"APPLE BOWL	Enjoy this realistic simulation of a bowling alley.  You have
		complete control of the ball; APPLE keeps the score.  (Order Nos.
		A2T0015 - tape, A2D0018 - disk)"

- from "Apple" magazine, volume 1, number 3, circa 1979.

Apple Bowl was originally written and released in 1979.  It was written using a language called Integer BASIC, which was written by Woz (Steve Wozniak, creator of the Apple ][) when he built the original Apple 1.  When the Apple ][ was created, Integer BASIC was included in every machine.

Integer BASIC is a version of the BASIC programming language that deals only with fixed-point numbers (hence the name "Integer").  It was built into every Apple ][ sold until the Apple ][+ came along (the ][+ had AppleSoft built-in, just like your IIGS).  Having a programming language built into your computer allows you to program the computer yourself, which means that you can tell the computer what YOU want it to do, instead of using off-the-shelf software which tells the computer what somebody ELSE thought that it should be doing.  Of course, when the Apple ][ was introduced, there wasn't very much off-the-shelf software.  This meant that many owners explored programming on their own, using the built-in language Integer BASIC.

One of the results of this "homebrew" programming was Apple Bowl.  It was a game that simulated a bowling alley, using the Apple's hi resolution graphics, and giving the user complete control over speed and "english" of the ball and the release point within the lane.  The program was written to compute the actual movement of the ball based on the physics of ball and pin movement.  The program also automatically kept score for the player.

Fast-forward to 1991.  The Byte Works (a company that produces software development tools) released a product called the Integer BASIC Compiler for the Apple IIGS.  This product allowed a programmer to write programs using Integer BASIC, and then translate those programs into applications that could be executed on an Apple IIGS.  One of the several Apple ][ fanatics within the Apple ][ software group at Apple Computer saw the possibilities of the compiler, and decided to update Apple Bowl.

The Apple Bowl that accompanies this Read.Me file is the result of about a month's worth of after-hours work.  It started with the original Apple Bowl program, which was modified slightly to get it working with the compiler.  The result is an Apple IIGS game that combines the best of the old with the best of the new.  Instructions are included within the game itself.

To install Apple Bowl to another disk, you can either use the Installer program, or you can simply drag the Apple.Bowl icon from this disk to your disk using the Finder.  You may also want to drag the AppleBowl.Icon file from the Icons folder to the Icons folder on your disk.  (Please note that the Installer does not do this.)  To run the program, simply Open the icon from within the Finder (just as you would for any other IIGS application).

This version of Apple Bowl was produced as a labor of love for the Apple ][.  It certainly doesn't meet the standards of today's games, but it can be a lot of fun and maintains a link with the Apple ]['s long history.  My only hope is that you receive some enjoyment from it.

Greg Branche
January, 1992
