| ChipWits | |
|---|---|
ChipWits logo from 1984 manual. |
|
| Developer(s) | Doug Sharp Mike Johnston |
| Publisher(s) | BrainPower |
| Platform(s) | Apple Macintosh, Apple II, Commodore 64 |
| Release date(s) | 1984 |
| Genre(s) | Robot simulation |
| Mode(s) | Single Player |
| Media/distribution | Floppy disk |
ChipWits is a 1984 game for the Apple Macintosh, programmed by Doug Sharp and Mike Johnston, and published by BrainPower software.
The player uses an iconic programming language to teach a virtual robot how to navigate various mazes. The gameplay straddled the line between entertainment and programming education. ChipWits won numerous awards, including MACazine Best of '85, and MacUser's Editor's Choice 1985 Award. The game was developed in MacFORTH, and later ported to the Apple II and Commodore 64.
A review in Computer Gaming World praised the game, but felt the limited storage space (only sixteen designs, with no capacity to use backup disks) and error-prone method for copying robots to different slots were moderate problems.[1] Mike Johnston and Doug Sharp have been developing a new version, with betas released on ChipWits.com.