This page is kind of a catch-all for things I’d like to share, but don’t really need a page all to themselves. It’s a work in progress, I’ll add more as I get around to it! Also, please check out my requests section at the bottom of this blog!
All the disks here are in D64 format, also called a disk image. They can be used with any Commodore emulator on your PC or Mac. They can also be transferred to a real Commodore disk with the right equipment or software. Google ‘Commodore PC transfer’ or ‘Commodore Mac transfer’ or visit a Commodore forum for many different options.
If you have a software/manual archive please feel free to include any of these items on your site. They are here to share and because I haven’t been able to find them anywhere else. If you do add them to your site, please let me know, so I can remove things from here if they become easily available elsewhere. Thanks! (Portions of this page are duplicated elsewhere, however, I am not responsible for the content of these other sites.)
Feel free to read or leave comments: Click Here!
Commodore 64 Logo – Turtle Graphics by Terrapin:
In elementary school, we had Commodores for a short while, but then they were replaced with Apple IIe’s. I discovered many of my first favorite games on the Apple, games like Snooper Troops, Odell Lake, and Oregon Trail. One great activity we had was learning the Logo programming language with the Apple IIe version of Terrapin Logo. We programmed a ‘turtle’ to draw shapes and play games on the screen, which I enjoyed very much.
At home I had a Commodore 64, which I enjoy tinkering with to this day. Mostly I use an emulator on my PC but it’s always fun to use the real thing from time to time. As a kid, I really wanted Terrapin Logo to play with at home, but could never convince my parents to pick up a copy. (I still have the advertisements after all these years!) I was somewhat placated by a full-featured “Turtle Graphics Interpreter” written by Irwin Tillman, which I found in a computer magazine called COMPUTE!’s Gazette. It was a fascinating glimpse at the inner workings of Logo, but as it was written in BASIC, the turtle moved excruciatingly slow (on today’s emulators, he can whiz along pretty fast, though!) Later, at a flea market, I found a cartridge called “Turtle Graphics II” from Human Engineered Software, written by David Malmberg. (Malmberg regularly wrote for the leading type-in magazines.) It was a little complicated to learn but decent; it had a nice manual, and both low- and high-resolution modes. (The first cartridge, Turtle Graphics, was a low-res version released for the VIC-20, also by Malmberg.) Also I discovered another low-res logo-like language called “Elmer the Turtle, Turtle-Tutor for Tykes” by Peter Crosby, in RUN magazine.
Recently I found a wonderful book titled “Learning With Logo” by Daniel Watt. (He also wrote a Logo book geared to the C64, which I don’t yet own.) It’s very well written and approachable, and I highly recommend it to anyone interested in the language. To use the book, I downloaded an Apple IIe emulator, as well as Terrapin Logo for the Apple II, and began playing around with the turtle and re-discovering my youth. I was even able to finally type and play a game program I’ve been hanging on to for years called “Logo Olympics – Light the Torch!” from Teaching and Computers Magazine. (Also found in the Teaching and Computers Book Series; Holiday Computer Activities.) Still, the thought of Commodore Logo nagged at me. So I began searching around for Terrapin’s Commodore 64 Logo, which was written by Leigh Klotz, Jr., (also the programmer of the Macintosh implementation of Logo.)
Searching the internet for the term “Logo” is pretty overwhelming; it brings up a lot of stuff. I discovered several non-working copies of final versions of Terrapin’s C64 logo, and a site that offers “Version A,” an early and very buggy version of C64 Logo. Giving up on finding a copy on the internet, I purchased a real copy of Logo “Version 8″ from an auction site. From this, I was able to make a working copy of Logo for the Windows VICE Commodore emulator, and I was also finally able to read and share the manual. Unfortunately, due to the copy protection method used by Commodore, I was unable to make a disk image for other emulators or for transfer to a real disk a this time.
News Flash! I’m elated to announce that as of November 2008, I can now finally offer Version 8 for download as a disk image! Special thanks to the kind person who sent me a working disk image of Version 8! Thank you, ‘El Comunicador!’ Now you can use C64 Logo with any C64/C128 emulator or even transfer it to a real disk to use on a real C64/C128!
Version 8 is super fast and appears to have most of the features of Terrapin’s Apple Logo. It includes sound commands and something the Apple version doesn’t have: sprites! You can download both the software and manual below. (I still offer Version A in the zip archive below, but I recommend using Version 8 instead. )
Here you can download an archive containing two Commodore 64 Logo Programming Language manuals, and five disk images; Commodore 64 Logo Version 8, Commodore 64 Logo Version A, the Logo Utilities Disk, an Example Disk, and the Learning With Logo Work Disk. Even without the LWL book, you can play with and explore the programs on the LWL disk. These disk images are in .D64 format and can be used with most Commodore emulators as is, or they can be copied to real disks and newer media such as the Commodore flash drive! (As a side note, keep in mind the proportions of an emulated screen are often different from a real screen. There is a command in the Logo manual to correct this, search the manual for the term .ASPECT.) If you just need the manual, you’ll see the original official pack-in manual called A Language for Learning, as well as a children’s primer called Kids Working With Logo. (Both of these are included in the language archive.)
Additionally there’s Turtle Graphics Interpreter from COMPUTE!’s Gazette and it’s instructions, Elmer the Turtle from RUN magazine and it’s instructions, and the HES Turtle Graphics II manual in case someone has the cartridge and needs a manual. (Unfortunately, I don’t have the means to make an emulator cartridge image of TG II. Also, I don’t own TG I so I can’t share it’s manual.) If you know of other versions of C-64 Logo, please let me know!
NOTE!! If you already downloaded Version A and created any work disks with it and want to use them with Version 8, you may need to rename some files. If the .LOGO extension is missing or truncated from your files, rename the files to include the full .LOGO extension. For example, “LIGHTTHETORCH.LO” would become “LIGHTTHETOR.LOGO”. Beware of creating duplicate names! The command is: OPEN15,8,15,”R:newname=oldname”:CLOSE15. I recommend making a backup before doing this and testing each file afterwards.)
Click Below for:
-> Commodore 64 Logo by Terrapin (This archive contains Version 8, Version A, Utility disk, example disks, and both manuals)
-> C64 Logo Manual – A Language For Learning (OFFICIAL pack-in manual)
-> Kids Working With Computers – The C= LOGO Manual (KIDS primer manual)
-> COMPUTE!’s Gazette magazine’s Turtle Graphics Interpreter (software and docs)
-> Run magazine’s Elmer the Turtle (software and docs)
-> HES’ Turtle Graphics II (manual only)
Odell Lake and Odell Woods:
Another couple of games I loved on the Apple were the classic Odell Lake and the lesser known Odell Woods. Again, I always wished I had them for the Commodore, and now I found them on one disk on an auction site! Here is the disk in D64 format. At this moment I don’t really have time to scan or type the manuals, but the Odell Lake/Odell Woods: Outdoor Biology software is pretty straightforward. Someday I’ll get around to it and add the manuals.
Click here for -> Odell Lake and Odell Woods
ComputerEyes by Digital Solutions:
I’ve never found these disks anywhere online, and this could be useful to someone who has the CE unit but no software. Here are the disks of various drivers in D64 format. In my opinion, the GEOS CE Driver results in the best quality image, but it’s really not very intuitive to use and requires much tweaking before a good result is found. For quick and easy scans, just use the master disk. Once you’ve figured out how to get these disk images onto a real floppy, it’s easy to transfer your scanned image back to a .D64 image and open it on your PC or Mac. (keep in mind the proportions will likely be different from a real C64.) Included are: CE System Software, Source Code, Drivers for Print Shop and GEOS, as well as the complete text of the manual. My ComputerEyes Doodle driver disk is damaged; if anyone has a working copy, please contact me!
Click Here for-> ComputerEyes Manual and System Software
The pictures above are clickable. The first is one of two sample images that came with the ComputerEyes software. It’s very nice as a far as Commodore images go, but I doubt the CE device can really approach this quality. The last two images were made with GEOS and a video camera, see if you recognize the droids and bots! The girl was scanned from a photo, but if your subject is able to be still for about 60 seconds, you should be able to get a decent scan.
Jingle Disk:
Just a guilty pleasure. It plays Christmas music and has animation. It can also create greeting cards on a real Commodore. (Not that you’d want to, but one of the many projects I have on my agenda is figuring out how to print the greeting cards in an emulator and converting to a bitmap on your PC. So far I just get a mess, so I put it away for a while. It might get done someday…) To run it, LOAD”JINGLE”,8,1 The disk requires that your printer must be off in order to boot the disk. (If using an emulated Commodore, virtually turn off or disconnect the emulated printer, don’t worry about your PC or Mac’s real printer.) It also sometimes freezes at the end of the ‘Tunes,’ so it may need re-booting.
Click here for -> Jingle Disk
Snooper Troops – SnoopMobile Paper Model
Here’s a cut-and-assemble paper model of the SnoopMobile from the classic Snooper Troops games. I used actual screen shots for the sides, and invented the top/front/back views myself.
Click here for -> SnoopMobile Paper Model
Bantha Tracks – Sprocket Systems mini-record
Back when I was a kid the Star Wars fan club put out a fanzine called Bantha Tracks. It was a big awkward sheet of paper folded in four with contests, information, and tidbits on the actors and upcoming Lucasfilm movies. A graphic design nightmare, it is very dear to me. Issue 34 came as a small glossy folder containing a little clear plastic record. Remember those small square records that came in magazines, books, and cereal boxes, and you had to put pennies on them to keep them from slipping? It’s one of those, and surprisingly I kept it in pretty good shape.
This record is like a short tour of Sprocket Systems, which I believe became Skywalker Sound or THX, or both. There are brief interviews with key people at Sprocket, including Ben Burtt. My favorite segment is when they explain how the lightsaber sound was created. It’s only six minutes long, but it’s a fun, odd bit of Star Wars history many people don’t know about. Enjoy! Someday I’ll post the fanzine issue that went with it.
Click here for -> Sprocket Systems – Distinctive By Design
Star Wars – Rebel Mission to Ord Mantell
I loved this record as a child. It contains some really awesome background music (which was re-used on several other story-tapes like Gummi Bears, and may well have come from the Gummi Bears TV shows.) Mark Hamill is the only original cast member to appear on this album, but the rest of the cast are really enjoyable, and the sound design is incredible, supposedly done by the same people who did the excellent Star Wars radio adaptations. The recordings have the ticks inherent in records, but no scratches that I recall. I will eventually edit out a lot of the ticks, but it’s quite time-consuming and not high on my list of things to do. (Photo from starwars.wikia.com)
Click here for -> Side One
Click here for -> Side Two
Requests: Here are some things I would love to find:
If you are lucky enough to have these, I would love to know more about them!
- Teaching and Computers Magazine – Published by Scholastic, Teaching & Computers Magazine contained highly innovative educational type-in programs in BASIC and Logo. If anyone has them, or access to them at a library, I would be most appreciative and willing to pay for originals, copies or scans!
- Paper Models: The Christmas Kit by Activision for Commodore or PC (I have the Apple IIgs version already.)
- The Voyage of the Mimi software and manuals for Commodore, Apple, or any other computer, released by Sunburst and Bank Street College of Education:
- Ecosystems with Island Survivors (I have the student guide but no software.)
- Maps and Navigation with Pirate’s Gold, Lost at Sea, Hurricane!, and Rescue Mission (I have the student guide but only Apple II software which I can’t use as I don’t have an Apple.)
- A Field Trip into the Sea
- Explore and Discover
- Whales and Their Environment with The Bank Street Laboratory
- The ComputerEyes Doodle driver disk.
- Karel the Robot disk image and/or manual for Commodore or Apple IIe, or a real Commodore disk.
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Visit Michael and Lacey’s other sites!
- The Toy Shop - 20 Marvelous Mechanical Models That Really Work! – Twenty paper models and automata that you can decorate and print, from the original Commodore 64 program! Also a Snooper Troops SnoopMobile model can be found here!
- Paper Models – The Christmas Kit – more paper modeling with old computers! A Dickens Christmas Village, A Holiday Locomotive, creative ornaments and gift packaging, just in time for the holidays!
- Halloween 2007 - The Headless Horseman comes to visit!
- Halloween 2008 - The Monster Motel opens for business!
- Our MySpace pages have photos of some of our past Halloween adventures!
