Hello and some questions!

[Ruffie]

Hi there, I just found this forum while doing a search. My first computer was a VIC 20, and I kept it - and all the games, books, etc, I had for it - stored away all these years, only breaking them out and playing them a few times since.

Recently, though, I have been EBaying off my various parts of my videogame collection (not the VIC stuff but console games and systems from the 70s, 80s, and 90s), and am considering also selling off my VIC stuff. It's gonna be hard, because the VIC holds a lot of fond memories for me.

So I've got a few questions for you VIC afficianados, if that's ok:

1. Is there a demand for old VIC games? I've got 26 complete (box and instructions) games and 9 loose cartridges, plus memory expanders and some books. Most in decent condition, except the Miner 2049er box which seems beat to hell. I don't see too many of these games on EBay, other than the more common Commodore releases ( I have a lot of those, too).

2. Is there a list somewhere of which games are more rare or sought after? I can see that Ultima : Escape from Mt Drash is extremely rare and sought-after, but unfortunately I don't have it.

3. Here's a non-sale related question that has been haunting me for over 20 years. On the HES game Protector, is there something hidden at the far right end of the playing field? I seem to remember flying my ship through a very tight diagonal crack and accessing an area with some message in it. This is a very old memory and I don't think I ever was able to do it again.

Thanks in advance for any answers anyone can give. If I start putting VIC auctions on EBay, I'll be sure to let you guys know.

Ruffie

[bbell]

Hi Ruffie!

If you are going to sell off your original VIC-20, you might want to think it over well. I know there are alot of people here that wish they had that original machine they grew up on!

I have a cartridge rarity list you can look at, its a few years old, but it is a good general reference.

http://www.vaxxine.com/vic-20/cartlist.htm

You may want to google around for other lists (does anyone know of a tape rarity list?) or newer versions of this list. I have never seen a newer one than this one. If you find one let me know.

Things over the last few years have been fairly active with VIC stuff on Ebay (and most other retro systems) so any list is a guideline, some previously rare cartridges have become more common as they appear in Ebay.

Certainly let us know what items you have for the VIC, it is always interesting to know what is out there!

[Mayhem]

http://www.digitpress.com

will have an online Vic20 rarity guide (just carts though). As Ward has now "retired", I've taken over his mantle of tracking, plotting, costing and determining rarity on the cart side.

As said, a few have come down in rarity (especially Star Battle and Jelly Monsters) and a few have gone up. Need to get an update sorted after Xmas actually, it's been left a bit too long (though Joe has been rather busy with his new shop in the last month or so).

[Centallica]

does anyone know of a tape rarity list

Yes:
http://www.digitpress.com/the_digs/vic2 ... pelist.txt
This is the only one I know of and is dated,
Brian

[carlsson]

Not only is the list of tapes dated, it makes all kinds of wild assumptions. To me it looks like someone did a "dir" in the games and games.basic directories of Funet (now Zimmers) and put together a rarity list based on that. I think there are a lot of tapes e.g. on Arma's site that were known but not archived on Funet, and vice versa a lot of homebrewn Basic programs on Funet that never have appeared as commercial tape games. Some of the titles are marked as (Magazine), often COMPUTE!, but I don't think such titles should belong in a rarity list, unless it is a list of rare computer magazines or the listings were issued on COMPUTE! tape compilations.

[Jeff-20]

I still have my original vic 20 as well as several original carts for various systems. While I get mint condition versions of these items, I'll never dispose of the originals because of their sentimental value. Whatever you do, save those original items! You can never get them back again once they are gone.

[Ruffie]

Thanks for the answers, everyone. I've been aware of the digitalpress lists for some time, although I didn't see their tape game list. It doesn't say much about the rarity of those titles.

Here's the four commercially-released tape games I have, complete with their boxes and instructions:
Aztec Challenge by Cosmi
Spider Invasion by Cosmi
Slinky by Cosmi
Crush, Crumble, and Chomp by Epyx

CC&C by Epyx is the one I am thinking is kind of rare. Has anyone else seen a copy of it? It was absolutely my favorite VIC game back in the day. It requires the 16K expander and has looooooong load times.

My cartridges that are complete (box and instructions, all varying degrees of wear):

Gorf
Omega Race
Jupiter Lander
Radar Ratrace
Adventure Land
Pirate Cove
Voodoo Castle
The Count
Commodore Artist
8K memory expander
16K memory expander
Gridrunner
Protector
Dig Dug
Mountain King
Super Amok
Serpentine
Rat Hotel
Apple Panic
Deadly Skies
Demon Attack
Dragonfire
Miner 2049er (again, the box on this one looks like it was dragged away and buried by rabid weasels)
Computer War

Loose cartridges (no box nor instructions):
Sargon II Chess
Alien
Mission Impossible
Gold Fever
Aggressor
Shamus
Jungle Hunt
Moon Patrol

Books:
Personal Computing on the VIC 20
VIC 20 Programmers Reference Guide
Compute's First Book of VIC Games
VIC 20 User Guide (John Heilborn/Ran Talbott)
Time Lost - A Computer Adventure

So, what do you all think?

Ruffie

[Mayhem]

CC&C by Epyx is the one I am thinking is kind of rare. Has anyone else seen a copy of it? It was absolutely my favorite VIC game back in the day. It requires the 16K expander and has looooooong load times.

Yep I have it. Must admit I partly agree, I've hardly seen it about.

Would be interested in Miner2049er box and manual if you decide to sell