# ChipWits

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{{Short description|1984 video game}}
{{Infobox video game
|title = ChipWits
|image = ChipWits.jpg
|caption = 
|designer = Doug Sharp <br> Mike Johnston
|publisher = BrainPower (Apple II, Mac) <br> [Epyx](/source/Epyx) (C64)
|released = '''1984:''' Mac<br>'''1985:''' Apple II, C64
|genre = [Programming game](/source/Programming_game)
|modes = [Single-player](/source/Single-player_video_game)
|platforms = [Apple II](/source/Apple_II), [Commodore 64](/source/Commodore_64), [Mac](/source/Mac_(computer))
}}

'''''ChipWits''''' is a [programming game](/source/programming_game) for the [Macintosh](/source/Mac_(computer)) written by Doug Sharp and Mike Johnston and published by BrainPower software in 1984. Ports to the [Apple II](/source/Apple_II) and [Commodore 64](/source/Commodore_64) were published by [Epyx](/source/Epyx) in 1985. The player uses a [visual programming language](/source/visual_programming_language) to teach a virtual robot how to navigate various mazes of varying difficulty. The game straddles the line between entertainment and programming education.

thumb|Logo from 1984 manual

==Development==
The game was developed using the [MacFORTH](/source/MacFORTH) implementation of the [Forth](/source/Forth_(programming_language)) programming language for the [Macintosh 128K](/source/Macintosh_128K). The Commodore 64 version was written in SuperForth 64.<ref>{{cite web| url=https://chipwits.com/2025/02/06/back-to-1985-how-we-remade-chipwits-for-the-c64/ |title=Back to 1985: How We Remade ChipWits for the C64 |last=Rochat |first=Jan |date=February 6, 2025}}</ref>

==Reception==
''[Computer Gaming World](/source/Computer_Gaming_World)'' preferred ''[Robot Odyssey](/source/Robot_Odyssey)'' to ''ChipWits'' but stated that both were "incredibly vivid simulation experiences". The magazine criticized ''ChipWits''{{'}} inability to save more than 16 robots or copy a robot to a new save slot, and cautioned that it "may be too simple for people familiar with programming". The magazine added that the criticism was "more a cry for a more complex ''Chipwits II'' game than condemnation of the current product".<ref name="williams19850405">{{cite magazine | title=Robot Simulations / Tinkerer's Playgrounds | magazine=[Computer Gaming World](/source/Computer_Gaming_World) | volume=5 | issue=2 | date=April–May 1985 | url=http://www.cgwmuseum.org/galleries/index.php?year=1985&pub=2&id=21 | accessdate=17 April 2016 | last=Williams | first=Gregg | pages=22–23}}</ref>

''ChipWits'' won the ''MACazine'' Best of '85 and ''MacUser''{{'}}s Editor's Choice 1985 Award and was named 8th best Apple game of all time by ''Maclife''.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=http://www.maclife.com/article/top_10_apple_games_all_time |magazine=MacLife |title=Top 10 Apple Games of All Time}}</ref>

==Legacy==
From 2006 to 2008, Mike Johnston and Doug Sharp developed and released ''ChipWits II'', written in [Adobe AIR](/source/Adobe_AIR). That version featured several innovations including an in-game tutorial, updated graphics, a soundtrack, [isometric](/source/Isometric_video_game_graphics) and 3D rendering, several new chips, and new missions.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://chipwits.com/ | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190804143146/http://chipwits.com/ | archive-date=2019-08-04 | title=ChipWits: The Game of Robot-Programming Fun - Bring Your Brain!}}</ref>

In September 2021, ChipWits, Inc. was formed by Doug Sharp and Mark Roth to create a modern reboot of the game. The new version is written in [Unity](/source/Unity_(game_engine)) and is released on [Steam](/source/Steam_(service)) with a free demo.<ref>[https://chipwits.com/ Official website]</ref><ref>[https://store.steampowered.com/app/2330720/ChipWits/ ChipWits on Steam]</ref>

In November 2024, in celebration of the game's 40th anniversary, ChipWits, Inc. recovered and open sourced the game's original [Forth](/source/Forth_(programming_language)) source code for the [Macintosh](/source/Mac_(computer)) and [Commodore 64](/source/Commodore_64).<ref>{{cite web | url=https://chipwits.com/2024/11/16/chipwits-40th-birthday-original-forth-code-open-sourced/ | title=ChipWits' 40th Birthday: Original FORTH Code Open Sourced! | date=November 2024}}</ref>

The original games are available to play in emulation. <ref>[https://chipwits.com/retro/ Original ChipWits in Emulation]</ref>

==See also==
{{Portal|Video games}}
* ''[Rocky's Boots](/source/Rocky's_Boots)''
* [Logic simulation](/source/Logic_simulation)

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* {{Official website|https://chipwits.com/}}
* [https://github.com/chipwits/chipwits-forth Forth source code] on GitHub
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20190804143146/http://chipwits.com/ ''ChipWits II'' official website (archive)]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Chipwits}}
Category:1984 video games
Category:Apple II games
Category:Commodore 64 games
Category:Classic Mac OS games
Category:Programming games
Category:Single-player video games
Category:Video games developed in the United States
Category:Video games written in Forth

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [ChipWits](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ChipWits) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ChipWits?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.