Game mini-review: Gobblers from 1982

[David G]

All in all, this early Pac-Man like game is a workable version, if not quite as flashy as later games of this type. I imagine if you had this in 1982, it would have been a treasured game ... for a while

Gobblers by Software Farm

was it worth 5.95 stirling?

Sinclair user No 5 August 1982 page 22

well, i didn't see any other Pacman-like games in that issue of Sinclair User, but most arcade style game were advertised from 4.95 to 9.95 pounds. The only game i bought back in 1982-1983 was ZX-Galaxians (and it was awesome). In those days I used my ZX81 to practice machine language programming but I did splurge on Galaxians (it was only 3.95 pounds in the same issue of Sinclair User)


well looky there ... it really is a vegetable !

This game establishes the corporate keyboard control for games by Software Farms
Q - UP
Z - DOWN
B - LEFT
M - RIGHT
NOTE: This early game does not have re-configurable keyboard controls like the later Software Farm titles


It only draws on the top 22 lines. The two bottom lines are not used for the gameplay but only for user input

It uses Machine language for smooth, flicker-free action. But with BASIC setting up the gamefield, it is a little slow to start or to go to the next level
And it has a two-player mode!