ChipWits
ChipWits is a programming game for the Macintosh written by Doug Sharp and Mike Johnston and published by BrainPower software in 1984. Ports to the Apple II and Commodore 64 were published by Epyx in 1985. The player uses a visual programming language to teach a virtual robot how to navigate various mazes of varying difficulty.
ChipWits
- Date
- 1984
- Genre
- simulation video game
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Documentary connections
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Documentary evidence
Documentary basis
Authority files
wikidata · Q1074499
In this article
The object
The object
The game straddles the line between entertainment and programming education. • Illustration — Logo from 1984 manual
Key facts
Key facts
• Title — ChipWits • Designer — Doug Sharp Mike Johnston • Publisher — BrainPower (Apple II, Mac) Epyx (C64) • Released — 1984: Mac 1985: Apple II, C64 • Genre — Programming game • Modes — Single-player • Platforms — Apple II, Commodore 64, Mac
Development
Development
The game was developed using the MacFORTH implementation of the Forth programming language for the Macintosh 128K. The Commodore 64 version was written in SuperForth 64.
History of the object
Dated record
History of the object
The full dated record · 2 entries
1984
ChipWits published.
1984
ChipWits is recorded as published in 1984.
Places
Named by the record
Places
Only places the record itself states, plotted where the house gazetteer settles their coordinates. Nothing is inferred from a name or a nationality.
- United States
Named but not plotted · 1
ChipWits is associated with United States.
Country
Reception
Reception
Computer Gaming World preferred Robot Odyssey to ChipWits but stated that both were "incredibly vivid simulation experiences". The magazine criticized ChipWits inability to save more than 16 robots or copy a robot to a new save slot, and cautioned that it "may be too simple for people familiar with programming". The magazine added that the criticism was "more a cry for a more complex Chipwits II game than condemnation of the current product". ChipWits won the MACazine Best of '85 and MacUsers Editor's Choice 1985 Award and was named 8th best Apple game of all time by Maclife.
Legacy
Legacy
From 2006 to 2008, Mike Johnston and Doug Sharp developed and released ChipWits II, written in Adobe AIR. That version featured several innovations including an in-game tutorial, updated graphics, a soundtrack, isometric and 3D rendering, several new chips, and new missions. In September 2021, ChipWits, Inc. was formed by Doug Sharp and Mark Roth to create a modern reboot of the game. The new version is written in Unity and is released on Steam with a free demo. In November 2024, in celebration of the game's 40th anniversary, ChipWits, Inc. recovered and open sourced the game's original Forth source code for the Macintosh and Commodore 64. The original games are available to play in emulation.
Text attribution
Licensing
Text attribution
Part of the biographical narrative on this page reuses licensed material. Its origin, revision and licence are recorded here.
The biographical narrative on this page is based on the Wikipedia article ChipWits, revision 1337327217 (EN edition), by its contributors. VALÉORINE has edited that text and built its own documentary record around it. The reused material is available under CC BY-SA 4.0, and this page's reuse of it is offered under the same licence. Everything else on this page — the chronology, the holdings, the evidence, the plates and the connections — is VALÉORINE's own record. Sources and licences.
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.Rochat, Jan. Back to 1985: How We Remade ChipWits for the C64. February 6, 2025.
- 2.Williams, Gregg. Robot Simulations / Tinkerer's Playgrounds. Computer Gaming World. 5. 2. 22–23. April–May 1985.
- 3.Top 10 Apple Games of All Time. MacLife.
- 4.ChipWits: The Game of Robot-Programming Fun - Bring Your Brain!.
- 5.Official website
- 6.ChipWits on Steam
- 7.ChipWits' 40th Birthday: Original FORTH Code Open Sourced!. November 2024.
- 8.Original ChipWits in Emulation
References
Citations
References
Each reference names the institution holding it, so a reader may go to the document itself.
reference work
Secondary witness
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 18 August 2026.
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