors of the revived Compute! magazine talk about their efforts, I learned the history of Berkeley Systems (Flying Toasters screen saver, anyone?) & there was a Saturday night tech-built music performance. I watched someone demo CAD software from 25 years ago, and I went to a presentation by people who have reconstructed the custom built computer system that ran the original Chuck E Cheese animatronics (originally designed at Atari). And I kept going back to the vast exhibit hall to discover more of what was there throughout.
We had a nice run of good weather the last week and it lasted right through our September SPACE meeting, but right now I am writing this article in a heavy downpour. No complaining though as we really needed the moisture, and it gives me a break from having to water the lawn and flowers. We had a small gathering for the September meeting, with four members present and one joining in on Discord. We got to review the monthly DOM and you know it was a good one when we sold five DOMs for the month. So, that brought in $15.00 for the month, and with no club expenses it gave us a new balance of $725.74. I got to thinking about all the Atari floppy disks I have accumulated in the last 40 years, and since I really haven’t looked at them I thought maybe it would be a great idea if I were to bring some in and let the members see if there was one or two or more that they would like to have. If nothing else, Glen could use them for future DOMs. I probably have a few hundred that I have never even tried to run, and all they do is take up space. There are some games I had never heard of before, but I know if anybody had seen these before Steve would have been my best guess as the one to have seen them. Anyway, what doesn’t get taken will go to Glen for his DOMs and he may have to use a lot of goo-gone but I know he is very familiar with that. Some of the disks are so old the labels fall right off just by touching them. If this goes over well I will bring more in later months.
All in all a great adventure that I would heartily recommend to any SPACE members, if you can make the trip in future years!
Because I haven’t seen a lot of the programs and games up to now I am excited to see any ones that you want to load, just remember these disks have been sitting in a room for the last forty or so years and I haven’t a clue what is on most of them.
Thanks, keep using that Atari, and come to your next SPACE meeting: Friday, October 9, 2026.
Well, I hope to see you all at our next meeting on October 9th. Please try to make it!
Page One: The President’s Corner & SPACE Officers’ Reports
From now on, I am going to work on the Newsletter sooner and put more time into it. Instead of allotting just two weeks into the Newsletter’s construction and layout, I am going to start working on a three-week schedule to improve the Newsletter and get it done in time. I apologize for this month’s Secretary’s Report. It will be mostly my explanation to improve my secretarial abilities and to produce the Newsletter in time. I have rushed things and I will remedy that. Thank you for your understanding. Sorry for the inconvenience. Also, I apologize for the incorrect YouTube link for the 8BLIT Atari 2600 Homebrew and Assembly Programming Channel. This is the correct link for the channel: https://www.youtube.com/@8Blit A QUICK RUN-THROUGH: There were five members (four physical and one online) attending the SPACE Meeting last month on Friday, September 11, 2026, from 6:00 PM until 7:30 PM. The Meeting with the DOM presentation combined lasted approximately one hour and thirty minutes. DOM REPORT: Glen came through again with yet another great DOM for September. I will go over that DOM in detail in the October Atari 8-bit DOM Review, and there are really cool files and games in it. WEBSITE REPORT: The SPACE Website seems to be working within normal parameters, thanks to SPACE Member Roger and SPACE President Michael Current working together on that. MEMBERSHIP COUNT: There are ten paid-up members as of September, with at least one membership renewal coming up in October, namely my own.
This concludes the Secretary’s Report for now. I will be back next month with another Report. In the words of the late, great Stan Lee…
Pages Two Through Six: Atari 8-bit DOM Review
Pages Eight and Nine: SPACE Comics Section
Well, welcome back to the SPACE Secretary’s Report. I will go over the September SPACE Meeting, but I need to apologize. I have been a bit slack lately. I have been dealing with a lot of busy situations in my daily life. It seems to have given me a lot to deal with.
OLD/NEW BUSINESS: SPACE Member Bob brought in a special cartridge that uses flash cards to run Atari software and SPACE Treasurer Greg Leitner donated his A8 PicoCart to Bob so that Bob can work with Fast BASIC on his computer. Also, stay tuned for future updates from V61, as more things might be in the pipeline. I will keep everybody posted on this.
–TABLE OF CONTENTS–
Page Six: YouTube Video and Channel Links
HELLO WORLD!
Message from Captain Irata: “My favorite cat is my Atari Jaguar!” HOO-RAH!
EXCELSIOR! TRIVIA TIME! The name of the ARM processor is a three-letter acronym that stands for “Advanced RISC Machine”.
Hello and welcome back! This is going to be another Atari 8-bit DOM Review showing two DOMs. The first DOM is from September and the next DOM is from April. As always, Glen doesn’t disappoint by putting such cool files in there like the games, music and demos. So, thanks to Glen, we will be duly entertained with these DOMs. So, sit back and comfortably read this latest Review, and I am sure you will enjoy it! By the way, we will have double-DOM Reviews until November. Then, in December, we will be back with the single DOM Reviews. So, again, thanks to Glen for providing these DOMs. I appreciate that he has delivered them to me. Kudos! So, let’s get started with the A8 DOM Review! September 2026 DOM, Side A: The first file is a nifty little rendering demo called “Empty Tomb”, rendered by Kamil Trzaska. It is a slow render of the room of a tomb. It uses small white dots to render the image, like a stipple drawing. That is why it is slow, but that’s OK. It does show a great amount of detail.
I wonder if this is a hummingbird. But, it is a beautiful rendering anyway, hummingbird or not. Let’s take a look at the score for this rendering. TOTAL SCORE:
9/10 (90%)
The next file is called “Milano-Cortina”, by Patrik Tkac. This is 1,024 bytes (about a kilobyte) in size. It commemorates the 2026 Winter Games. It has some lighting effects and fast real-time foreground animation, as well as some rudimentary music. Again, it’s really good.
Although it is monochrome, the graphics still look great and the music is cool. The animation is OK, too. It is a good challenge of a game and I think you will like it.
Even though the image is white dots against a blue screen, the 3D effect is still exemplified. Actually, it looks really cool, even though it is only 261 bytes. Again, it looks great and I like it. It looks like Mr. Trzaska took a lot of time to think it over. That effort has paid off for him.
Sokoban seems to be a recurring theme in homebrew games, but this game does stand out nicely. Let’s look at the standings for this game. SCORE:
It may be a bit difficult to see all of the detail in this picture, but I think it is magnificent. It has the illusion of shading and three dimensions. The differences in color are striking and it looks great for tight code. Marvelous work here. Very well done! Here is the score. TOTAL SCORE:
10/10 (100% perfect score)
The next file is also 261 bytes in size. It is another 3D rendering called “Paradiso”, by an unknown designer. The polygons render on the screen for a few seconds. Eventually, it shows a bird flying in the sky. For an 8-bit file, it looks pretty good. In essence, it reminds me of Tron and, for the record, in 1982 Disney actually used A8 computers to design some the CG effects in that movie. I can believe it. Of course, they used supercomputers as well. But, it goes to show how versatile and dependable Atari computers can be. Anyway, the file looks really nice. It’s primitive, but creative at the same time. It really shows how tight code can lead to creative thinking. That creativity shows here. All I can say is this is very nicely rendered and shows a lot of ingenuity. Very creative and very good!
It is a nice homage to the 2026 Winter Olympics, and it is a cool animation. It could be more, but I like it.
Graphics: Animation: Gameplay: Music/ Sound FX:
10 9 10 10
Here is the final score for this file.
TOTAL SCORE:
39/40 (98%)
SCORE:
The next file is another game called “Claude Invaders”, by Claude and Gimmee99. I think that Claude AI was used to create it, but it doesn’t specifically state if that is the case or not. Anyway, it’s a Space Invaders clone, and everybody knows how to play that.
Graphics Animation: Music/Sound FX:
8 10 8
TOTAL SCORE:
26/30 (87%)
The next file is a Sokoban game called “Tony Do It!” It was created by the team of Vladimir Jankovic, Marek Pesout, and Rafal Dudek. You have to move crates around in this puzzle game to the correct places. You also have to deal with enemies that stand in your path. You are given a certain amount of lives to work with. Once you solve the puzzle in a certain round, you advance to the next round. Of course, you want to avoid your enemies or they will destroy you, impeding your progress, and it is going to take some thought to progress.
Anyway, the arcade and A2600 versions of Space Invaders has always been nice little shmups, and Claude Invaders doesn’t disappoint. It’s actually quite challenging, and it’s as fun as any other version of this game.
to be slow. But, needless to say, it is somewhat delightful and relaxing to listen to. Perfect for if you are lounging around trying to de-stress and calm down. TOTAL SCORE:
8/10 (80%)
I wish there could have been a nice background to dress it up, like Super Space Invaders ‘91, but it’s still really fun and plays the same way as the original game. It’s a nifty game. I don’t play Space Invaders much, though. I think its increasing difficulty turns me off, but that isn’t bad.
The next music track is called “Respect for Grill Party”, by Filip Golewski. This is like a dance tune with a faster tempo and with a delightful beat to it. Easy listening. It’s nice simulated party music, and I enjoyed listening to it. It’s a cool little tune.
Instead, it’s just me. Let’s see how this games fares with the score, but I think it’s pretty cool.
TOTAL SCORE:
SCORE: Graphics: Animation: Gameplay: Music/Sound FX:
8 9 10 9
TOTAL SCORE:
36/40 (90%)
NOTE: Due to the nature of the game “Nocny Stream”, I decided to omit that game from the Review. Some people may feel offended or uncomfortable by it. Thanks for understanding. I will continue with the Review now.
9/10 (90%)
The third music track is called “With Ease”, by Ella Senovska. It is peppy, happy sounding and has a fast tempo with a cool beat to it. Pretty cool tune. I liked listening to this tune as well. It is nice to hear. TOTAL SCORE:
TOTAL SCORE:
20/20 (100% perfect score)
The next file is a 1,024-byte file called “Figure Skating”, by F. Albert. It shows a fluid animation of a person skating in an event during the Winter Olympics, which were at the beginning of this year. The animation is fluid and so are the effects of the character turning different directions while skating. It shows the scores of the countries involved in the event at the bottom of the screen. I think it could have been better, but it’s still pretty good. I am pleased with the results. I also like the fact that there are endorsement ads for Atari, Spectrum and Commodore computers alongside the skating rink. It’s a nice touch, and the rotation of the skating figure looks almost three-dimensional. Good work.
9/10 (90%)
The last file on Side A is called “Frozen Creatures,” by Ziembik. I think this is a FLOP 69 file because the creatures are arranged in such a way that they spell “FLOP 69”. It looks cartoony, but it’s really cool. I like the rendering and the way it is illustrated. Very nicely done.
The next game is “Las Vegas Video Poker,” by Diegel. It is a Poker game, like the title says. You score by getting flushes, three of a kind, four of a kind, et cetera. You have virtual in-game credits to bet with. Depending on the bet and the dealt hand, you can get more credits. However, you bet more and risk that amount to see if you get more. After all, it is simulated gambling. I think that is a graphics bug in this game. I noticed some of the text was garbled in the game, but it is a deterrent from playing it. It is still quite playable. It could be a PAL issue, but I don’t know. Still, it’s quite good and challenging.
One more thing. I think that the Blue Danube Waltz, the music in this file, also gives it a nice touch. So, let’s see where this stands with the score. SCORE: I don’t know what the creatures are supposed to be, but they look comical and well-rendered. The one shaped like an “L” looks like either a lizard or salamander to me. Nevertheless, it’s funny. So, let’s see what the score says. TOTAL SCORE:
9/10 (90%)
Now, onward to Side B, and it gets more interesting with the files on there. Here we go! Side B: The first file on Side B is a 261-byte file called “Winter Plasma”, by Pawel Rosowski. It is a bunch of ATASCII characters forming an animated scene like a lava lamp. It’s white characters on a blue background. It’s cleverly made and looks nice to watch. It’s a cool effect!
Anyway, if you like to play cards and know how to play Poker, you will like this game. Here’s my final take on it with the score results. SCORE: Graphics: Gameplay: Music/Sound FX:
8 10 8
TOTAL SCORE:
26/30 (87%)
The next three files are music tracks, with the first being called “China in Your Hand”, by Michal Szpilowski. It starts with a slow tempo with a simple beat and continues
I like the ripples and waves simulated in these characters. I get that it’s supposed to represent plasma, but it reminds me of a lava lamp, like I said before. The animation looks quite fluid and overall it’s pleasant to look at. This is definitely a great looking file. Nice artwork! Finally, the score for all this. SCORE: Graphics: Animation:
10 10
Graphics: Animation: Music/Sound FX:
8 10 8
TOTAL SCORE:
26/30 (87%)
The next file is an animated geometric demo called “Ico in Motion”, by Heiko Ortmann and the Project B Crew. It looks cool. It shows a rotating geometric shape that can morph into other shapes while on the screen. I like the music as well. It adds to the display with great effect.
It looks quite technical and I like the demo that these folks produced. If only it were a little faster with the speed of the moving objects, but it’s still dynamic. Here’s my take on it. SCORE: Graphics: Animation: Music/Sound FX:
9 9 9
TOTAL SCORE:
27/30 (90%)
dots fall down the shaft, and you must match the colors together to keep the reactor from reaching critical mass. You can change the order of the columns of dots falling from the top of the screen by using the fire button.
The colors really stand out and I like the spies as they are. The color swirl is a great touch. It looks spectacular.
A match of three or more colors removes the dots of that color on the screen You can cause chain reactions of dots of the same color to disappear at once. The colors must all match the color you are trying to get rid of.
TOTAL SCORE:
Of course, it gets harder and faster as you continue playing at each level. It is like Tetris, Columns and Bejeweled in that sense. Easy to understand how to play, but difficult to play as you advance and the difficulty increases.
The next file is a game called “sensitivEGG”, by ZoltarX & kris3d using AI to program. You have to collect the stars on the screen and avoid the other objects. It is difficult to play and it’s a little difficult to move more slowly. Everything is fast-paced. You only have a certain amount of hits that you can sustain, and you only have one life.
Here’s my take on it. 9/10 (90%)
“Chichom Bo Sie Nie” is the last file on this DOM. It was rendered by Piotr Radecki. It shows video game characters from the games Frogger, Boulder Dash, Bruce Lee and Mr. Do. The translation of the name is “Giggle Because You Don’t”. I think it’s supposed to mean “Don’t Giggle” or “Don’t Laugh”, so maybe a translation issue. I think that is the gist of the picture because Bruce Lee is seemingly telling Rockford from Boulder Dash to be quiet. At least, I think that is Rockford with surprise in his face. I saw the character that looked like him on a Boulder Dash cartridge label once. I could be wrong.
Collect as many stars as possible before you get hit by the fast-moving lines too many times. It’s like Surround for the Atari 2600, only in reverse. You don’t play a snake that keeps getting bigger as it eats, making it harder to play that way. Instead, you avoid the “snakes”. They can kill.
Anyway, it looks really good. I love the detail in this picture. Mr. Radecki went all out with this one, and it shows. Very nice rendering that deserves high marks. TOTAL SCORE:
10/10 (100% perfect score)
It’s not original, but it does look nice and plays nicely. Actually, it looks like a lot of time was put into it to make it stand out, and it shows. Here’s my take on it. SCORE: Graphics: Gameplay: Animation: Music/Sound FX:
9 10 8 8
TOTAL SCORE:
36/40 (90%)
The next three files are music tracks, with the first one being LisU’s “Jak Ja Was Wszystkich Szanuje!” It is interesting. It starts off simple and gets into it with increased tempo and beat with some strange effects. It is creative and it sounds weird, but I enjoyed it. By the way, the name in Polish translates to “How I Respect You All” in English. Here’s my take on it. TOTAL SCORE:
8/10 (80%)
The next track is called “Last Dance with You”, by Xagon. It is peppy and sounds like it has a nice beat and it is pretty good coming from an A8. It’s almost pulsepounding, at least to me. But, it sounds quite pleasant. Although the graphics are very simplistic, the game is tough. You play the O on the screen and I think you are the egg, which makes sense since you are trying not to get hit by the lines. It looks like a representation of an egg to me. It’s very difficult to move only one space at a time because your character is very fast.
TOTAL SCORE:
So, it takes a tremendous amount of practice to play this game. As you progress, it gets even harder and you have to get more stars per level. If you can get pretty good at it, you have to make it very far in the game, and that is difficult to do.
TOTAL SCORE:
With that said, let me rate this game so you can see what I think about how it performs. SCORE: Graphics: Gameplay: Animation: Music/Sound FX:
4 10 9 9
TOTAL SCORE:
32/40 (80%)
The next file is a game called “Cold Fusion”, by Vladimir Jankovic, Marek Pesout and Rafal Dudek. It is a game like the Sega classic arcade game “Columns”. You control what looks like a fusion reactor. Columns of colored
Now, onto the April DOM, with more great stuff in it. April 2026 DOM, Side A: Sebastian Igielski’s “All Stars” is the first file on the April DOM. It shows moving star fields and the simulation of going at high speeds in space. That’s all it is. It also has the sound effect of the spaceship engines powering up for the speed boost. Very interesting stuff here. By itself, it isn’t much. But, if one could use the code in a video game, it would look nice on there. After all, it is only 261 bytes in size and I think it would be a great effect in a game where a ship goes into light speed.
9/10 (90%)
The final track on this DOM is called “Neon Rain”, by Marek Pesout. This is the best of the three. There is a lot going on with this track and it sounds really great. I enjoyed listening to it and it was fun. It might be a POKEY tune, but I am not sure. But, it sounds amazing. 10/10 (100% perfect score)
The last files on this DOM are pics. “Spy Vs. Spy” was created by Maciej Hauke. It looks really detailed and really good. I think there was an issue showing it, because there is a ghosted image of one of the spies in the swirling colors. No worries, as it stands out quite splendidly. This is all I could show in the picture, so you would have to see the actual file as it is presented on the screen. The picture does not do justice to the file. It looks better on the computer. So, let me give you my idea on how this file is. Here we go. SCORE: Graphics: Animation: Music/Sound FX:
8 10 9
TOTAL SCORE:
27/30 (90%)
“Korpozar” is the next file on here, and it’s a 261-byte file created by Piotr Fusik. The file shows flames and smoke rising into the air on the screen to the tune of the “Chariots of Fire” theme by the musical artist Vangelis.
Now, we go to the music section of Side A of the April DOM. There are three music tracks on Side A. “Zybex 2025” is the first track of the three, produced by Adam Gilmore. It is a really cool tune with a lot of music and sound effects. It sounds really cool and active.
The graphics are magnificent. The music is on-key and could be more. But, it is a tightly coded file, so I understand that. It shows great prowess. The animation is also very good. I like this file’s look. It looks very well-crafted.
It is one of the best tunes I have heard so far in the A8 DOM Review. Mr. Gilmore really knows his music composition. It sounds great. TOTAL SCORE:
10/10 (100% perfect score)
“Pokey Dance Music” was created by Christian Duesterhoeft. It is a gritty dance tune with a nice tempo and beat to it. It really works. It sounds like some techno tunes I have heard before. Really nice work. It has a cool sound to it and I enjoyed listening to it. TOTAL SCORE:
9/10 (90%)
“Pirates” is the next tune here, and it was created by Tomasz Majewski. This is a lost CMC tune from the BQL archives. It sounds like it has a lot of action and it is sinister, like something dreadful is going to happen on the high seas. But, it is a cool tune. This tune was created in between 1992 and 1993. It’s really good and I liked listening to it.
All I can say is this file is cleverly made. To take a 261-byte file and make it look this good is amazing. I think it deserves some high marks. Don’t you? Let’s see how it fares.
TOTAL SCORE:
SCORE: Graphics: Animation: Music/Sound FX:
10 10 9
TOTAL SCORE:
29/30 (97%)
“Gravity Rush” is an interesting 262-byte file by an unknown programmer. It renders into what looks like a roller coaster speeding along the track. It doesn’t look like much, but I do admire its cleverness and execution. It is pretty cool and it has fluid animation. It’s really neat.
It looks like a cool, cute game, and I am sure even kids would love it. This is yet another ABBUC Software Contest entry from 2025. It looks like a great entry for that contest. Here is my take on this game.
9/10 (90%)
The next two files are pictures. “80s Gamer’ is the first pic and it is by Nickolas Arachovitis. It shows an older man playing video games with pictures of video game sprites from games created in the 1980s. The picture has a lot of detail and looks really good. I am impressed.
SCORE: Graphics: Gameplay: Animation: Music/Sound FX:
10 10 9 10
TOTAL SCORE:
39/40 (98%)
“Donkey 1.0” is the next file we come up to. It is a game originally by Bill Gates and Neil Konzen and was programmed in 1981 for DOS on the PC. Thomas Havemeister ported it to the A8 in 2025. You drive a car and you must avoid hitting donkeys on the road. You can only move left and right, swerving in between lanes to avoid the donkeys. You can press Escape to quit the game. Every time you pass a donkey, you get a point. If you hit a donkey, the donkey gets a point. The game is quite simplistic and I think it should be more.
The man looks like Leonard Nimoy to me. It’s a funny pic. I like the graphics and the homage to 80s games in this pic. Really cool and nicely rendered. TOTAL SCORE:
9/10 (90%)
“Slawosz Odyssey” is the last file review on Side A of this DOM. It was created by Lukasz Pazera. It looks really spectacular. It shows a person in a spacesuit looking at a lighted sphere (likely a star) on an alien planet. I love the rendering. It is very well orchestrated and looks great!
It is a simple production, but it does make up with fluid animation and the speed of the animation. So, here’s how it fares with the score. SCORE: Graphics: Animation: Music/Sound FX:
7 10 8
TOTAL SCORE:
25/30 (83%)
“Woodworm” is a game by Vladimir Jankovic. It has great music and cool graphics. You play a worm and I think you have to carve out a shape in a wooden block so it matches the block that shows you how to create it. For some reason, I had a hard time trying to move the worm. But, I just need to sit down and try to play this game in more depth, that’s all. The music is nice and the game looks nice. It has a cool title screen and you can decide which shape you want to make first. You can also toggle the music on or off. It looks like a nifty game.
It also should have more maneuverability. It is challenging, but primitive compared to other computer games. Here’s my take on it. SCORE: Graphics: Gameplay: Animation: Music/Sound FX:
6 9 9 7
TOTAL SCORE:
31/40 (78%)
Again, great rendering and excellent work! TOTAL SCORE:
10/10 (100% perfect score)
Now, let’s review Side B of this DOM, and the cool files on there that I am sure we will like to see and admire for their creativity. Let’s go!
Side B: Programmer Marek Oglodek’s “RT Frame Vector” is the first file on Side B of the April DOM. It shows two animated 3D blocks moving in real-time. It looks really nice. It has fluid animation and, for a 252-byte file, shows everything in 3D. That is astounding for such a size.
It is interesting to watch, even if there isn’t much to watch. But, don’t get me wrong. I like it. It’s a small file, that’s all. But, it is nice looking. So, I am not criticizing it. It still could be more, though. Just saying.
If you like challenge, you will like this game. It is workable. You just need to find the time to do it. Plus, you also need to learn Polish, the main language of the game. So, with that, let’s see how this game did. SCORE:
Not only is it fluid animation, it is extremely fast. It shows one spinning cube that divides into two cubes. The file never misses a beat. Amazing that an A8 can do stuff a more advanced computer can do. Fascinating!
Graphics: Gameplay: Animation: Music/Sound FX:
9 10 8 9
TOTAL SCORE:
37/40 (93%)
NOTE: There is a Boulder Dash hack in this game by Mugen. Since it has been on here before, I decided to not rate it because it has been rated before in the past with high marks. Sorry for the inconvenience. I know it is a great game and thanks for the modifications on it. It looks OK. Just needs a little more. But, it isn’t bad. Let’s see what the standings are for this file. SCORE:
It must have been well-thought out to compress the images at 252 bytes of tight code, and I don’t know if it needed to be compressed. It just is this way, and it’s great. So, let me present my take on this. SCORE: Graphics: Animation: Music/Sound FX:
10 10 9
TOTAL SCORE:
29/30 (97%)
“Miner” was created by Krzysztof Rogowski, and it is a 260-byte file based on Minesweeper for Windows. So, it is interactive. Basically, you just stay in the game and try not to hit the mines. It’s just like Minesweeper. Same premise. All it has is text characters for the graphics.
I think it could have been more than just text characters. It looks very simplistic in appearance. I think it could b better, but it is challenging for the file that it is. At least there is some interactivity to it, so there is a fun factor. Here’s my take on this. SCORE: Graphics: Animation: *Interactivity: Music/Sound FX:
5 6 10 5
TOTAL SCORE:
26/40 (65%)
*NOTE: Interactivity is scored just like game play. They are one of the same, in case you were wondering. Sebastian Igielski’s “Life After Life” is a 262-byte file. It shows animations of dividing cells. They divide and disappear, just like cell mitosis and death. It is simulated like that. It looks cool, but again is simplistic. The dots just keep dividing and disappearing like in a person’s body.
Graphics: Animation: Music/Sound FX:
8 8 8
TOTAL SCORE:
24/30 (80%)
We have another “Robbo” puzzle game here on this DOM. I don’t know who made this. But, it is excellent and a great puzzle game. You have to collect things and avoid obstacles and destroy enemies that can destroy you. It is a puzzle game, so there are set ways to go through it. You can collect tools, like keys, bullets and other thing along the way to help you in yout quest. It isn’t easy, though, that’s for sure.
Now on to the music files for Side B. There are three music tracks on this side of the April DOM. “SV Clubbers - KO on Molo” is by Foster/Zelax. It is a cool dance tune with a mild tempo and nice varying tones to it. It sounds a little gritty, but it is pretty good. TOTAL SCORE:
10/10 (100% perfect score)
Tomasz Majewski’s “Pilot” is the second track on here. It is another CMC tune from the lost BQL archives. It sounds pretty cool. It picks up on the tempo and the beat later in the track. It is well composed. I enjoyed it. It even has some pep to it. It would be great for an action game. TOTAL SCORE:
9/10 (90%)
Finally, Tomasz Majewski’s “Pre13” makes up the trilogy of tunes on this DOM. Another CMC tune from the BQL archives, it is slow at first. it gets better over time. I like the beat and the music. Nice effects. TOTAL SCORE:
9/10 (90%)
Robert Smolinski’s “J.” is a well-rendered picture. It has women in three panels in the picture. One has wings and another is enjoying the day in a field of grass. Another is just sitting in a room with a cat. It is very nicely done.
It is a very nice composition and is well-arranged. The colors all compliment each other nicely. Not too bad! Here’s what I think with the scoring. TOTAL SCORE:
9/10 (90%)
“Gin Z Tonikiem” is our final pic and file to review today, by Aleksander Drab. It shows the Genie from the Disney movie Aladdin next to a bottle of tonic. I guess it is Gin Tonic. I think that this picture could be a little more, but it isn’t bad. It is humorous and cool-looking.
Here is my score on this picture. TOTAL SCORE:
8/10 (80%)
Well, folks, this concludes the Atari 8-bit DOM Review for October. I will be back next month with yet another DOM Review. Until then, Carpe Diem, fellow Atarians, and thanks for reading! See you soon!
Have A Happy Autumn And a Safe Halloween, Fellow SPACE Members and Atarians!
Special Internet Links of Interest! Every month, we will have links from SPACE members to mostly YouTube channels and some other special links concerning Atari and retro stuff! Thanks for reading! Here are some links to look at: BTB Films YouTube Channel (Shows various videos of gamer and video producer BTB playing Atari video games with his family.) https://www.youtube.com/@btbfilms76 Suavek’s Re-Falcon Progress Video (This video shows how the new Re-Falcon computer project is coming along, and it looks interesting) https://youtu.be/YWd6c_oEfAs Atari I/O YouTube Community (See various YouTubers and their videos posted on the Atari I/O Forums; again, interesting stuff) https://forums.atari.io/forum/46-youtube-community/ CyberGrafx Home Page (Upcoming magazine from an out-of-state SPACE member) https://linktr.ee/cybergrafx
https://discord.gg/r9Q4AxuNmQ
SPACE COMICS SECTION! The Misadventures of A-Man and C.D.
Ferret Fracas!
SPACE Meeting Friday, October 9, 2026, From 6:00 - 8:30 PM. DOM Demonstration Initial SPACE Meeting Thanks for coming!
You will need to check in with security if you come to the building after 5:30 PM, We will meet in the Midway Room 2310.The Meeting time is allocated from 6:00-8:30 PM, every second Friday of every month.