KNOWN CARTRIDGES FOR THE PLUS4/116/16
Not many cartridges were released for the Commodore Plus/4, C16, and 116. Based on various forums and lists, I could only find the following titles:
- Jack Attack
- Pirate Adventure
- Viduzzles
- Atomic Mission
- Strange Odyssey
- C-16 Tutor
- Logo
- Diagnostic Test
- Script/Plus
- Financial Advisor
- Calc/Plus
- Wizard of Wor
I'm still missing a few of these in my own collection but that's part of the fun, right? Always something left to hunt for.
PIRATE ADVENTURE - COMMODORE PLUS-4
Pirate Adventure;
I purchaced a few new old stock cartridges from the Retro 8bit Shop. One of the was the "Pirate advanture"
Online I found the following description:
A Buried Treasure Fantasy
Welcome to the world of high adventure as you seek to uncover buried valuables on Treasure Island. But the road to riches is full of peril and excitement. Uncover clues in your London home. Meet up with the pirate and his daffy bird on Pirates Island. Even sail the high seas. A truly exciting adventure game!
Welcome to the mind-boggling adventures of Scott Adams
These true "computer classics" are among the most entertaining games in personal computing! By using two-word commands you can travel through each adventure according to the location described to you. All descriptions consist of words, and decisions can change from move to move. There's even a help menu included to assist you in those really tough areas.
When the plus 4 came out I was still using the Commodore 64 and did't know anybody at that time that actually owned a Plus-4. Everybody was either moving towards a Amiga or the first IBM PC's that became more afortable and common.
SUPER BASE - COMMODORE PLUS-4
SuperBase was the go-to database program for the Plus/4, C16 and 64.
Whether you were managing an address list, inventory, or cassette collection it handled it all with ease. You could define fields, search, sort, and print reports, all-in a clean tekst interface.
I found the cartridge version. No loading times just plug and play. Same power, more convenience. It turned your humble 8-bit machine into a serious data tool. A true classic for the organized retro mind.
JACK ATTACK - COMMODORE PLUS-4
Jack Attack is one of the more polished and memorable games that was available on the Commodore VIC-20 and Plus/4 / 16.
It's a clever action-puzzle game where you control a little character who must push blocks around to squash enemies and clear each level.
Sounds simple, but timing and planning are key. One wrong move and it's game over. Classic brain workout!
But here's the fun part: the game was named after Jack Tramiel, the founder of Commodore. "Jack Attack" was a cheeky internal nickname among developers, partly because Tramiel was known for his aggressive business style.
When the game was finished, the name stuck and it became an unlikely tribute to the boss himself!
Smooth controls, solid challenge, and catchy gameplay. A standout title on the Plus/4 and still fun to pick up today.
FINANCIAL ADVISOR - COMMODORE PLUS/4
Financial Advisor for the Commodore Plus/4 is one of those classic 1980s utilities no frills, just honest number crunching for your personal finances. Here shown is the cartridge version.
With this cartridge, you could figure out how much your savings would grow with interest, or what happens if you start dipping into the account along the way.
It also calculates monthly payments for mortgages or loans with ease.
Feeling a bit like an investor?
There's even a simple feature to estimate returns on stocks and bonds.
SCRIPT PLUS - COMMODORE PLUS4
Script plus cartridge, according to the manual;
"Script/Plus is one of the most powerful word processors available for any micro computer. It allows you to create, store and modify short and long documents with professional ease. Script/Plus can work in 240 columns and can do row and column arithmetic using one of its calculator functions. This makes Script/Plus excellent for producing tables of figures or invoices. Tekst and tables can be stored on disk or tape to be printed or modified when required."
I did not have a Commodore Plus-4 back in the day. I worked on the Commodore 64. Using Easy script I created all my school reports and papers together with "High Eddy" a graphical tool. I remember printing tekst using Easy script and then printing the graphics later by feeding the paper into the printer for a second time,
MAYHEM
You are the captain of a space cargo ship carrying thousands of Blibbles from their ove-populated planet to a new planetary system which has more room.
Unfortuanately someone has left the door to the holding cells open and the Blibbles are wandering around your space ship causing mayhem. You must round them up again before any of them enters the carco transporter where they will be fizzled into oblivion.
To make matters worse, your service droids have fone berserk, and a Wafoid has entered the ship through an open port-hole and is hampering the operation.
The scene is the engine room of your space ship. Blibbles enter the room through the door at the bottom of the screen. use your scanner, which starts in the the large scanner box near the middle of the screen, to pick up a Coerco-Stasis-Grille from the top left of the room and place it in the path of t he Blibbles.
Move the Grille by placing the scanner over it and holding down the FIRE button. The Grille moves with the scanner as long as the fire button is depressed. Release the button when the Grille is in positon, and move the scanne so that the Blibble will not collide with it and destroy it. Press fire when a Blibble reaches the Grille and he is returned to the saftey of Stasis.
After the first wave of Blibbles has passes, the Wafoid enters the room. The Wafoid is unstoppable and will destroy your scenner or the Grille if it comes into contact with them. If you lose the Grille you have to get another one from the top left of the room.
The Droids enter the room anling with the third wave of Blibbles. You can recover a Droid by running into it with your scanner while the fire button is pressed. If the fire button is not pressed however, the Droid will destroy the scanner. Droids destroy Grilles, even if the fire button is pressed.
HARBOUR ATTACK
Harbour Attack was one of the ten games included in the bundle from the so-called "Liquidation Plus/4 Package."
The Plus/4 wasn't the success Commodore had hoped for, which led to a massive price drop.
In the UK, this bundle earned its nickname because Commodore was basically clearing out all remaining stock.
This game was one of the ten titles included on the bundled cassette.
You control a warship defending the harbor against waves of enemy planes and boats.
The graphics are basic, but the gameplay is no less fun. Dodging bombs, firing at just the right moment.
NUMBER CHASER
This is a eductional game that was included as the bonus content of the Plus-4 packaged districbuted in the UK.
It is playable with keyboard keys (Z,X, (left and right) and ; and / (up and down).
You need to move you racing car to the lane that corresponts to the answer of the mathematical problem shown.
CRAZY GOLF
Crazy Golf on the Commodore Plus/4, because why play regular golf when you can play weird, pixelated mini-golf with a twist?
It's mini-golf, You're faced with bizarre obstacles, strange curves, and ball physics that sometimes feel more "haunted pinball" than precision putting.
Each hole is a puzzle, and figuring out the best angle or power becomes oddly addictive.
Graphically it's got that charming blocky vibe, with bold colors and quirky animations.
ICIRCLE WORKS
Icicle Works! Now here's a classic that brings back instant muscle memory. Released for the Commodore Plus/4 in the mid-80s, this one clearly took inspiration from Boulder Dash, but with its own icy twist.
You play as a little explorer in a chilly underground world, digging through snow and ice to collect gifts scattered across the level. But of course, it's never that simple. One wrong move, and a boulder-or rather, a massive chunk of ice, will come crashing down on your head.
The controls are tight, the levels cleverly designed, and there's a real "just one more go" factor to it. Each screen feels like a little puzzle, part speed, part planning, and part not panicking when everything starts falling apart.
Sure, it's not Boulder Dash, but it's a very solid clone with a festive atmosphere and that unmistakable Plus/4 charm.
If you had a Plus/4 back in the day, chances are high this was on your tape deck more than once.
EXOCIST
Came with the Plus/4 Liquidation Package is (1985) in Great Britain.
Part of this where the 10 cassettes with software: Icicle Works, Harbour Attack, Fire Ant, Exorcist, Crazy Golf, Mayhem, Number Builder, Number Chaser, Space Sweep, Space Invaders and Treasure Island.
Exorcist on the Commodore Plus/4-now that's one spooky little gem from the mid-80s! Released as part of the same cassette series as Treasure Island, this game dives into a totally different vibe: haunted corridors, supernatural threats, and a lone hero armed with raw courage and a pixelated energy blast.
It is a pac-man like game, see the animation.
You play as an unnamed exorcist, walking through creepy catacombs and eerie chambers, zapping ghosts, demons, and who-knows-what out of existence.
The action is fast and relentless, and the tension builds with each new wave of evil lurking just off-screen.
Graphically, it's classic Plus/4, simple but effective.
The background is moody, and those enemy sprites? They've got charm in that "early ‘80s nightmare" kind of way. It's one of those games where the limited color palette actually helps set the tone.
TREASURE ISLAND
Treasure Island on the Commodore Plus/4, now that's a title that instantly sails you back to simpler times. Released in 1984, this game dropped you straight into the boots of Jim Hawkins, armed with nothing more than a pistol and a goal: escape the island with your life and the loot!
It's a fast-paced, single-screen arcade adventure filled with pirates, gunpowder barrels, and the odd tropical palm tree.
The graphics are colorful (for a Plus/4, pretty decent!), and the gameplay? Unforgiving but addictive.
You'll be dodging bullets, blasting baddies, and navigating your way through waves of respawning enemies.
Every step feels risky, and the sound effects, minimal as they are-give just enough punch to keep your heart rate up.
It's not a deep story, but hey-who needs Shakespeare when you've got exploding barrels and buried treasure?
This one's all about reflexes, timing, and surviving just one more screen. A proper old-school challenge that still holds up today.
FIRE ANT
You play as a tiny pixel ant on a big mission: escape from the maze-like underground and reach the surface.
But of course, nothing's that simple, traps, enemies, and dead ends are all part of the ride.
It's got that classic trial-and-error vibe, where each attempt teaches you a little more. The graphics are minimal, but the tension is real.
There's something oddly satisfying about guiding your tiny insect buddy through danger.
One more try and maybe this time you'll make it out
SPACE SWEEP & INVADERS
Space Sweep on the Commodore Plus/4 is classic arcade-inspired chaos in the vacuum of space.
You're piloting a lone ship in a debris-filled battlefield, dodging space junk and zapping anything that moves. Think of it as a deep-space clean-up operation, with lasers.
It's fast, it's twitchy, and the screen fills up quick.
The controls are simple but responsive, perfect for those late-night joystick marathons.
It doesn't reinvent the genre, but Space Sweep delivers pure, no-nonsense blasting fun, wrapped in chunky Plus/4 pixels.
PURPLE TURTLES
Purple Turtles. One of those quirky little games that makes you smile before you've even loaded it up.
Released in 1983 for the Commodore Plus/4, it's a charming, colorful arcade-style game with just the right amount of weirdness.
You play as Mama Turtle, guiding her trail of baby turtles across the screen while dodging enemies and obstacles.
And there's something oddly satisfying about watching that little turtle line grow longer as you collect more babies.
It's a simple game, but don't let that fool you.
Timing, patience, and a bit of strategy are key here, especially when the enemies start speeding up. One wrong move and you'll lose a baby… or worse, the whole line!
Not the most famous title out there, but definitely something colletable worthly.