''Preppie!'' is an

action video game An action game is a video game genre that emphasizes physical challenges, including hand–eye coordination and reaction-time. The genre includes a large variety of sub-genres, such as fighting games, beat 'em ups, shooter games, and platform gam ...

for the

Atari 8-bit family The Atari 8-bit family is a series of 8-bit home computers introduced by Atari, Inc. in 1979 as the Atari 400 and Atari 800. The series was successively upgraded to Atari 1200XL , Atari 600XL, Atari 800XL, Atari 65XE, Atari 130XE, Atari 800XE, ...

published by

Adventure International Adventure International was an American video game publishing company that existed from 1979 until 1986. It was started by Scott and Alexis Adams. Their games were notable for being the first implementation of the adventure genre to run on a ...

in 1982. It was programmed by

Russ Wetmore Russ Wetmore is an American computer programmer and video game designer best known for writing commercial games and applications for the Atari 8-bit family in the early to mid 1980s. His ''Frogger''-inspired '' Preppie!'' was published by Adventu ...

of Star Systems Software, whose name is prominently displayed on the box cover. Leaning on the

preppy Preppy (also spelled preppie) or prep (all abbreviations of the word ''preparatory'') is a subculture in the United States associated with the alumni of old private Northeastern college preparatory schools. The terms are used to denote a perso ...

trend of the early 1980s, the game follows prep schooler Wadsworth Overcash as he navigates the hazards of a country club to retrieve golf balls. ''Preppie!'' borrows heavily from

Konami , is a Japanese Multinational corporation, multinational video game company, video game and entertainment company headquartered in Chūō, Tokyo, Chūō, Tokyo, it also produces and distributes trading cards, anime, tokusatsu, pachinko machin ...

's ''

Frogger is a 1981 arcade action game developed by Konami and manufactured by Sega. In North America, it was released by Sega/Gremlin. The object of the game is to direct a series of frogs to their homes by crossing a busy road and a hazardous rive ...

'', with lanes of traffic in the bottom half of the screen and a river crossing the top portion. Alligators are an element from both ''Frogger'' and preppy fashion; an open-mouthed gator is the icon of shirt brand

Izod The Izod Corporation (officially stylized as IZOD) is an American midrange clothing company that produces dressy-casual clothing, sportswear for men, and footwear and accessories. It is a division of Authentic Brands Group, and is currently ma ...

. Reviewers recognized the game as derivative, but called the music and visuals some of the best for Atari 8-bit computers. ''Preppie!'' was followed by a maze game, ''

Preppie! II ''Preppie! II '' is a video game written by Russ Wetmore for the Atari 8-bit family and published by Adventure International in 1983. Subtitled "The continuing saga of Wadsworth Overcash," it is a sequel to 1982's ''Frogger''-inspired ''Preppie! ( ...

'', from the same author in 1983. In January 2016, Russ Wetmore released the

source code In computing, source code, or simply code, is any collection of code, with or without comments, written using a human-readable programming language, usually as plain text. The source code of a program is specially designed to facilitate the wo ...

for both games.

Gameplay

Like ''

'', the player must cross lanes of traffic, then jump between floating objects to reach the other side of a river. The frog is recast as a

, and the setting moved to a country club where traffic consists of

golf cart A golf cart (alternatively known as a golf buggy or golf car) is a small motorized vehicle designed originally to carry two golfers and their golf clubs around a golf course with less effort than walking. Over time, variants were introduced t ...

s and reel mower-pushing

groundskeeper Groundskeeping is the activity of tending an area of land for aesthetic or functional purposes, typically in an institutional setting. It includes mowing grass, trimming hedges, pulling weeds, planting flowers, etc. The U.S. Department of Labor e ...

s. Canoes, logs, and

alligator An alligator is a large reptile in the Crocodilia order in the genus ''Alligator'' of the family Alligatoridae. The two extant species are the American alligator (''A. mississippiensis'') and the Chinese alligator (''A. sinensis''). Additiona ...

s occupy the water. Instead of simply getting to the other side as in ''Frogger'', the goal is to retrieve all of the golf balls and return them to the bottom of the screen. Each ball requires a separate trip. The golf balls appear either in the strip between the two areas or on the far side of the river. There are ten levels. A bonus preppie is given for reaching 8,000 points.

Development

Russ Wetmore's then-spouse, Diana, suggested a "cartoonish" style of game. Wetmore took inspiration from the preppy fad spawned by 1980's ''

The Official Preppy Handbook ''The Official Preppy Handbook'' (1980) is a tongue-in-cheek humor reference guide edited by Lisa Birnbach and written by Jonathan Roberts, Carol McD. Wallace, Mason Wiley, and Birnbach. It discusses an aspect of North American culture describe ...

''. He wrote the game on an Atari 800 in eight weeks using the Atari Macro Assembler. Being more familiar with

Z80 The Z80 is an 8-bit microprocessor introduced by Zilog as the startup company's first product. The Z80 was conceived by Federico Faggin in late 1974 and developed by him and his 11 employees starting in early 1975. The first working samples were ...

assembly language from programming the

TRS-80 The TRS-80 Micro Computer System (TRS-80, later renamed the Model I to distinguish it from successors) is a desktop microcomputer launched in 1977 and sold by Tandy Corporation through their Radio Shack stores. The name is an abbreviation of '' ...

, he used macros to give a Z80 flavor to

6502 The MOS Technology 6502 (typically pronounced "sixty-five-oh-two" or "six-five-oh-two") William Mensch and the moderator both pronounce the 6502 microprocessor as ''"sixty-five-oh-two"''. is an 8-bit microprocessor that was designed by a small te ...

code. The main musical theme is an arrangement of Humoresque Op. 101 No. 7 by

Antonín Dvořák Antonín Leopold Dvořák ( ; ; 8 September 1841 – 1 May 1904) was a Czechs, Czech composer. Dvořák frequently employed rhythms and other aspects of the folk music of Moravian traditional music, Moravia and his native Bohemia, following t ...

Reception

In a 1982 review for ''

Antic Alphanumeric Television Interface Controller (ANTIC) is an LSI ASIC dedicated to generating 2D computer graphics to be shown on a television screen or computer display. Under the direction of Jay Miner, the chip was designed in 1977-1978 by ...

'', Robert DeWitt concluded "Al has a real winner here, even if the 'cover' concept is only remotely related to the game." Bill Kunkel of ''

Electronic Games An electronic game is a game that uses electronics to create an interactive system with which a player can play. Video games are the most common form today, and for this reason the two terms are often used interchangeably. There are other common ...

'' called it a "''Frogger''-inspired delight." He clarified: "Sure it sounds familiar, but what elevates ''Preppie!'' from the score of ''Frogger''-clones on the software market is the enchanting four-part harmony sound effects and the stunning graphics."

John J. Anderson John J. Anderson or J.J. Anderson (November 8, 1956 – October 17, 1989) was a writer and editor covering computers and technology. The New Jersey native was Executive Editor of '' Computer Shopper'' and ''Atari Explorer''. At the time of his ...

of '' Creative Computing Video & Arcade Games'' stated that although gameplay is not original "the implementation is gorgeous." A ''

COMPUTE! ''Compute!'' (), often stylized as ''COMPUTE!'', was an American home computer magazine that was published from 1979 to 1994. Its origins can be traced to 1978 in Len Lindsay's ''PET Gazette'', one of the first magazines for the Commodore PET c ...

'' review also lauded the graphics and stated, "this program easily ranks among the best games to appear for the Atari computer to date." ''The Book of Atari Software 1983'' gave a rating of B-minus, writing "Animation and graphics are very good" and "I can't say it's very original in design; but, like ''Frogger'', it is lots of fun." In an "Antic Pix Ten" article, ''Antic'' chose ''Preppie!'' as "among the most popular, interesting, and valuable programs yet written for your amusement." In the January 1983 issue of ''Joystik'', David and Sandy Small included ''Preppie!'' on a similar list of their ten "most heavily played, and most recommended, games."

Legacy

''Preppie! II''

Released in 1983, ''

'' is a maze game where the object is to paint the corridors pink by moving through them. Elements of the original return as obstacles, including giant frogs, golf carts, and lawn mowers.

''Preppie! 3''

Wetmore mentioned a possible third game in the series when interviewed by ''

'' in 1983, giving the tentative title as ''Preppies in Space''. He was asked about this in 2005, and his response was posted to the AtariAge forums:

References

Bibliography * * * * * * {{cite magazine , title=Preppie! review , magazine=Computers & Electronics , number=21 , page=102 , date=March 1983

External links

''Preppie!''
at Atari Mania 1982 video games Adventure International games Atari 8-bit family games Atari 8-bit family-only games Commercial video games with freely available source code Top-down video games Video game clones Video games developed in the United States