The shooting range is one of my all-time favorite audio games. I only wish I had bought the full version. But at the time I found it, I was 10 years old, and spending $30 for a game seemed unattainable. I don't know whether my parents would have bought it for me or not, but today I'm kicking myself for not at least trying. Unfortunately, all I have is the demo. I do still play it in a virtual machine every now and then. The junkyard is awesome, I always loved blowing up the propane tanks and soda bottles especially.
On 10/19/14, Phil Vlasak <phi...@bex.net> wrote: > PCS Games history > > For those new to the field of games for the blind, > here is a short history of our company. > In September 1995, Carl Mickla started Personal Computer Systems with his > game, Any Night Football. > It was a DOS only game that used your DOS screen reader to describe game > play and the PC speaker to make referee whistle sounds. > In March 1996, Phil Vlasak joined PCS to create > DOS games using real sounds recorded as wave files. > In March 1996, PCS released Monopoly, our first game using real sounds. We > tried making the sounds play from within our > games but found that there were so many different DOS sound cards that it > was too difficult to do. We knew that several sound drivers were already > available for DOS and we contacted their > developers and got their approval to include them in our games. > In April 1996, PCS released Tenpin Bowling, our second sound game. > In August of 1996 We found out about Audyssey, > the magazine discussing computer games accessible to the blind. > We submitted our first article to Michael Feir in Issue 2: > September/October, 1996. > > PCS Provides New Horizons > Audyssey; > Computer Games Accessible to the Blind > by Michael Feir > Issue 2: September/October, 1996 > > PCS Provides New Horizons > by Michael feir > > In the last issue, I stated my opinion that the market base was too > small to support a company which made games specifically for the > blind community. I was quickly proven wrong in this assessment when > soon after I published the first issue, I was contacted by Philip > Vlasak, a member of a company called Personal Computer Systems. > This company sells computers and also designs games specifically > for the blind. Instead of the word-based games which one might > expect them to be making, they are concentrating on more sound- > based games. They have devised a bowling alley, a shooting range, > a Snakes and Ladders-style math adventure game, a very good version > of Monopoly, and a football game. I have included their complete > catalog below, which includes more detailed descriptions of these > games, and also provides information concerning contacting them. > They are always interested in ideas for games, and have already > welcomed one of my own suggestions, still under development by > myself and a good friend of mine. Projects being worked on by PCS > include a Dungeons and Dragons game and a five-on-five tank battle. > The next issue of this magazine will be the Christmas edition, and > detailed reviews of all PCS products will be included. Before I > leave you to their catalog, let me urge all of you to give this > company's products serious consideration. PCS is a small company, > which has already shown tremendous promise in terms of initiative > and original thinking. With our support, who knows where their > creative energies will take us? > > EXCITING GAMES FOR THE BLIND > Personal Computer Systems is a company that only includes blind > programmers. PCS is interested in providing fast action, fun, and > exciting computer board AND arcade games for the blind. In our > board games, everything is described with all the necessary details > as the game is being played and any information such as position or > score may be obtained by hitting a key. In our arcade games, > instead of using visual graphics or pictures, which depend on a > player aiming at an object we have the player aim by using their > ears TO HEAR A TONE OR A SERIES OF BEEPS TO TARGET BY. Thus, the > impossible to play eye hand video game becomes an easy to play ear > hand audio game. We believe that the same enjoyment can be > achieved by a blind player playing our games, as a sighted person > playing a video game. > We are developing programs to make use of one area where a blind > person can grow and succeed. Playing sounds through a sound card > will be used to enhance and blend with the operation of our > programs. We in the blind community can get a similar enjoyment > from a sound card as the sighted community gets from graphics on a > monitor. > > GAMES BY PCS: > ANY NIGHT FOOTBALL. This is a text based football game. Which is > simple to play, and the teams are historically reflected in the > statistics used. (This game has no digital sounds like the other > four games but we are working on a new version with real football > sounds and player's names due out at the beginning of the 1996 > football season. > ANY NIGHT FOOTBALL sells for thirty dollars. > MONOPOLY. A very speech friendly Monopoly game with over fifty > multi media sounds. MONOPOLY sells for thirty dollars. > MOBIUS MOUNTAIN. A speech friendly math adventure game with real > sounds. It was written similar to Shoots and Ladders, with speech > in mind to enable blind children to know exactly what is going on > in the game at all times. MOBIUS sells for twenty dollars. > TENPIN. Use your ear and hand skills to bowl against up to eight > players or try to beat your highest score. Hear the sounds of the > ball rolling down the alley and the pins knocking over! TEN PIN > sells for thirty dollars. > SHOOT. An exciting gun shooting game using hand and ear skills. > You can shoot with over fifty guns in four different shooting > ranges. SHOOT sells for thirty dollars. > > We at PCS are always looking for new ideas for programs, and if you > have a new idea we will give it some consideration. If we make a > program which you suggested you will receive the program free. > > Contact PCS in any format at: > Personal Computer Systems > 551 Compton ave. > Perth Amboy N.J. 08861 > Phone (908) 826-1917. > > Below is a more detailed review of the games. > > ANY NIGHT FOOTBALL. > A text based football game. Which is simple to play, and the teams > are historically reflected in the game. It includes 28 teams and > their stats to make a very realistic, enjoyable and easy to play > game for the blind. > > The following is a sample of the description: > THE QUARTERBACK IS CALLING AN AUDIBLE. > THE CHIEFS ARE IN A PASS PREVENT SHORT. THREE, FIVE, THREE, > DEFENCE. > the quarterback gets the ball. and fakes it to the back. and sets > up to pass. HE PUMPS! AND HE IS LOOKING DEEP DOWN THE SIDELINE! > AND HE PASSES! IT IS A HIGH WOBBLY PASS! > COMPLETE! THE RECEIVER HANGS ON TO IT! NICE CATCH! THE BALL WAS > HUMMING! THE PLAY IS GOOD FOR A 49 YARD GAIN. > IT IS FIRST DOWN AND 10 YARDS TO GO. > the COWBOYS ARE ON THE CHIEFS 20 YARD LINE. > > This game follows the same rules as the NFL with 24 offensive and > 8 defensive plays and allows you to play another person or against > the computer. > ANY NIGHT FOOTBALL sells for $30.00 > > MONOPOLY > > MONOPOLY was written for the blind and follows all of the > conventional rules of the PARKER BROTHER'S board game. It has > options that allow for very detailed descriptions, location of > properties and tokens, and distribution of the players money. The > aim of this game was to enable blind people to follow and know > exactly what is going on in the game at all times. This game also > has over 50 multi media sounds. If you have a sound card in your > machine, you will now be able to enjoy the game even more. If you > do not have a sound card, the game is also designed to play the > sounds through the P C speaker. > > The following is a sample of the description: > > PLAYER 1 CARL IS UP > THE DICE ARE 4 AND 2 > THE ROLL IS 6 > PLAYER 1 IS ON SIDE 4 AT POSITION 5 > YOU HAVE LANDED ON SHORT LINE RAILROAD > THE COST OF THIS PLACE IS 200 > THE FOURTH OF FOUR OF RAILROAD > YOU ALSO OWN ANOTHER PROPERTY OF THIS GROUP! > PLAYER 2 PHIL OWNS A PROPERTY BELONGING TO THIS GROUP! > THE PROPERTY IS NOT OWNED. > PLAYER 1 HAS 334 DOLLARS IN THE BANK. > > PLAYER 4 ZACK IS UP > THE DICE ARE 1 AND 5 > THE ROLL IS 6 > PLAYER 4 IS ON SIDE 2 AT POSITION 8 > YOU HAVE LANDED ON TENNESSEE AVENUE > THE SECOND OF THREE OF ORANGE > THIS PROPERTY IS ALREADY OWNED BY PLAYER 3 TIM > THE RENT COLLECTOR. > YOUR RENT IS 14 DOLLARS. > AFTER PAYING YOUR RENT, > YOUR ACCOUNT IS REDUCED TO 1412 DOLLARS. > > You may play the game with two to four people. You can save a game > in progress then restart that game later. Most of the rules are > taken care of by the computer, but you may set the starting cash > any where between zero and three thousand dollars. > MONOPOLY sells for $30.00 > > MOBIUS MOUNTAIN. > > This math adventure game was written for blind children and follows > the format > > of the Shoots and Ladders board game. It was written with speech > in mind to enable blind children to know exactly what is going on > in the game at all times. This game also has multi media sounds. > If you have a sound card in your computer, you will now be able to > enjoy the game even more. If you do not have a sound card, the > game is also designed to play the sounds through the P C speaker. > > The following is a sample of the description: > > PLAYER 1 DAN IS UP. > THE SPIN IS 12 > HERE IS AN ENTRANCE TO A COLD DAMP CAVE! > A MATH PROBLEM. > HOW MUCH IS 3 MINUS 2 5 > THAT ANSWER IS NOT RIGHT. > THE RIGHT ANSWER IS 1 > oops! FALLING DOWN A DEEP PIT! > DAN IS ON THE PATH, AT LEVEL 10 5 STEPS FROM THE NEXT LEVEL. > > PLAYER 2 AUGIE IS UP. > THE SPIN IS 1 > THERE IS A BOLDER BEGINNING TO FALL ABOVE THE PATH! > A MATH PROBLEM. > HOW MUCH IS 11 PLUS 5 > HIS ANSWER IS 16 > CORRECT! > AUGIE RUN QUICKLY. VERY QUICKLY UP THE PATH. > AND AVOID THE ROCK SLIDE! > > You may play the game with one to four people. You can also play > against the computer. There are seven skill levels so children of > any age will be able to play and succeed at the game. These levels > range from addition and subtraction problems of two single digit > numbers to multiplication and division problems of two double digit > numbers. At the end of the game each player will get a report of > how well they did in solving the math problems. > > MOBIUS sells for $20.00 > > > TENPIN BOWLING > > Now through the addition of sounds a blind person can throw a ball > down a lane with the aim of knocking down ten pins that are > positioned in a triangle at the end of the lane. > this bowling game was written for the blind community. The game > follows the format of the real tenpin bowling game. > It was written with speech in mind to enable blind people to know > exactly what is going on in the game at all times. > > This game has multi media sounds. If you have a sound card in > your computer, you will now be able to enjoy the game even more. > If you do not have a sound card, the game is also designed to play > the sounds through the P C speaker. > > The following is a sample of the description: > > PLAYER 1 AL IS UP. > THE FIRST BALL. OF FRAME 9 > AIM FOR LANE 12 WHICH WILL HIT ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE 1 PIN. > A PIN ROLLS IN TO A STANDING PIN. ROCKING IT. BUT IT DOES NOT FALL! > THE BALL HIT THE MARK! OH! TOUGH BREAK. THE PINS DID NOT FALL > RIGHT! 5 PINS WERE KNOCK DOWN WITH YOUR FIRST BALL. > THE 2 4 7 8 AND 10 PINS ARE LEFT STANDING. > YOUR SCORE IS 214 > PLAYER 1 AL IS UP. > THE SECOND BALL. OF FRAME 9 > AIM FOR LANE 8 WHICH WILL HIT ON THE LEFT SIDE OF THE 2 PIN. > THE BALL SWEPT WIDE! > YOUR BALL HIT 3 LANES TO THE LEFT OF THE MARK. > YOU KNOCKED 2 PINS DOWN WITH YOUR SECOND BALL. > FOR A TOTAL OF 7 PINS KNOCKED DOWN IN THE FRAME. > THE 2 8 AND 10 PINS ARE LEFT STANDING. > YOUR SCORE IS 216 > PLAYER 2 JOAN IS UP. > THE FIRST BALL. OF FRAME 9 > AIM FOR LANE 12 WHICH WILL HIT ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE 1 PIN. > ITS SPINNING! ITS SPINNING. THE 6 PIN IS SPINNING. > AND IT KNOCKS OVER THE 10 PIN. > YOU GOT A STRIKE! THE BALL HIT THE MARK! > FOR A TOTAL OF 10 PINS KNOCKED DOWN IN THE FRAME. > YOUR SCORE IS 217 > THE LEADER AFTER 9 FRAMES IS, > JOAN WITH A SCORE OF 217 POINTS. AND HAS A TOTAL OF 6 STRIKES. > FOLLOWED BY: > AL WITH A SCORE OF 216 POINTS. WITH A TOTAL OF 5 STRIKES. PLAYER > 1 AL IS UP. > THE FIRST BALL. OF FRAME 10 > AIM FOR LANE 12 WHICH WILL HIT ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE 1 PIN. > JUST ENOUGH. JUST ENOUGH SPEED ON THE BALL! > YOU GOT A STRIKE! THE BALL HIT THE SPOT! > YOUR SCORE IS 226 > PLAYER 1 AL IS UP. > THE SECOND BALL. OF FRAME 10 > AIM FOR LANE 12 WHICH WILL HIT ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE 1 PIN. > A LITTLE BETTER THERE A LITTLE MORE SPEED ON THE BALL. > YOU GOT A STRIKE! THE BALL HIT THE SPOT! > YOU KNOCKED 10 PINS DOWN WITH YOUR SECOND BALL. > YOUR SCORE IS 236 > PLAYER 1 AL IS UP. > THE LAST BALL. OF FRAME 10 > AND AL HAS 2 STRIKES IN A ROW. > AIM FOR LANE 12 WHICH WILL HIT ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE 1 PIN. > ITS WOBBLING. AND. AND. IT STAYS! TOUGH BREAK. > THE BALL BROKE WIDE! > YOUR BALL HIT 1 LANE TO THE LEFT OF THE MARK. > THE 6 PIN IS LEFT STANDING. > YOUR SCORE IS 245 > PLAYER 2 JOAN IS UP. > THE FIRST BALL. OF FRAME 10 > AIM FOR LANE 12 WHICH WILL HIT ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE 1 PIN. > YOU GOT A STRIKE! THE BALL HIT THE SPOT! > YOUR SCORE IS 237 > PLAYER 2 JOAN IS UP. > THE SECOND BALL. OF FRAME 10 > AND JOAN HAS 2 STRIKES IN A ROW. > AIM FOR LANE 12 WHICH WILL HIT ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE 1 PIN. > OH! NICE BREAK. WITH THE BALL BREAKING SHARPLY. AND SWEEPING THE > LANE OFF. YOU GOT A STRIKE! THE BALL HIT IN THE GROOVE! > YOU KNOCKED 10 PINS DOWN WITH YOUR SECOND BALL. > YOUR SCORE IS 257 > PLAYER 2 JOAN IS UP. > THE LAST BALL. OF FRAME 10 > AND JOAN HAS 3 STRIKES IN A ROW. > AIM FOR LANE 12 WHICH WILL HIT ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE 1 PIN. > THE BALL BROKE WIDE! > YOUR BALL HIT 12 LANES TO THE LEFT OF THE MARK. > YOU ROLLED A GUTTER BALL! > YOUR SCORE IS 257 > THE GAME IS OVER! > THE FINAL STANDINGS ARE. > JOAN WITH A SCORE OF 257 POINTS. AND HAS A TOTAL OF 8 STRIKES. > FOLLOWED BY: > AL WITH A SCORE OF 245 POINTS. WITH A TOTAL OF 7 STRIKES. > > You may play the game with one to eight people. You can also play > against the highest score in five speed categories. > > TENPIN sells for $30.00 > > SHOOTING RANGE FOR THE BLIND > > You can shoot with more than fifty guns in four different Shooting > Ranges. In the skeet range you can shoot at clay birds. > In the rifle range you can shoot at a target trying to hit the > bulls eye. In the pistol range you can shoot at a steel human > silhouette target > In the junk yard you can shoot a rifle, a shotgun, or an automatic > weapon at over thirty objects. > > This game has multi media sounds. If you have a sound card in > your computer, you will now be able to enjoy the game even more. > If you do not have a sound card, the game is also designed to play > the sounds through the P C speaker. > > The following is a sample of the description: > YOU ARE AT THE SKEET RANGE. > YOU WILL BE SHOOTING AT 10 CLAY BIRDS. > YOU ARE USING A SHOTGUN. > YOU ARE SHOOTING A TOURNAMENT. > HIT ANY KEY TO GO. > A HIT! > YOUR SHOT 1 WAS A HIT. > YOU HAVE 1 HIT. > OUT OF 1 SHOT. > FOR 1 SKEET. > HIT Q TO QUIT, OR HIT ANY OTHER KEY TO GO ON. > LEFT OF THE MARK. > YOUR SHOT 1 WAS OFF TO THE LEFT OF THE MARK. > YOU HAVE 1 HIT. > OUT OF 2 SHOTS. > FOR 2 SKEETS. > > YOU ARE AT THE RIFLE RANGE. > YOU WILL BE SHOOTING AT A CARD BOARD TARGET > AND WILL BE SHOOTING 10 ROUNDS TRYING TO HIT THE BULLS EYE. > HIT ANY KEY TO GO. > 1 RING TO THE LEFT. > 2 RINGS TO THE RIGHT. > 1 RING TO THE LEFT. > YOUR SHOT 1 WAS 1 RING OFF TO THE LEFT OF THE BULLS EYE. > YOUR SHOT 2 WAS 2 RINGS OFF TO THE RIGHT OF THE BULLS EYE. > YOUR SHOT 3 WAS 1 RING OFF TO THE LEFT OF THE BULLS EYE. > YOUR SCORE IS 24 > OUT OF 3 SHOTS. > > You may play the game with one to four people. You can also play > against the highest score in several categories. > > SHOOT sells for $30.00 > > > > > --- > Gamers mailing list __ Gamers@audyssey.org > If you want to leave the list, send E-mail to > gamers-unsubscr...@audyssey.org. > You can make changes or update your subscription via the web, at > http://audyssey.org/mailman/listinfo/gamers_audyssey.org. > All messages are archived and can be searched and read at > http://www.mail-archive.com/gamers@audyssey.org. > If you have any questions or concerns regarding the management of the list, > please send E-mail to gamers-ow...@audyssey.org. > -- Desiree --- Gamers mailing list __ Gamers@audyssey.org If you want to leave the list, send E-mail to gamers-unsubscr...@audyssey.org. You can make changes or update your subscription via the web, at http://audyssey.org/mailman/listinfo/gamers_audyssey.org. All messages are archived and can be searched and read at http://www.mail-archive.com/gamers@audyssey.org. 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