King Cribbage

Name: King Cribbage
Programmer(s): Randi J. Rost
Publisher: Hayden
Year: 1981

Description:

King Cribbage was a computer card game released for the Apple II in 1981 by Hayden Software. The game brought the traditional two-player card game of cribbage to home computers, allowing players to compete against the computer opponent in this classic counting game.

The game followed standard cribbage rules where players try to score 121 points before their opponent. Players take turns playing cards from their hands, trying to make combinations that add up to 15 or create pairs, runs, and flushes. The unique "crib" hand gives extra points to the dealer each round. King Cribbage displayed the game board with its distinctive pegboard for scoring, cards in color graphics, and used text commands for player input.

Playing King Cribbage required understanding basic cribbage strategy. Players had to decide which cards to keep and which to discard to the crib. During the pegging phase, they needed to play cards that scored points without helping their opponent. The computer opponent provided three difficulty levels: beginner, intermediate, and expert. The beginner level made occasional mistakes, while the expert level played nearly perfect cribbage, calculating the best statistical plays.

The game used the Apple II's limited graphics capabilities effectively. Cards appeared in simple but clear designs with suits shown in color on systems with color monitors. The pegboard displayed as a rectangular track with holes marked for each point. Sound effects were minimal, with simple beeps for scoring and dealing. The entire program fit on a single floppy disk and loaded quickly into the Apple II's 48K of memory.

King Cribbage succeeded because it filled a specific need. Many Apple II owners wanted to play cribbage but lacked a human opponent. The game provided practice for real cribbage players and taught newcomers the rules. The computer never got tired, never cheated, and always followed the rules exactly. Players could pause and save games to continue later.

The game received positive reviews in computer magazines of the time. Reviewers praised its accurate rules implementation and adjustable difficulty. Some criticized the simple graphics compared to arcade-style games, but most recognized that clear display mattered more than fancy visuals for a card game. King Cribbage remained popular throughout the 1980s and influenced later computer cribbage games. It showed that traditional games could work well on computers when programmed thoughtfully. The success of King Cribbage encouraged other developers to create computer versions of classic card and board games for the Apple II and other early home computers.