#atari 8 bit

You can play it in your browser here. You can find the Atari 8-bit version's manual here and teacher's guide here.

One large Atari computer gift from @hunterjamie and a buncha side quests from me later and :

Mountain King

A fortune in diamonds awaits an adventurer hardy enough to descend into the depths of the long-lost diamond mine deep inside the foreboding mountain. For those that dare venture into its depths, they may discover more than just diamonds, as in the heart of the mountain is a Temple Chamber. Inside this Temple Chamber rests an artifact beyond price, the Golden Crown, which must be brought to the Perpetual Flame on the mountaintop. But the creatures and spirits that inhabit the mine guard it, and no one that’s ventured into the mountain has ever returned. At heart, Mountain King‘s objective is simple: get the Golden Crown and bring it to the Perpetual Flame. The controls are simple: left and right to move, up and down to climb ladders, upper left and upper right to jump, and the action button shines your flashlight. However, you can’t use the flashlight and pick up diamonds at the same time. You can explore the entire mountain, without restrictions, with the exception of the Temple Chamber and the bottom level. Why not the bottom level? Because that’s where one of the only things in the game that can kill you, the Giant Spider, lurks. If it touches you once, you’ll be ensnared in its web. You must wiggle the joystick left and right to escape. Fail to do so before the Giant Spider comes back, and you’re dead. You’ll also find yourself falling a lot due to the tricky jumping controls, and when you hit the ground, you’ll be stunned. How fast it takes you to recover depends on what height you fall from.

Space Ball is a pinball game created using a Pinball Construction Set for the Atari 8-bit computers, released as public domain/freeware/shareware with no official publisher. The developer remains unknown, though the game represents one of many user-created pinball tables that emerged during the 1980s when pinball construction software became available across various home computer platforms including the Commodore 64, Atari 8-bit, and others.

Pinball Construction Sets allowed enthusiasts to design custom pinball tables by placing bumpers, flippers, targets, and other elements on a playfield, then sharing their creations with other users. These tools democratized pinball game development, enabling amateur designers to create tables without programming knowledge. Space Ball features a space-themed table layout and can be played with either joystick or paddles, supporting one player, two players alternating, or two-plus simultaneous play.

Unfortunately, this particular table offers little player interaction. Most points are scored simply by launching the ball and passively watching it bounce off bumpers. The flippers are weak and serve primarily as ball-saving tools rather than active offensive elements for targeting specific features or racking up points. This passive design removes much of the strategic depth that makes pinball engaging, reducing gameplay to launching and observing rather than skillful play.