Uploaded August 2026 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
- Bonus Video: Sno-Cat (Commodore Vic-20 Game) -
Sno-Cat is a 1984 action game for the Commodore VIC-20, written by Andy Keplinger and originally published in Compute!’s Gazette. The player drives a powerful snow tractor down a continuously scrolling slope, avoiding trees while trying to reach the flag at the end of the course.
The controls are deliberately simple, but the vehicle itself creates the difficulty. The Sno-Cat changes gears automatically, beginning at a manageable speed before shifting into increasingly faster gears as the run continues. By the time it reaches top speed, threading the vehicle between the trees becomes considerably more demanding.
A brake provides the only real defence against losing control. Holding it slows the Sno-Cat almost to a standstill, which can be invaluable when a narrow opening appears ahead. There is a trade-off, however: the distance counter stops while braking even though the timer continues, so excessive caution produces a much slower finishing time.
That creates a straightforward risk-and-reward system. Driving flat out is obviously faster, but the automatic increase in speed makes collisions increasingly likely. Braking constantly makes survival easier but defeats much of the purpose of chasing a strong time.
Visually, Sno-Cat is extremely modest. The snowy course consists largely of trees and simple character graphics, but the downward scrolling works effectively and gives the small VIC-20 program a convincing sense of forward movement. The uncluttered presentation also makes it easy to concentrate on the gaps opening ahead. The preserved VIC-20 version specifically uses a small machine-language routine to produce that scrolling effect.
There are no elaborate stages, power-ups or competing vehicles. Everything revolves around surviving the same descent, controlling an increasingly fast machine and reaching the flag in the shortest possible time. That limited scope suits its origins as a magazine type-in rather than a full commercial production.
The escalating speed is what keeps the simple premise from becoming completely trivial. The early part of the run gives plenty of time to react, but the later sections demand much quicker corrections, especially if the brakes are being avoided in pursuit of a better time.
Overall, Sno-Cat is a small game with a very narrow objective, but it uses that objective well. The automatic gears, increasingly dangerous speed and strategic use of the brakes turn a basic tree-dodging exercise into a surprisingly focused little slalom challenge, and it is another interesting example of what programmers were squeezing into an unexpanded VIC-20.
#retrogamingloft #snocat #commodorevic20
- Bonus Video: Sno-Cat (Commodore Vic-20 Game) -
Sno-Cat is a 1984 action game for the Commodore VIC-20, written by Andy Keplinger and originally published in Compute!’s Gazette. The player drives a powerful snow tractor down a continuously scrolling slope, avoiding trees while trying to reach the flag at the end of the course.
The controls are deliberately simple, but the vehicle itself creates the difficulty. The Sno-Cat changes gears automatically, beginning at a manageable speed before shifting into increasingly faster gears as the run continues. By the time it reaches top speed, threading the vehicle between the trees becomes considerably more demanding.
A brake provides the only real defence against losing control. Holding it slows the Sno-Cat almost to a standstill, which can be invaluable when a narrow opening appears ahead. There is a trade-off, however: the distance counter stops while braking even though the timer continues, so excessive caution produces a much slower finishing time.
That creates a straightforward risk-and-reward system. Driving flat out is obviously faster, but the automatic increase in speed makes collisions increasingly likely. Braking constantly makes survival easier but defeats much of the purpose of chasing a strong time.
Visually, Sno-Cat is extremely modest. The snowy course consists largely of trees and simple character graphics, but the downward scrolling works effectively and gives the small VIC-20 program a convincing sense of forward movement. The uncluttered presentation also makes it easy to concentrate on the gaps opening ahead. The preserved VIC-20 version specifically uses a small machine-language routine to produce that scrolling effect.
There are no elaborate stages, power-ups or competing vehicles. Everything revolves around surviving the same descent, controlling an increasingly fast machine and reaching the flag in the shortest possible time. That limited scope suits its origins as a magazine type-in rather than a full commercial production.
The escalating speed is what keeps the simple premise from becoming completely trivial. The early part of the run gives plenty of time to react, but the later sections demand much quicker corrections, especially if the brakes are being avoided in pursuit of a better time.
Overall, Sno-Cat is a small game with a very narrow objective, but it uses that objective well. The automatic gears, increasingly dangerous speed and strategic use of the brakes turn a basic tree-dodging exercise into a surprisingly focused little slalom challenge, and it is another interesting example of what programmers were squeezing into an unexpanded VIC-20.
#retrogamingloft #snocat #commodorevic20
