# DRUG WARS for the Agon Light

An adaption of the DOS version of the game, converted to BBC BASIC (Z80) for the Agon Light

![BoxArt](BoxArt.png)

Long before GTA came Drug Wars.

"This is a game of buying, selling, and  fighting. The object of the game is to pay off your debt to the loan shark. Then, make as much money as you can in a 1 month period. If you deal too heavily  in  drugs,  you  might  run  into  the police !!  Your main drug stash will be  in the Bronx. (It's a nice neighborhood)"

John E Dell first wrote Drug Wars in 1984 on the TRS-80 as a school assignment. He got an A for the code and a concerned frown for the subject matter. Dell wrote a version on DOS afterwards and gave it to his friends, one of whom uploaded it to a BBS where its popularity grew, while Dell, unaware that this had been done, went off and pursued other paths.
 
The game has spawned many variants over the decades including Jonathan Maier's rewrite for the TI-82 graphing calculator, the open source Dope Wars and various closed source derivatives for Windows, Android and IOS.

![Buy, Sell or Jet](Screenshots/buysellorjet.png)

This particular version is an adaption of the DOS version of the game, converted to BBC BASIC (Z80) for the Agon Light. 

There are slight differences in the UI, mostly to account for the different screen dimensions, and the editor in me could not resist correcting a couple of spelling mistakes, but the core gameplay and design choices are the same as in the original. One slight concession to ease of playability is that the date is shown as the day number rather than fixed dates in December 83 and January 84.

This game was written on and is known to work with BBC BASIC for Z80 version 1.04 on the Agon Light running MOS/VDP 1.03. It also works on the Agon Light emulator if you do not own either an Agon Light or Agon Light 2.

The game runs in Mode 1, the default Agon mode and one that should be supported by all monitors.

True to the original, the game lacks certain niceties modern users have come to expect. For example, if you try to buy something that costs more than you can afford or more than you can carry, the sale fails silently and the game continues without warning you that this happened.

If you chose Buy or Sell and change your mind, you can pick a drug and set 0 as the amount. If you chose Jet, however, and change your mind, you are out of luck. You cannot travel back immediately to your current location and must pick a new destination. 

A blinking cursor means the game is expecting you to press a key: which key that is should usually be obvious from the context. The screen will not alway prompt you with the choice of keys to press. If asked a Yes or No question, press Y or N to respond. For Buy, Sell or Jet, press B, S or J. For the choice of drug, use the first letter, for example S for Speed. For Run or Fight, R or F. (Input is case insensitive so you do not need to worry about using SHIFT or CAPSLOCK.) When you Jet, pick a location by typing the number that corresponds to it in the list of destinations, for example, 4 for Manhattan. 

At the end of the game, you will be given a score out of 100. It takes a lot of money to score high.

The game is also [available on itch.io](https://oldpatientsea.itch.io/drug-wars-for-the-agon-light) Donations help me and are optional. You can adjust the amount to what you think is fair or download for free if you desire. 

For more information on the history of the game, please see [Jason Scott's interview with John E Dell](http://ascii.textfiles.com/archives/899) and [Zack Huffman's The Wild Spread of Drug Wars, From Your Calculator to Your Phone](https://www.wired.com/story/history-drug-wars-calculator-game/).

Box art created with the assistance of DALL-E and using the Trueno Font (released under the SIL Open Font License).

The original game design belongs to John E Dell and no licence is offered.
