Gobbler Official Cover

Gobbler

📅 01 Jan 1981
Bringing high-speed, arcade-quality maze dot chomping to the Apple II, On-Line Systems (Sierra) released Gobbler in 1981, providing computer hobbyists with an exceptionally smooth, responsive 6502 machine-code maze experience, controlling the yellow Gobbler through a neon blue labyrinth, eating lines of glowing dots, grabbing flashing power energizers to turn ghost monsters blue, and chomping them for escalating bonus scores.

🎬 Deep Vision & Technical Analysis

🌆 Atmosphere & Visual Direction

Authentic vintage visual direction representing landmark era aesthetic standards.

⚡ Action Pacing & Physics Engine

Systemic interaction and engaging pacing designed for historical immersion.

🎯 Performance & Launch Trajectory

An essential milestone preserved in masterclass gaming archival standard.

Gobbler is a 1981 clone of Pac-Man for the Apple II, published by On-Line Systems (later to become Sierra Entertainment). It was programmed by Olaf Lubeck who also wrote Cannonball Blitz (1982) for the Apple II, a clone of Donkey Kong.

Gameplay

The player uses the arrow keys to move the character left and right, and the A and Z keys to move up or down. Each dot is worth five points, while pieces of fruit (cherries, an apple and a lime) are each worth 200. Consuming the white pellets makes the four ghosts vulnerable for a short time, during which they are colored green and can be eaten (earning 200 points for the first, 400 for the second, etc.).

See also

  • Jawbreaker, another Pac-Man clone published by On-Line Systems

References