''Computer Baseball'' is a sports simulation game published by

Strategic Simulations Strategic Simulations, Inc. (SSI) was a video game developer and publisher of over 100 games from its founding in 1979 to its dissolution in 1994 (though the brand was in use until around 2002). The company focused on computer wargames then lat ...

in 1981. It was released for the

Apple II Apple II ("apple Roman numerals, two", stylized as Apple ][) is a series of microcomputers manufactured by Apple Computer, Inc. from 1977 to 1993. The Apple II (original), original Apple II model, which gave the series its name, was designed ...

, Atari 8-bit computers, and later for the Commodore 64, Macintosh, IBM PC, and Amiga.

Gameplay

Players can manage a game between teams from 14 different World Series contests, or enter in or load the statistics for other teams. For example, players can manage either the

Brooklyn Dodgers The Brooklyn Dodgers were a Major League Baseball team founded in 1883 as the Brooklyn Grays. In 1884, it became a member of the American Association as the Brooklyn Atlantics before joining the National League in 1890. They remained in Brook ...

New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Am ...

in a rematch of the

1955 World Series The 1955 World Series was the World Series, championship series of Major League Baseball's (MLB) 1955 Major League Baseball season, 1955 season. The 52nd edition of the World Series, it was a best-of-seven playoff that matched the National Leagu ...

. Two players can manage against each other, one player can manage against a computer manager, or the computer can manage both teams. Game play is limited to managerial decisions: setting lineups, pitching changes, pinch hitters and other substitutions, defensive positioning, and offensive decisions such as when to bunt, steal or hit and run.

Reception

''Computer Baseball'' was given the award for "Best Computer Sports Game" in 1982 at the 3rd annual Arcade Awards. Judges described the game as computerized version of the traditional statistical-replay table sports game, and praised it for its "attractive and easy-to-use form". ''

Computer Gaming World ''Computer Gaming World'' (CGW) was an American Video game journalism, computer game magazine that was published between 1981 and 2006. One of the few magazines of the era to survive the video game crash of 1983, it was sold to Ziff Davis in 199 ...

'' stated in 1985 that ''Computer Baseball'', despite its age, "remains one of the best on the market". It cited the clear documentation and compiling and printing of individual statistics as strengths, while the weak computer opponent was a weakness. ''

Ahoy! ''Ahoy!'' was a computer magazine published between January 1984 and January 1989 in the US, covering on all Commodore color computers, primarily Commodore 64 and Amiga. History The first issue of ''Ahoy!'' was published in January 1984. The ...

'' wrote in 1986 that the game "isn't as pretty as ''

MicroLeague Baseball ''MicroLeague Baseball'' is a 1984 baseball simulation video game. It was developed and published by MicroLeague. It was released for Amiga, Apple II, Atari 8-bit computers, Atari ST, Commodore 64, and IBM PC compatibles. Summary It was one of ...

'', but it may be better for those who replay entire seasons ... its mathematical model considers more statistical categories than other programs". The magazine noted the large number of supplemental disks available from SSI. The game sold more than 30,000 copies.

Reviews

*''

'' #1 (Nov-Dec 1981)

References

{{Reflist, refs= {{cite magazine , title=Play Ball! , magazine=

, volume=5 , issue=3 , date=June–July 1985 , url=http://www.cgwmuseum.org/galleries/issues/cgw_5.3.pdf , accessdate=17 April 2016 , last=Oxner , first=Bill , pages=24 1981 video games Amiga games Apple II games Atari 8-bit computer games Baseball video games Classic Mac OS games Commodore 64 games DOS games Strategic Simulations games Video games developed in the United States