Now You Can Play Portal On An Apple II

If for some reason you still haven't played Valve's hit game Portal, I implore you to go to Steam or your favorite console's digital marketplace and download it right away. It really is as good as everyone says. However, if you have played it (and the acclaimed sequel) before, but wish you re-experience it on your aging but beloved Apple II computer, now you finally can, thanks to computer engineering professor Vince Weaver.

Now, before you get your hopes up, this isn't a direct port of the original Portal to 30-plus-year-old hardware. It is, however, a faithful recreation of the modern FPS puzzle game into an 8-bit, 2D sidescroller, made using Applesoft BASIC. Even with these extreme limitations, Weaver has managed to capture the look and mechanics that make Portal easily identified.

This includes players using a pair of portals — one orange, the other blue — to teleport themselves, objects, or obstacles around puzzling environments. Even more impressive is that Weaver's adaptation includes the game's complicated final boss fight. Even better is that the credits still feature the humorous song "Still Alive," by Jonathon Coulton.

Weaver has made his take on the game free to download from his website. But if you don't have a working Apple II on hand, you can still give it a try using an emulator.

SOURCE Vince Weaver