3 Deep Space

Commodore VIC-20 - Released - 1983

To return back to Earth if your ship is beyond the Starfields of Orion there is an avenue of beacons placed by the Elders of Earth to guide ships towards and through a Stargate. Unfortunately, Earth's enemies, the Andromedan's have launched a huge Starfleet to enter the Stargate and invade Earth. You have been tasked to guard the entrance of the Stargate to destroy as many of the Starfleet as you can and above all, stop any Dragon Class Starcruisers containing their Battle Commanders from making it through. 3 Deep Space is a side view shooter with the whole game shown on the screen and you must blast as many ships as you can who move down the screen towards your craft at the bottom. If you touch any ships or allow a Dragon Class Starcruiser past yourself then it is game over. The main selling point of the game was that it was in 3D and used 3D glasses provided with the game. As well as moving left and right along the screen, you could actually move in and out of the screen as well. The enemy ships moved down the screen at different depths of the screen as well. The VIC-20 and C64 versions came on the same cassette with the C64 on one side of the cassette, and the VIC-20 version on the opposite. The VIC version however, does require an 8K RAM expansion.

3D Doolhof

Commodore VIC-20 - Homebrew - February 19, 1995

A Dutch 3D maze game written in BASIC and requiring a 3-kilobyte memory expansion, like the Superexpander.

3D Labyrinth

Commodore VIC-20 - Released - December 7, 1984

Released in COMPUTE!'s Gazette 1984/12 (Issue #18), the goal of the game is simply to make it through the maze, which sounds easy, but isn't. You start in the northwest corner and must make your way to the exit on the southeast corner. The maze will be different every time you play, so tracing your path in one game won't help you in the next. You can choose to explore or to carefully plot your course, and all in your good time.

3-D Man

Commodore VIC-20 - Released - 1982

Here's your chance to play Pac-Man in 3D. You view the action from the eyes of Pac Man in a 3D maze. On the screen as well is your score, lives, an overhead view of the maze and how many pills you have to collect. Be careful what's around the corner. It could be a ghost.

3D Maze (Galactic Software)

Commodore VIC-20 - Released - 1983

The game is a simple graphical 1st person maze game. Each move subtracts 1 from the total of your limited oxygen count. Similar in both name and concept to a Mastertronic game on the VIC-20 of the same name (this game has slightly different graphics however, and both were developed by the same coder, David Darling of Darling Brothers fame). This version was published by Galactic Software in Europe, but it was also part of a compilation by a short lived North American company called VicSoft, Ltd. Who published the game in their only release (which was a compilation of games, educational, and productivity programs. Both later

3D Maze (Mastertronic)

Commodore VIC-20 - Released - 1984

In 3D Maze you're a 'spaceman' who, on a routine trip back from Mars while in orbit around Venus, is accidentally beamed down into a distant space maze somewhere in the alien terrain. All you have to survive is a space suit, oxygen tank (with a limited oxygen supply), a compass and a map of the maze. You must make it to the exit of the maze before your oxygen supply runs out! The game is a simple graphical 1st person maze game. Each move subtracts 1 from the total of your limited oxygen count.

3D Silicon Fish

Commodore VIC-20 - Released - 1984

Far in the future earth is dependent on silicon for it's technology. Unfortunately the silicon reserves are running out. A new source of silicon has been located in a faraway part of the galaxy. Problem is that it's very dangerous to gather since it has a tendency to explode. Therefore a mercenary going by the name of Sillo is sent to the location with a vehicle known as the silicon fisher to gather this necessary yet dangerous material. 3D Silicon Fish consists of a maze that is located above a river that floats from the top to the bottom of the screen. The player navigates through the maze with his vehicle while looking for silicon that floats with the stream. Collecting the silicon is done by positioning the vehicle towards the part where the silicon will pass and throwing out a net to catch it. The player is however not alone in the maze. Around him something called kryllon forms out of thin air and explodes after a short while. If the player then is within range of the explosion he will be killed.

3D Time Trek

Commodore VIC-20 - Released - 1983

You are a survivor of the planet Corillian after space pirates launched a devastating raid. You now seek revenge on those responsible, to destroy them and their galactic tyranny. You are searching for them in your super powerful starship with computers and sensors to seek those murderous pirates. You search the galaxy using a map. Once on part of your map you can send out a sensor. The results will tell you if there are aliens or planets out there. Finish searching that area, bring up your map and search elsewhere. Moving to another part puts you in warp speed. You can check on your battle computer, move energy into your shields and bring up any damage you have. 3D Time Trek is a 1st person perspective 3D space game. You look out of your cockpit into the dark depths of space. If you come across an alien, a crosshair appears allowing you to aim and fire on it. As well as viewing out your cockpit you can also see your energy levels, shield levels and your condition.

4 op een rij

Commodore VIC-20 - Released

4 op een rij is a Dutch language one player only version of 4-in-a-row, and published by Different.

A Country Garden

Commodore VIC-20 - Released - 1983

A Country Garden is a clone of Centipede. You have to shoot down nasty pests that invaded your beautiful garden. One of them being a large crawler. The crawler has to be shot part by part, and each part will turn into a mushroom.

A World at War

Commodore VIC-20 - Released - 1983

A World at War is a simple war strategy game from Swedish based Handic Software AB.

A.E.

Commodore VIC-20 - Released - 1982

A.E. is a Space Invaders inspired game with a 3D view. In A.E. the earth is under attack by swarms of aliens who drop bomb after bomb and it's your job to defend planet Earth. You control a laser cannon that moves horizontally at the bottom of the screen. To earn point you should shoot all the alien forces before they shoot you! The game becomes more challenging when you progress in the game as the alien swarm splits up and attack you from several sides.

Aardvark Attack

Commodore VIC-20 - Released - 1983

An educational typing game developed by Todd Heimarck for the Commodore VIC-20 and published in COMPUTE!'s Gazette 1983/10 (Issue #4) This game was "ported" to the Commodore 64 in the following issue: COMPUTE!'s Gazette 1983/11 (Issue #5)

Aavelabyrintti

Commodore VIC-20 - Released

Aavelabyrintti, which translates to "Ghost Labyrinth" is a Finnish maze game with nine difficulty levels. The walls appear only when bumping into them.

Abductor

Commodore VIC-20 - Released - January 1, 1982

Abductor is a side view single screen shooter where you control a spacecraft at the bottom of the screen, moving left or right, and you have to blast and destroy all aliens that appear in various formations above. Below your craft are six humans and you must stop them being taken by swooping aliens to the top of the screen and if they reach the top, they turn into skulls and fall down the screen. If you are hit by an alien or falling skull then you lose one of three lives but if you lose all the humans then it is game over.

ACE: Air Combat Emulator

Commodore VIC-20 - Released - 1985

A huge enemy fleet has invaded the southern shore of the U.S. Dozens of tanks and helicopter gun-ships are rolling over Tampa, Florida and through Atlanta, Georgia. Squadrons of enemy fighters are swarming through the air over South Carolina and are heading for Washington, D.C. For the first time in more than 100 years, a foreign power is invading our proud land! You are the only remaining fighter pilot, and you have the last three ACE Mark 2.1 Multi-Role All-Weather-All-Terain (AWAT) combat aircraft. Each is housed in one of our three remaining air bases. You must fly sorties from our bases, and attack and destroy the numerically superior enemy air and ground forces. Only then can you attempt to destroy their nearly invincible navy. Good Luck! The future of the free world hangs in the balance...

Acey Ducey

Commodore VIC-20 - Released - 1982

Acey Ducey is very simple computerized version of the popular card game of the same name. It was published by Titan Programs on their "Games Tape One" compilation pack in 1982.

Add/Sub

Commodore VIC-20 - Released - 1983

Add/Sub is a simple educational math game which centers around addition and subtraction. This game was developed by Thomas Philip Degnon and published by Boston Education Computing, Inc. in 1983.

Adventure Land

Commodore VIC-20 - Released - January 1, 1981

Adventureland is the first of Scott Adams' text adventures. Using simple two word commands you explore an enchanted world, solve puzzles and try to recover 13 lost treasures. The game's display is different from other adventure games like Zork: The Great Underground Empire in that the screen is divided into two "windows": the room description, exits, and items appear on the top part of the screen, and you enter commands on the bottom of the screen.

African Beads

Commodore VIC-20 - Released - 1982

African Beads (also called Qwerri) is a Mancala variant. It was released by Commodore as part of their Super Games Pack I compilation cassette.

After Party!

Commodore VIC-20 - Homebrew - June 7, 2020

After Party! is a rogue-like adventure with a sense of humor for the unexpanded Comoodore VIC-20. It’s the night after a party and you are desperate for the toilet. Stumble around in the dark and look for the loo, but avoid stubbing your toe on objects, as that won’t help your bladder control.

Aggressor

Commodore VIC-20 - Released - 1982

Aggressor (Andes Attack in Europe) is a Defender clone by Jeff Minter. In true Minter fashion, instead of the original's humans, you are out to rescue llamas which are under attack by the aliens. The player patrols the two-way scrolling landscape waiting for marauding aliens trying to abduct the llamas. You have to destroy the aliens before they manage to whisk away your precious camelid, if they manage to get them to the top of the screen they mutate into horrors that will come after you, resulting in a fatal collision. Each surviving Llama gives you a bonus at the end of each stage. You have three lives in your quest, and the aliens shoot back. Each time you get hit by an alien, an alien shot or a rampaging llama you lose a life. Once all lives are spent, the game is over.

Alien Attack

Commodore VIC-20 - Released - 1982

Alien Attack is an action game by Interceptor Software/Interceptor Micros made in 1982. You have to destroy (or avoid) swarms of aliens, destroy their green mothership and avoid asteroids which cannot be destroyed.

Alien Blitz

Commodore VIC-20 - Released - January 1, 1981

Alien Blitz is a clone of Space Invaders with no noticeable differences in design and gameplay. The player moves his missile base left and right and has to shoot down the alien intruders that move back and forth above him. If they reach the base line or if the player loses all his three bases the game is over. Four shields offer some protection and at times a flying saucer will zap past the top of the screen. Before starting a game the player can choose a skill level from zero to nine.

Alien Demon

Commodore VIC-20 - Released - January 17, 1984

Alien Demon was part of a double pack which also featured the game Plague. It was released by K-Tel Software in 1984. Find stuff, avoid droids, and try to avoid the alien for as many turns as possible.

Alien Hunter

Commodore VIC-20 - Released

Alien Hunter is a 1-player arcade game for the VIC-20. Eliminate all alien drones in your sector of space by blasting them with laser bolts fired from your ship. The player's ship can move in the cardinal directions, and has limited fuel to blast the green aliens that appear. Green aliens move to a new location on the field every few seconds, so must be destroyed quickly. The player must shoot or avoid the purple enemies that appear. The player starts with 500 fuel, and fuel rapidly depletes. The player restores 100 fuel every several green enemies shot. There are 9 levels of starting difficulty, which control fuel depletion and how long an enemy stays in one place. The game ends when the player hits 3 enemies or runs out of fuel.

Alien Panic

Commodore VIC-20 - Released - 1983

Alien Panic is a variant of Space Panic. Set in an abandoned construction site, the game is a single screen platformer where the player climbs ladders to move between the platforms while at the same trying not to get killed by the aliens that roam about. The player can kill the aliens by digging holes which they then might fall in. When they do so the player quickly has to fill in the hole and bury the alien. If not quick enough the alien will rise again. Once the aliens have been killed the player moves on to the next level, of which there are six in total. When the game ends (after all three lives have been lost) the player gets a score based on how many aliens have been buried and how long it took.

Alien Plague

Commodore VIC-20 - Released - 1982

Alien Plague is simple space shooter for the VIC-20 (expanded) published in 1982 by Bubble Bus Software.

Alien Sidestep

Commodore VIC-20 - Released - 1983

Try to stop the aliens from landing as much as possible. The aliens are surprisingly smart and will try to avoid your shots! Once four aliens have landed past your defenses, it's game over.

Alien Soccer

Commodore VIC-20 - Released - 1982

Alien Soccer is a top view single screen paddle game where you must stop a ball that bounces around the screen, from going past your paddle. Your paddle is on the left of the screen and can move up or down and if the ball goes past then you lose one of five lives. Also on the screen are various aliens that are either static or move up or down and they deflect the ball when hit.

Alien Vortex

Commodore VIC-20 - Released - 1983

Alien Vortex is a 1-player arcade game for the VIC-20. It is the 23rd Century and, due to the tremendous advances made in robot technology, unemployment is running at 99.9%. To relieve the incredible boredom, the Interstellar Ruling Supreme Council has set up huge gambling arcades where fortunes can be won or lost and, due to 300% inflation, money has been replaced by credit discs. From time to time, people run up an outstanding debt, and as a way of providing an alternative to concrete ankle socks, the State Cultural Protectors devised "The Game". Inhabitants with no means of repaying their huge debt are allowed to "gamble" their lives. They are transported to Launch Base 3, and sealed into a Zelton 3 Earth Defender and attacked by waves of mutant birds by crossing llama with pelicans. The player controls a small vessel that moves laterally at the bottom of the screen, and fires vertically forwards. Waves of enemy vessels appear, and move rapidly about the screen to fire at the player. The player must destroy these vessels or allow them to fly off the bottom of the screen. The player starts with 3 lives.

Alien Waster

Commodore VIC-20 - Released - 1982

A simplistic shoot em up game, where you have to carefully take aim at an alien and shoot it down. You are given 20 shots, so you better not waste them! Part of a complimentary cassette you got in Canada if you purchased your VIC-20 (along with the Datassette cassette deck), or just the deck alone from Canadian Tire.

Alpha Blaster

Commodore VIC-20 - Released - July 15, 1984

Alpha Blaster is a vertical shooter which is somewhat a clone of Megamania. You control a space fighter at the bottom of the screen which can scroll from left to right in order to avoid oncoming bombs and kamikaze attacks from alien invaders and to fire your own missiles to fight back! Prepare to defend the earth from alien forces in direct combat. Blast your way through two waves of aliens and then negotiate the asteroid belt to dock with the mother ship. The main goal of the game is to reach a high-score. It awards 100 points for aliens, 200 for descending aliens, 10 for fuel and a mystery bonus for docking with the mother ship.

Alphabet Zoo

Commodore VIC-20 - Released - 1983

Alphabet Zoo is a top-view educational game where the player races around a maze. It is up to the player to collect the letters scattered around. The maze also contains two teleporters that warp the player who uses them to a random spot. Each maze has a graphic representation of an object in the middle. There are two modes: Game 1, where the player needs to repeatedly collect first letter of the object's name as many times as possible within the time limit, and Game 2, where all the letters oft he name must be collected in the correct order. The game can be played in one-player mode, or with two competing players. The game allows to start from any level and choose uppercase letters only, lowercase letters only, or a mix of both.

Alphoids

Commodore VIC-20 - Released - 1983

A keyboard only control game that is somewhat like a cross between Space Invaders and Galaxian, with some similarities to Centipiede and it's own gameplay mechanic throw in on top of it.. Produced by Romik Software in 1983. The game plays a rendition of the Star Wars theme while the game is playing. You a trapped in your landing craft on the surface of Alpha Centuri 1, unable to dock with your mother craft because of jet failure. Various forms of aliens are attacking your ship. You have to fight them all off to survive.

Amazing Maze

Commodore VIC-20 - Released - 1983

An "escape-the-maze" game for 1-2 players. Optionally you can play against the computer in the 1-player

Amoeba

Commodore VIC-20 - Released - 1983

Amoeba is a single screen game where giant amoebas have landed and are trying to take over the world. The amoebas appear on the screen in pods, each containing six of them. The player's task is to remove them by moving a laser probe over them which automatically kills them. It's necessary to be very quick about it though because with time they will start to multiply. After that has happened the amoebas can not be removed since any contact with them will lead to instant destruction of the probe and the game will be over. Amoebas that multiply stay on the screen throughout the game making it harder for the player to move around.

Amok

Commodore VIC-20 - Released - 1982

Amok is a variant of Berzerk. Amok is also the name of a space station located far out in space that the player has to make his way through. Like in Berzerk, the player controls his character from a top down perspective and can move and shoot in multiple directions. Each room is inhabited by a number of robots that have run amok and are trying to kill the player. In addition to the robots the player also has to avoiding running into walls that will kill him upon contact. The robots have different colours (green, blue, red, black) that indicate how many points they are worth. Green are worth only five points while the black ones are worth 35. After scoring 1500 points the player earns an extra life. The game consists of nine skill levels. An enhanced version called Super Amok was also released the same year.

Android Attack

Commodore VIC-20 - Released - 1983

Android Attack is a 1-player arcade game for the VIC-20. You must defend your city from android attack. The player's ship can rotate left and right, and move and fire forwards. allowing up to 5 missiles on the screen at a time. Enemy androids move about at the top of the screen, and bombs drop towards the ground below. The goal is to shoot and destroy these dangers before they reach and demolish the city at the bottom of the screen. Retreating androids may drop bombs, and an android that reaches the city causes an indestructible bomb to be dropped from the android's giant star cruiser. The game is over when all buildings are destroyed. The player starts with 3 ships, and a new ship is awarded every 10,000 points.

Animal Magic

Commodore VIC-20 - Released - 1984

While babysitting in the garden of a nursery, an Eagle has swooped down and taken the baby and it is now up to you to find and return the baby back to the nursery. You will have to explore various locations like deserts, mountains and forests, and you will also encounter various creatures and animals that are dangerous and will think of nothing about killing you. You have to try to get the animals to help you in your quest or get rid of them by any means. Animal Magic is a text adventure with some elements of graphics where the screen has text describing each location you visit with pictures appearing over the text. You type in commands with the keyboard to interact with your surroundings.

Annihilator

Commodore VIC-20 - Released - 1982

Annihilator is a single player Defender clone. The player pilots a small space ship over the surface of a rocky planet. The objective is to shoot alien space ships and achieve a highscore. Once all aliens have been cleared from the screen the game pronounces 'SECTOR CLEARED' and the player progresses to the next level. Levels become progressively harder as the game continues. Screen one has just airborne alien ships, screen two has ground installations, screen three has random meteors which must be avoided and so on. Apart from the single shot front firing canon the player starts with a 'smart bomb' and can earn more. An extra space ship / life is earned after 10,000 points. A joystick is required to play this game.

Another VIC in the Wall

Commodore VIC-20 - Released - 1982

Another VIC in the Wall is a simple Breakout variant. The player uses a paddle at the bottom of the screen to reflect a ball that bounces around the screen. The screen is constantly being filled with bricks and the idea is to destroy these by hitting them with the ball. If the ball goes past the paddle the player loses a life. He has three lives in total. The goal is simply to get as many points as possible. There is no end to it as new bricks are continuously added to the screen. The game is written in machine code and can be played with either keyboard or joystick.

Ant Raiders

Commodore VIC-20 - Released - 1982

Ant Raiders is a simple clone of Centipede in which you have to cage ants (just make sure you don't destroy the cages). It was developed by Stuart Hall and published by P.R. Software in 1982.

Anteater

Commodore VIC-20 - Released - 1983

You are an ant trying to collect food located near a picnic basket at the top of the screen, and return it to your nest. You can dig tunnels through the ground below the surface. Your ant travels slower when it's digging instead of moving through existing tunnels. If you can trick an anteater into following you, you can dig out a rock and drop it on the anteater, destroying it.

Antimatter Splatter

Commodore VIC-20 - Released - 1982

Antimatter Splatter (or Anti-Matter Splatter in the Rabbit release) is a side view single screen shooter where you control a spacecraft at the bottom of the screen, moving left or right, and your mission is to protect humans below you, who are moving across the screen. At the top of the screen is an alien who drops bombs and the bombs have to be shot before they land and kill any human it touches. Between you and the alien are four platforms that move either left to right, or right to left and when shot destroys part of the platform. Any gaps allows the bombs to fall through but when a platform is completely destroyed it appears whole again. If you are hit by a bomb or all the humans are killed then it is game over.

Ape-Escape

Commodore VIC-20 - Released - 1982

Ape Escape was developed my Mike Riedel and Greg Carbonaro and published by Spectravideo in 1982. It is based on the arcade game Cosmic Guerilla, except in this game you have to to prevent terrorists in helicopters from removing bricks in a building that has a giant gorilla on top of it. If the gorilla reaches the ground, the game is over.

Apple Bug

Commodore VIC-20 - Released - 1982

In Apple Bug, you control a bug who is trapped in a maze with a worm, and the object of the game is to eat all the apples on screen without coming into contact with the worm that chases you around the maze. If the worm catches you, the game is over. Movement is by keyboard only, and there are three skill levels to choose from. Came on a double pack with Crazy Climber

Apple Panic

Commodore VIC-20 - Released - 1982

Apple Panic is a platform game based on the arcade game Space Panic (1980, Universal) and ported to the Apple II by Ben Serki. You control a digger, armed with his shovel, and you must kill your opponents - the evil legged apples. Your character can only walk left/right and climb up/down the ladders - no jumping - and if the apples touch you, you'll lose. To kill an apple you must dig a hole on the ground and wait for one of them to get stuck on it. Then you must hit it with your shovel to make it fall to the level below. The apples die if they fall deep enough. Depending on their color, they may require from 1 to 3-level falls, so you may have to dig several aligned holes. Besides, the deeper the fall, the higher you score. Each level is timed so you must take out all the apples quickly, or you'll lose. If you're successful, the next levels will feature more and more enemies than the previous one.

Arachnoid

Commodore VIC-20 - Released - 1982

Arachnoid is a fixed screen shoot 'em up where the player takes control of a spider that has to defend its eggs from hostile ants. The game is most similar to Centipede. The ants attack in rows, moving horizontally one line at a time until they get to the player who moves around in the lower sections of the screen. Unlike Centipede there are no obstacles when starting out, but as the player shoots his web at the ants a wall of webbing is created. These causes the ants to change their direction. In addition to ants there are gnats and flies that can carry ants and open up passages in the wall. There are also wasps that moves across the screen at times. The game goes on until the eggs hatch or they have all been taken by the ants. Once the eggs hatch the player moves on to a new and tougher level.

Arcadia

Commodore VIC-20 - Released - January 1, 1983

Arcadia is a 1982 fixed shooter published by Imagine Software on the Sinclair Spectrum and VIC-20. It was later ported to the Commodore 64 and Dragon 32. Arcadia combines elements of Gorf and Galaxian. The player controls a space ship as the aliens scroll and moved freely down the screen. The game consists of 12 different levels of descending aliens. After level 12 the game loops back to level 1 with no extra difficulty. An extra life is rewarded after every four levels. Advancing to the next level involves staying alive until the timer in the top left corner ticks from 99 to 0. Once zero is reached the surviving aliens descend rapidly down the screen. Points awarded per alien destroyed are in line with the current level: Shoot down an alien on level 1 and you are awarded 1 point, roll around the levels and the same alien killed on level 13 is now worth 13 points.

Arrow of Death: Part I

Commodore VIC-20 - Released - 1982

Brian Howarth's second Mysterious Adventure follows on from your success in retrieving the Golden Baton. Peace was initially ensured, but the baton has subsequently become tarnished, and now radiates evil. Crop failures and illness are now rampant throughout the land. The only solution is to find the Arrow of Death (in this game) and assemble it. Armour, an orb and an eagle are among the helpful objects in completing your quest. The game is largely one of exploration and object manipulation, with little combat. These games used the Scott Adams adventure engine, and thus also have the same features - a basic 2-word parser, small vocabulary, and brief descriptions. They were similar to other adventures of the time. Part 2 was never released on the VIC-20.

Artillery

Commodore VIC-20 - Released - 1982

Artillery is a 2-player game for the VIC-20. Each player controls a cannon on either side of the screen with a mountain in between. Players take turns setting the direction and power of their cannon fire to try to hit their opponent. Changing wind conditions lend challenge to the game. The game tracks score over several rounds.

Artillery Duel

Commodore VIC-20 - Released - 1983

In this two player game each player controls an artillery gun set in a mountain landscape with the goal of destroying the other player. Players take turns firing at each other; on each turn you have a limited amount of time in which the barrel angle and powder level can be set in order to control the direction and distance of the shot. When deciding on your shot, you will need to take the current conditions into account, which includes wind speed/direction and any mountains that may get in your way. Successfully destroying your opponents gun will earn you a point, and the first player to reach the set number of points wins the game. There are multiple skill levels available which set the amount of time you have to make a shot. Was also sold on a double pack with Chuck Norris Superkicks as well.

Assault from the Deep

Commodore VIC-20 - Released - 1983

The war of the universe has been long and hard fought. The terrible enemy was nearly driven from the heavens when suddenly a new outbreak of violence and death broke out on the second star of planet Ceata. Secret ocean bases launched the newest, most powerful explosives known. Every missile meant death to millions. Push the joystick in the direction you want to fire and smash shooting saucers and missiles before they disappear out of range.

Asteroyds

Commodore VIC-20 - Released - 1983

Asteroyds is a clone of the arcade classic, Asteroids. It was developed by John P. Shay (credited as J.P. Shay on the title screen) and published by Solar Software in 1983.

Astro Fighters

Commodore VIC-20 - Released - 1982

A two-player only game set in outer space, where one player controls their Astro Fighter with the joystick, while the other controls theirs with the keyboard. The object is to eliminate the other as many times as you can before time expires. Obstacles such as Proton Stars, hostile planets, and other space debris also need to be avoided. A time limit (between 1-9 minutes) is set before the game.

Astro Nell

Commodore VIC-20 - Homebrew - 2004

Astro Nell is a multi-platform adventure game. Your goal is to collect items which are shaped like stars.

Astro Patrol

Commodore VIC-20 - Released - 1983

Astro Patrol is a science-fiction themed arcade game for the VIC-20. The player controls a spaceship which moves in the 4 cardinal directions. The player's ship has a laser gun which shoots to the right of the screen. Alien vessels stream from the right. Every alien vessel that bypasses the player awards points to the aliens, while the player receives points for shooting down alien vessels. At 1000 points, the player starts wave 2, which has alien vessels moving in more complex patterns, and the player is accompanied by a second vessel. The game ends at 2100 points, where the final score is the difference between the player's and aliens' scores.

Astroblitz

Commodore VIC-20 - Released - 1982

You control a spaceship whose main task is to wipe out several enemies that include flying saucers, seekers, satellite dishes, and spinners. A radar is at the top of the screen to keep track of movement. Use it to find out how far enemies are from you and match their position so that you can fire as soon as they are meters away from you. Once you killed enough of them, you proceed to the next wave. Lives are lost when you collide with enemies or touch shrapnel. Lose all your lives and the game is over.

Astro-Command

Commodore VIC-20 - Released - 1982

Astro-Command is similar to Missile Command, as you have to protect cities from getting destroyed. How you do that? Well, unlike Missile Command, you have your missiles on the RIGHT side. But like in Missile Command you aim where you want to shoot and then press the fire button. Beware of aliens, which will not only destroy one house, but an entire city!

Astroiders

Commodore VIC-20 - Released - 1983

Despite its name, Astroiders is NOT a clone of Asteroids, but a rather simplistic fixed screen vertical Space Invaders/Galaxian inspired shooter but with Asteroids falling to the earth, as well as aliens. It was developed in 1984 by Pulsonic.

At the Circus

Commodore VIC-20 - Released - 1982

In this educational game for one player, the object is to count the number of acrobats on the rope. There is a maximum of seven acrobats that can be on the rope. If you answer enough questions correctly, you are treated to a performance where the last set of acrobats will jump off the rope, onto the trampoline, and land on the ground. Getting an answer wrong results in the question being repeated. The game ends when two groups of acrobats are on the ground. The difficulty can be adjusted before the game starts, with higher ones having you count the acrobats that land on the ground as well.

Atlantis

Commodore VIC-20 - Released - 1983

The lost city of Atlantis is under attack! Wave after wave of Gorgon vessels are approaching, each armed with weapons capable of destroying a part of the city. You are in charge of the command posts at the edges of the city and need to defend it from the invaders. The various gorgon craft will keep flying by on the screen in varying numbers and in different flight patterns. At first they fly high in the sky but then progressively lower. If an enemy makes it low enough before you destroy it, it will use it's weapons and destroy one of the buildings in Atlantis. As you progress in the game, the enemy craft will keep increasing in speed. The game ends when all remaining buildings in the city have been destroyed.

Atom Smasher

Commodore VIC-20 - Released - 1983

Atom Smasher is a single screen shoot 'em up with multi directional movement that takes place in a nuclear reactor during a meltdown. In the middle of the screen are some neutrons and a single proton which one electron moves around. To delay the meltdown the player has to shoot the proton but avoid the electron since that will speed up the meltdown for a short time. For each proton that is shot, an extra electron is released. As the game goes on molten debris will start building up from the sides of the screen and if it reaches the nucleus the game ends. It is possible to destroy debris by firing at it. In the Amstrad version it is also possible to ram through it. When colliding with an electron one life is lost.

Attack of the Mutant Camels

Commodore VIC-20 - Released - 1983

Attack of the Mutant Camels (better known as Matrix: Gridrunner 2 in Europe) is the sequel to Gridrunner. In this Centipede style game you play a retired captain of a starship, one of those who had won the previous war against aliens. You come out of retirement because the aliens are back, tougher than ever. Thus a second gridwar begins. You pilot your ship and shoot at chains of pods coming at you. As you hit the pods, they break into smaller independent chains. The aliens seem to have a sense of humor, though. Each pod in the chain coming at you looks like a...camel. Flying camels from outer space. As you start shooting the camels, you are attacked by guns from the bottom of the screen and from the left side of the screen. Even worse, a human traitor has joined the aliens, and when he appears on the screen, running across the grid on top, the guns get very accurate at shooting you. Luckily you can shoot traitors. Other twists include deflectors, which turn your bullets and even ricochet them back at you. The enemy fires back too. And as you advance in level, the enemy changes the direction of their attack. Not to be confused with Advance of the Megacamel which is also called Attack of the Mutant Camels in Europe.

Attack of the PETSCII Robots

Commodore VIC-20 - Homebrew - February 13, 2021

Attack of the PETSCII Robots is a top-down action/puzzle game. It is inspired by oblique top-down projection games like Ultima, but takes much of the gameplay concepts from first-person shooters. The object is to destroy all the robots. To do this, you have to search objects in the game for weapons and other items to help you along the way. Many scenarios require complex thinking and problem-solving, rather than just action shooting.

Avalanche

Commodore VIC-20 - Homebrew - 2012

Avalanche is a fun action game people can just pick up and play. The player has to shoot the various gems that are falling down from the top of the screen. The gems are marked with symbols and the player has to match up the symbol on his ship with the symbol on the gems. The speed of the game will automatically increase during gameplay. Shoot strategically and get combos of four similar gems in a row to decrease speed and gain extra points

Aztec Challenge

Commodore VIC-20 - Released - 1982

The player must reach and explore an Aztec temple while avoiding a variety of dangerous obstacles. Each level is like a whole different game, with different challenges and different types of scrolling and exploration. The game starts with an over-the-shoulder view of the player running a gauntlet of spear-throwing natives towards a pyramid which rises on the horizon. Once this is reached, a vertically-scrolling staircase with falling rocks must be traversed, and then there are rooms to explore and deadly aquatic wildlife to avoid (among other dangers) before the game is through. Players looking for the adventuring equivalent of an Epyx sports game should enjoy this one. There are seven levels to conquer in order to complete the game.

B-1 Nuclear Bomber

Commodore VIC-20 - Released - 1983

In B-1 Nuclear Bomber, you have to "fly" a B-1 bomber to it's destination, and destroy the target of the mission. You input text commands to control your bomber's altitude, course, radar, weapons, and so on. And, of course, the USSR will try to stop you from bombing their targets, with an arsenal of MiGs and SAMs, and they are dealt with by the use of electronic counter-measures, evasive actions, or by shooting them down. The game ends when it reaches a logical conclusion, either by deploying your bombs and getting far enough away, returning to base, or being destroyed. After this, you get a short summary, and an option to play again.

Bandits

Commodore VIC-20 - Released - 1983

Your job is to guard the supplies at the lunar base. Bandits of various sorts arrive in waves and descend, trying to get the goods. Armed with a mobile laser gun and some shielding, you score points by blasting the bandits. Bandits has 28 levels of play. You begin with 5 ships and acquire a bonus ship for every 5,000 points. The game is similar to Stratovox. It also bares some resemblance to the arcade game Rip Off.

Battlefield

Commodore VIC-20 - Released - 1982

Battlefield is an action game, where you, as a pilot of a glider, have to defend the right side from incoming vehicles.

Battlezone

Commodore VIC-20 - Released - 1983

Commonly considered the earliest progenitor of first-person shooters (FPS), Battlezone is a 3D tank game initially released in the arcades, and later converted officially to many systems. Earth has been invaded, and you and your tank lead the defensive effort. You drive around the battlefield from a first-person view, targeting and firing at tanks, planes and UFOs. You have a radar to help you see where the enemies are in direction and distance. Objects can be used as strategic cover. Controls simulate the tracks of a tank realistically, so the direction and speed settings are varied - combining forward right and backward left movements (as you can on keyboard versions) sees you change direction more quickly.

BBC Mastermind

Commodore VIC-20 - Released - March 15, 1983

Based on the BBC TV quiz show Mastermind, in its time considered the most difficult quiz on television. In this computer version up to four players compete in two rounds of questions where they must answer as many questions correctly as they can in two minutes. In the first round, the players are asked questions based on their “specialised subject” and the second round is a General Knowledge round. In this version, the specialist subjects can either be Films and TV on side A and Sport on side B. Every correct answer scores you one point. To save time players may pass a question and move onto the next one. Should the two minutes expire by the time the current question is asked, the player is allowed to give their answer. At the end of the two rounds the player with the highest score is declared the winner and Mastermind champion.

Beast of Eden

Commodore VIC-20 - Released - 1985

Beast of Eden is a collect'em up game, in which you have to collect all the food or other things while avoiding the hostile black monster that wants to eat YOU.

Bengo

Commodore VIC-20 - Released

Bertie the Ball

Commodore VIC-20 - Homebrew - 2014

In this side-scrolling platform game, you are a constantly bouncing ball called Bertie, and you have the urge to collect magic items, for some reason. The game is comparable to Cauldron II. Your health is monitored with the magic meter, and drops when encountering hazards.

Berzerk MMX

Commodore VIC-20 - Homebrew - 2010

Berzerk MMX is a 2010 homebrew port of the old classic Stern arcade game, Berzerk. it was developed by Robert Hurst and requires a an 8K memory expansion to run. An updated version even contains voice samples, which is a rarity for a VIC-20 game.

Bewitched

Commodore VIC-20 - Released - 1983

The evil magician Mordread has cast you into the haunted dungeon beneath his castle. He has turned you, once a might wizard into a magical key. You start out as a black key and the job at hand is to open the doors of the level by changing the colour of the key to the colour of the door. Unlocking a door can either reveal a a dead end or a passage behind that leads to a new part of the maze. The dungeon is occupied with ghosts that will chase you down and take one of your five lives if they manage to catch you.

Big Bad Wolf

Commodore VIC-20 - Released - 1982

Don't let the wolf gobble you up. NOT for kids only. The wolf will soon be at the door. Can you enable the defenses to keep him at bay.

Bird of Prey

Commodore VIC-20 - Released - 1983

You play a bird of prey. Your goal is to take the little humanoid creatures up to your nest to feed yourself and your family. However there are obstacles, such as a firepit, an airplane, and objects/bombs dropped by the plane.

Birds & Apple Tree

Commodore VIC-20 - Released - July 1, 1984

Black Hole

Commodore VIC-20 - Released - 1982

Black Hole is an action game, with a star-shaped black hole in the middle that tries to suck you in. Try to avoid being sucked in and shoot asteroids for points. Borrows quite a bit from early arcade vector games.

Blitz

Commodore VIC-20 - Released - 1981

In Blitz an airplane moves across the screen at a constant speed. When the airplane reaches the far right of the screen it moves to the left-hand side and drops down the height of one airplane. Below the airplane is a number of skyscrapers of varying heights. The player has to drop bombs from the airplane by pressing the space bar. Each bomb can destroy six floors of the sky scraper it hits. As the plane descends, the airplane can crash into any remaining blocks, so the tallest sky scrapers should be targeted first. The can only be completed by destroying every floor of every building and then landing safely on the flattened ground. The gameplay is extremely challenging, requiring excellent hand-to-eye coordination and near-perfect timing. It also offers very little margin for error and one missed opportunity will almost always end in failing a level. The game is unusual in that it requires the player to press only a single button to play - the space bar. This was the game that pretty much "popularized" the city bomber style game.

Blitzkrieg

Commodore VIC-20 - 1982

In Blitzkrieg, you pilot a small airplane and your mission is to bomb the city so you can land safely. It is a one-key game, so you don't control the plane, you can only drop bombs by pressing the spacebar. The plane moves from left to right across the screen, and slowly descends every time it wraps back to the left side. The higher skill level means the buildings are higher, thus more bombs are needed before you can land.

Blockade

Commodore VIC-20 - Released - 1982

Blockade is a mix of a board game and a puzzle game. The goal is to get 5 in a row - either, horizontal, vertical, or diagonal.

Blockbuster

Commodore VIC-20 - Released - January 1, 1984

Often compared to Pengo, Blockbuster (Block Buster in Europe) has you exploring an alien ice planet in your multi-terrain vehicle. You fall into a labyrinth of ice rocks. When these rocks melt ice monsters are freed which you must crush by pushing rocks into them. Search out diamond ore, it's your only source of fuel!

Blowup

Commodore VIC-20 - Released - 1982

Blowup is a single screen action game where the player has to collect as many dots as possible. The game is played from a top down perspective and the screen consists of dots, black blocks that limit movement options and bombs that denote when the player touches them. The player's task is to move over the dots to collect the most of them and reach the exit before a timer reaches 3000. When it does the bombs will go off and the player will lose. The same happens when running into any of the bombs. The player controls an arrow that keeps moving until hitting a block or the player changes the direction. It leaves behind a blue trail when moving which turn green when moved over a second time. The player should avoid moving over it a second time since bonus points are given for each green section of the screen at the end of a level.

Blue Meanies from Outer Space

Commodore VIC-20 - Released - 1981

In Blue Meanies from Outer Space the player is in charge of defending a starbase that is being attacked by these blue little cuboid creatures. To do this he uses six laser guns, three on each of the base's sidewalls. The meanies fall from the sky and the player has to shoot them down before they can do any damage to the base. Using the lasers cost energy and when the energy is out the weapons won't work. At times supply ships land with more energy. It's important to not shoot these down as it leads to a reduction of points. To fix the holes caused by the meanies the player can use a repair robot. This however costs a large amount of energy.

Blue Star

Commodore VIC-20 - Homebrew - 2008

Blue Star is a game for the unexpanded VIC-20 in a similar vein to other open-ended platform games like Metroid, the newer Castlevania games or Cave Story. Infiltrate the alien base and take out the CPU! Find equipment along the way to add to your abilities; a jet pack to let you double jump, a rocket launcher to let you launch rockets, and more.

Bobs Blunder

Commodore VIC-20 - Released - 1983

Bobs Blunder is a fast-paced maze shooter for the Commodore VIC-20. It was released by Pulsonic in 1983.

Bolder Dan

Commodore VIC-20 - Homebrew - 2013

Bolder Dan is a Boulder Dash clone for the VIC-20. Dig around in the dirt, collect diamonds, and avoid the falling rocks and moving creatures. The game also features difficulty settings.

Bomber

Commodore VIC-20 - Released - 1982

Bomber is a Blitz variant with some changes made to the original game concept. Like before it is a one-button game where the player has to drop bombs from planes but instead of a city there is instead a canyon full of various objects that has to be hit. This version features three different aircrafts that fly at different heights and appear from both sides of the screen. Unlike previous variants the planes do not get progressively closer to the ground and can not crash. Instead there is a time limit of two minutes and the player's task is simply to clear as much of the canyon as possible before time runs out. The game can be played with or without gravity. The difference is that with gravity bombs will clear more objects if they are dropped from a higher attitude while without gravity there is always only one object being destroyed.

Bomber Attack

Commodore VIC-20 - Released - 1983

Bomber Attack is a classic side scroller. The player pilots a bomber flying to the left, dropping bombs on enemy defenses below. The player's control over the bomber's movement is limited to going up or down. The player must drop 25 bombs without hitting any hospitals. The bomb run must be completed under fire from ground defenses and scrambled fighters sent to intercept the player's bomber.

Bomber Mission

Commodore VIC-20 - Released - October 23, 1984

Tally-Ho chaps! Bandits at three o'clock, bombs away!". Well - perhaps not, and anyway, a handlebar moustache would only get tangled up in the joystick cable. The idea in Bomber Mission is to take off in your fighter-bomber, fly to a pre-selected enemy location and wreak havoc and destruction by dropping your pre-selected payload on them. Be warned though, this isn't a flight simulator. There's no runway display.

Bomber Run

Commodore VIC-20 - Released - 1983

Bomber Run is sort of a cross between Blitz and Scramble. You shoot at enemies flying toward you, but also drop bombs on the buildings and other things on the ground. Be careful to not run out of fuel.

Bongo

Commodore VIC-20 - Released - 1984

Bongo is a single screen platform game much in a similar vein as Popeye. You control Bongo the rat as he moves about the screen attempting to collect gems while avoiding the bad guy after him. You can teleport Bongo to various parts of the screen by positioning yourself on top of the letters in his name (B O N G O) and pressing the fire button. The screens contain ladders that can be traversed up and down, slides that will slide Bongo to the bottom and conveyor belts that can impede his movement or make him move faster. Only one gem is visible at a time. After five gems have been collected, Bongo rescues his girlfriend and moves on to the next screen. Bonus letters spelling out Bongo can also be collected. The Vic-20 (16K memory expansion required) version also came on a tape that also included the C64 version.

Bonzo

Commodore VIC-20 - Released - 1982

The game screen is presented as a series of levels connected by ladders (similar to Apple Panic), however, the player is required to collect boxes by running over them and avoid being captured by monsters. Once a level is cleared , the value of the boxes increases on the next level. Every game is different due to the random placement of the ladders and boxes with the player always starting at the bottom of the level and the monsters at the upper levels. The aim is to score the highest points and the game keeps a record of the eight highest players for the duration of the play Requires 8K Expansion

Boss

Commodore VIC-20 - Released - 1983

Boss is a two-player chess game, played on a 8x8 checkerboard. The aim of the game is to capture all your opponent's pieces before it does the same, and moves are made by inputting two sets of grid references. There are ten levels of play, giving response times from one second to nine hours. Boss's unique feature is the ability to predict its own moves. It is also capable of castling, queening, and ‘en passant' and operates on standard chess nomenclature.

Bricks

Commodore VIC-20 - Released - 1984

Game description: In Bricks it is your goal to get to the top by climbing up bricks. You can also push bricks to create stairs. Don't get smashed by bricks though, as they will kill you!

Bridge 20

Commodore VIC-20 - Released - 1983

A computerized version of the popular card game bridge developed and published by Swedish software developer Handic Software AB for the Commodore VIC-20 in 1983.