Die Türme von Pompeji

Die Türme von Pompeji is a 1983 Tower of Hanoi type-in game found in a German magazine, CPU (Computer programmiert zur Unterhaltung).

Though not, in my opinion, as visually appealing as the earlier Pharaoh’s Needles, Die Türme von Pompeji includes some features not found in the earlier Tower of Hanoi games I’ve played. Namely, sound effects and a timer. The sound effects are very primitive–just beeps to indicate successful or unsuccessful moves. The timer counts the number of minutes and seconds it takes to solve the puzzle, a nice addition.

Unfortunately, Die Türme von Pompeji supports only the six disc puzzle, has a rather unattractive red background, and, like D. Buckeye’s Tower of Hanoi, it is harder to tell at a glance how many discs are on a stack. Also, it has no animation, though whether that is a drawback may be a matter of opinion. Upon winning, however, the screen flashes through an exciting display of colors, which is nice.

Displaying the incremental and unpredictable nature of video game development, Die Türme von Pompeji is in some ways superior and in others inferior to its contemporaries.

Tower of Hanoi (1983)

Tower of Hanoi by D. Buckeye is, as the name suggests, a Tower of Hanoi game for the Commodore 64 and PET 64 computers, released in 1983.

This one is less featureful than even Glen Fisher’s version from five years prior: the number of discs is fixed at five, and the movements are not animated. The graphics are also less impressive–it’s harder to tell at a glance how many discs are on a stack, since they merge together onscreen.

This version is essentially inferior to the several Tower of Hanoi games which preceded and followed it. I do not recommend it.