Snake!

Snake! is a video game in the action genre and published by John Chenault originally released in 1984. It is currently playable on DOS.

Snake! is a great Nibbles clone with some very innovative concepts, although the game is only ASCII with no graphics.

There are three game modes: single player, two player and computer. The single player mode is basically the same gameplay familiar to Nibbles fans: you are a snake slithering through convolutedly designed levels, eating food to grow while trying to avoid bumping into any growing body parts. The goal is to survive as long as possible to get the highest score.

When you've grown enough, you'll get twice as much score as before, and special items will also start appearing. Special items include the 'chomp', which allows you to pass through yourself, and the Yen sign, which will shrink your snake so you have more room to move, but will also accelerate your speed.

The two-player and computer modes are the ones that really shine in Snake!. In two-player mode, you play against another snake controlled by a human player. Just like in single-player mode, there are targets to eat to score points. The difference here is that you can try to force your opponent to eat your tail, which will earn you points in addition to shrinking you as well. You win this mode by forcing your opponent to eat himself or hit the wall. . . very fun:)

The computer mode is similar to the single player mode, except you play against 4 small computer controlled snakes that you must avoid at all costs. The computer snakes can die if they bite you or any other snake, or if they hit the wall.

Despite its age and lack of graphics, Snake! is one of the best Nibbles games I've encountered. The game is easy to learn but difficult to master, with lots of fun surprises to keep you playing. A lot of thought has gone into the game, right down to the design of the targets: instead of generic food that appears randomly, in Snake! your score depends on the size of the target, as well as the angle from which you hit it. If you hit it exactly in the door, you get double points. Arcade fans who don't care much about graphics will find hours of fun in this little-known ASCII.

It is possible that we have multiple downloads available when different versions exist.